1 / 14

Crafting Compelling Profiles: A Writer's Guide

Learn how to write engaging profiles of both celebrities and ordinary individuals, exploring different methods and perspectives. Includes sample profiles for analysis and writing assignments.

mpak
Download Presentation

Crafting Compelling Profiles: A Writer's Guide

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Chapter 7 Profiles: Creating a Dominant Impression

  2. Overview • Introduces the genre of the profile • Profiles focus on celebrities and ordinary people alike • Addresses the reasons for writing profiles as well as the methods used to gather information for them • Reminds us that profiles present the writer’s point of view, or dominant impression

  3. Readings The chapter includes a number of sample profiles. • Buhle, “Insurgent Images” • O’Neill, “A Surgeon’s War” • Rose, “I Just Wanna Be Average”

  4. Buhle, “Insurgent Images” • Buhle is a historian of labor and popular arts who teaches at Brown University. • He profiles Mike Alewitz, a muralist painter. • Several examples of Alewitz’s work are included. • See pages 210-215 for the essay. • An analysis follows, page 215.

  5. O’Neill, “A Surgeon’s War” • O’Neill writes for The New York Times. • Profile of Dr. Susan M. Love, a surgeon at the U.C.L.A. Breast Center • See the essay on pages 216-220. • An analysis follows, breaking down the essay into sections. • Series of questions, pages 220-221.

  6. Rose, “I Just Wanna Be Average” • Rose is a teacher, poet, and professor of education at UCLA. • He talks about his experiences taking vocational classes, and includes mini-profiles of several other students. • See pages 222-224 for the essay. • Analysis follows, along with a set of questions, pages 225-226.

  7. Folk Songs for the Five Points • Program in response to an invitation for “works that explore contemporary immigrant experience in New York City” (226). • Section directs students to the Web site http://www.tenement.org/folksongs/

  8. Visual Design, Public Campaigns • See the photo essay on pages 228 and 229. • Richard Marsch’s photographs and Jason Berry’s essay on the American desert combine for one ad campaign on nuclear testing, pollution, and bombing ranges.

  9. Writing Assignment • Write an essay that profiles a person; the text gives five ideas to help you select someone to interview. • Your instructor will let you know whether your class will be doing this particular assignment, and provide you with additional guidelines.

  10. Invention • Make a list of people you know. • Pick one that seems promising and contact the person to set up an interview. • See pages 232-233 for help with clarifying your purpose and doing background research.

  11. Planning and Drafting • Decide on the dominant impression you want to create, and choose details that will help you do so. • Consider using figurative language, as well as compare and contrast, to help readers see your main points.

  12. Peer Commentary and Revising • Exchange drafts with another student. Use the questions on page 236 to write a commentary about your partner’s draft. • See page 236-237 for a list of five questions to guide you in your revision. • See page 237-238 for techniques to help establish your perspective in the opening of your essay.

  13. Quitadamo, “A Lawyer’s Crusade” • See the sample profile on pages 238-41. • His commentary about his essay follows, on page 241-242. • This student plans to become a lawyer, and so chose to interview one. He wanted to understand more about what it is that lawyers do who are working in the public interest.

  14. Student Companion Website • Go to the student side of the Web site for exercises, chapter overviews, and links to writing resources for this chapter: http://college.hmco.com/pic/trimbur4e

More Related