/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.2995566]

I have to write a descriptive essay for a university class.

I have no idea what to write about. The professor kept ripping people's essay's apart, asking "Why are you telling us this?" and "What's the point of writing about that?"

...I don't fucking understand. Why does there have to be a point in a descriptive essay? Can I get some examples?

[Anonymous No.2995573]

Describe something. Bam, done. Good for you anon. Tell your professor to suck a dick.

Describe him, and what you think he's like when he bitches at others. Get people mad. He'll appreciate it.

[Anonymous No.2995626]

>>2995573
I don't know how to start this... Fuck

[Anonymous No.2995629]

>>2995573
I was thinking to write a description of the girl I love, and how I feel when I'm with her, etc

[Anonymous No.2995633]

>>2995629
Does this sound like a decent topic, /lit/?

[Anonymous No.2995641]

>>2995566
Read some essays by Virginia Woolf, you pleb.

[Anonymous No.2995655]

I'm freaking out. Should I write an introduction and you can tell me how it sounds?

[Anonymous No.2995665]

>>2995633
FUCK NO, YOU CLICHE DICK

>>2995655
go for it

[Anonymous No.2995666]

>>2995633
Not really, only because the feeling sounds too ephemeral. You probably don't have a consistent idea of what it is. And there is probably not a whole lot of a great deal of interest really to say about it, which isn't obvious to most people. I would work on something more concrete. Also, you don't want to reveal in your essay anything you wouldn't tell an enemy—not to say that having enemies is terribly common, it's just a way of saying that it's smart to be discreet when you could just as easily NOT pour out your heart in a throwaway essay for some dick professor.

Based on how you described the prof, it's difficult to tell whether the issues with the essays he tore apart, were due to genuinely sloppy writing, or his own uniquely unattainable standards. Maybe if you could provide us the exact prompt, or details of what was wrong with the sample essays.

Finally, why don't you try reading a sample of a good descriptive essay. If he hasn't provided one, pull up the googlez *(but no plagiarizing).

[Anonymous No.2995667]

Is /lit/ is under attack? WTF is with all these shit-tier threads being posted with less than 20 replies? When did the rest 4chan find out they had a /lit/board. Now all the sudden everyone's obsessed with Vonnegut. If you don't read actual literature and philosophy stop spewing your diarrhea into /lit/ please. Also. . .

/Lit/'s homework help board is here
>>4chan.org/hm/

[Anonymous No.2995668]

in actuality people in /lit/ cannot give you good advice because they are morans who talk about the same dead authors over and over.

[Anonymous No.2995671]

<--Here's some copypasta from /k/. It's not great, but you get the general idea. The writer is putting a mental image in your head throughout the story. Aim for that.

When writing a descriptive essay, try to imagine it as a screenplay. Think about what the setting looks like, the colour of everything, the movement of the individual, etc.

It's similar to writing a novel, except you're not supposed to be making shit up; I assume this is a research-based essay. If that's the case, try to find some primary sources regarding your essay topic and draw information from those. Secondary is fine for the bread and butter of your essay, but for the descriptive part, photographs, first-hand accounts, etc. are all invaluable.

Source: 4 shitty years of writing history papers in university, with an average of 80%

[Anonymous No.2995676]

>>2995668

>in actuality people in /lit/ cannot give you good advice because they are morans who talk about the same dead authors over and over.

>morans
>morans
>morans

[Anonymous No.2995688]

I still don't know what to write about guys...

It'd be so much easier if someone just gave me a topic...

[Anonymous No.2995694]

>>2995688
Wait, how about I wrote a descriptive essay about my cat?

[Anonymous No.2995698]

Christ, your indecisiveness and horrible professor lead me to believe you attend a shit-tier university. fuckin pick something

[Anonymous No.2995699]

>>2995688

I can help, but you need to answer some questions:

1.) What is this class?
2.) How old is your professor? Male or female?
3.) Do you have absolute freedom to write about anything at all?
4.) What is the word/page limit?

All of these things are vital in determining a topic. Trust me.

[Anonymous No.2995706]

Seriously, why wouldn't you at least mention what the class is?

[Anonymous No.2995710]

>>2995699
1) Some writing workshop class, it's a requirement. I'm a chemistry major.
2) I was to say 40, male, and he looks and acts like he does cocaine.

He had some students read the introductions to their essays, and he kept remarking about how he wants to kill himself after hearing them. I believe he said something along the lines of "If there was a window in this room, I would jump out of it right now." and "I can't even find a light socket to jam my finger in." and then he went on about how he might have to resort to beating himself with the telephone

3) Yes, pretty much...
4) I think 3 pages double spaced

[Anonymous No.2995713]

>>2995698

Some people are just not good at writing essays. If OP isn't specifically in English/History, it wouldn't be that surprising. Most people in fields like Engineering, Biology, Political Science, etc. can't write to save their lives, which is likely why they entered said streams in the first place.

When I started uni I was lucky; my sister was in her 4th year and also majored in history, so she gave me a ton of pointers on how to write well, and particularly how to write for certain professors.

Then again, some profs are just really vague, and it has nothing to do with the school. I went to one of the highest ranked universities in Canada and I still encountered some shit-tier profs. Once some of them get tenure, they figure it's a licence to stop trying.

[Anonymous No.2995718]

>>2995710
Write about your major and why you're pursuing it. Write about virtually anything that's important to you and has some bearing on the lives of others.

Just make it honest and avoid cliches and I doubt he'll be that harsh.

[Anonymous No.2995716]

>>2995710
what the fuck man. report the teacher, he sounds like a lunatic.

[Anonymous No.2995735]

>>2995718
I don't think that'd turn out very well...

[Anonymous No.2995747]

>>2995710

Alright, your prof sounds like a typical edgy douchebag pseudo-intellectual. Probably reads Sartre in his spare time while massaging his prostate with a turnip.

Anyhow, I'd suggest you pick something relatively obscure, as it'll give you more freedom in your description. Chances are if the subject matter is unfamiliar to (most people), it'll be unfamiliar ground to this fucking faggot of a prof. However, it'd be beneficial to pick something you're fairly familiar with. Since you're in chemistry, maybe a short historical piece about someone significant to the history of chemistry? Perhaps the invention of sulfa drugs or penicillin? You could focus on the implications of the drug(s) while at the same time using the laboratory setting and gruesome outcome of untreated infectious diseases for a descriptive touch.

You really don't have a lot of room to work with, given that it's 1.5 pages (3 double-spaced). To be honest, that's really not enough to write a proper descriptive essay, so it only shows what a gigantic shitclown your prof really is.

I'd suggest finding something short, maybe an encyclopedia entry on your topic. Use that for your main points, then use some secondary sources (i.e. biography, photos) for the descriptive part.

Obviously your brain will have to put it all together, but I've found that breaking a paper down into manageable parts is the easiest way to write it; basically re-assemble it with prose as your glue.

[Anonymous No.2995755]

>>2995718
this ... try to use simple, frank language. put yourself into the mindset of somebody who knows nothing about the thing you're describing, and write as though you're telling them about it. like you're talking to your grandparent's grandparent through a time portal, and they're asking what you're doing, you tell them, and then they're like, "well what's a computer?"

for example, if i were describing my computer to them, i would probably start off by telling them that it's a machine that runs on electricity. it is designed to perform repetitious tasks, most notably numerical computations. i interface with the machine via a deck of buttons, the bulk of which are individually labeled with letters of the alphabet. perhaps you get the idea.

a problem with a lot of writing from a lot of young folk who can't write very well is that they can't properly imagine their audience. try to make no assumptions about the prior knowledge of your reader beyond that they know very little to virtually nothing, and it may help you figure out how you want to write your essay.

[polite sage No.2995764]

>>2995755
>a lot of reading from a lot of young folk
>a lot ... a lot

oh yeah, proofread your final product, so you don't write dumb-sounding stuff like that

[Anonymous No.2995767]

>>2995755
>for example, if i were describing my computer to them, i would probably start off by telling them that it's a machine that runs on electricity. it is designed to perform repetitious tasks, most notably numerical computations. i interface with the machine via a deck of buttons, the bulk of which are individually labeled with letters of the alphabet. perhaps you get the idea.

Hahahahahahaha holy shit OP do NOT do this. This is a descriptive essay, not a how-to manual. They are COMPLETELY different, and if this is for a university course...I can see you failing hard.

This is how you write a children's book, not a university-level essay.

[Anonymous No.2995770]

>>2995764
why would you sage the thread you dumb fuck?

[Anonymous No.2995775]

Fuck, I shouldn't have started this so late. I might not do it, and write it up another time.. He allows for a rewrite... my brain is just fried.

[Anonymous No.2995777]

OP just write about Allie's baseball glove. Whenever i think about it i get all torn up inside. i don't mean to, but i just do. I really do.

[Anonymous No.2995783]

>>2995775

>mfw I used to turn out 12 page research essays for 4th year university courses in a single night
>and get an 84% on the paper

God I was a fuckin machine. I still think I should do grad school. I'd rape the shit out of their minds.

[Anonymous No.2995788]

>>2995783
OP here, I have a degree in biology, I could do that shit all day.

But writing a creative descriptive essay is much much different...

[Anonymous No.2995796]

>>2995767
>how-to manual
>the excerpt your'e quoting *describes* the parts of a computer and does not say anything about how actually to use it
jesus, can't believe i'm responding to such a moron. but i just wanted to say that 1) this guy doesn't know what the hell he's talking about, 2) to playfully structure your essay as an actual, explicit how-to manual is actually an interesting idea & may earn kudos from your pseudo-intellectual prof for the sheer gimmick-value, and 3) that the overall thrust of my suggestion, describing something to someone who isn't already intimately familar with said thing, is completely spot-on and generally good writing advice, even for other types of essays.

somebody else asked why did i sage ... i don't know if you're new to the slower boards of 4chan, but basically there's no need to bump a post on /lit/ if you've just posted to it within the last couple minutes. in fact, if you're not really adding anything substantial to the discussion (e.g., you're posting only to ask somebody why they bothered to sage their post), then it's considered correct decorum to sage your post. you can't exactly sage-bomb a thread to page 15 on the slow boards.

[Anonymous No.2995799]

Yep, I'm fucked... I'll try again another day...

[Anonymous No.2995800]

>>2995788

>thinks writing a paper for biology is equivalent to writing history research essay

Lawdy, I figured you guys didn't have a clue...but you're really out there. I scoff at schools that place history in the social sciences, because it's clearly an art. Writing in history is 50% prose, 50% information.

Writing a paper for bio is 95% info, 5% writing. So long as it forms a somewhat coherent sentence in the appropriate language, you pass.

[Anonymous No.2995801]

>>2995800
>>>thinks writing a paper for biology is equivalent to writing history research essay

Oh, I thought you meant a research paper in a science field. My bad.

[Anonymous No.2995808]

>>2995796

You clearly don't know what the fuck you're talking about so stop pretending you do. I'd be surprised if you even graduated from high school. Look at the way you write on 4chan...

inb4 "hurf durf its just da intarnetz i dun care aboot spellang"

If you can write well, spelling properly and following basic rules of grammar come naturally. People who write well don't find it easier to write in a half-assed manner like you do, so please don't tell me your writing is just "you being quick/lazy".

[Anonymous No.2995820]

>>2995796
dude you can barely write, i doubt you should be offering advice to some guy for a university essay

[Anonymous No.2995826]

10 bucks says OP is asian.

[Anonymous No.2995827]

>>2995826
Nope. I'm as white as they come. Blue eyed german.

[Anonymous No.2995842]

>>2995827

Then you better step up your game or you're gonna have asians outshining you. We can't have that.