Reading Response #2

Immediately upon reading the title of Chapter 11, my brain ached and I suddenly tasted something nasty in my mouth. Since elementary school I’ve been required to write research papers, and since elementary school it has been like pulling teeth to make me write them. But when diving into Ballenger’s text I discovered that perhaps I could be successful, for once, at writing and studying about research pieces. What’s more is that the two essays we read were actually painless to read. I found that both Holmquist’s “An Experience in Acronyms” and Garrett-Brown’s “Why do People Tan” were insightful and inquisitive and presented ideas in a very different way than the typical boring research essay. Usually when reading a research paper it is similar to reading a textbook- an activity that I certainly do not enjoy. But with these essays, which presented factual evidence about a specific topic, I found that I really became part of the essay while reading.

To start, Ballenger explains that there is a huge difference between writing a research paper and writing a research essay. He offers that a research paper is intended to make a contention concerning a certain topic using extended research to back it up. Writing a research essay, however, is meant to uncover rather than to persuade and audience or prove a claim (Ballenger, 430). I feel that this concept was present in both of the required reading essays. The idea of simple curiosity was present in both compositions- Holmquist’s paper was clearly written because he was just curious about what the big deal was about illegal drugs, while Garrett-Brown’s essay was also not a long and drawn out contemplation but just something that happened to be in the author’s head one moment. Ballenger makes an interesting point when he says, “Not just any question will do. It has to be one that will drive the process for the few weeks it takes for you to learn about your topic and know enough to discover your own ideas about it” (Ballenger, 431). When thinking about this idea it absolutely made sense to me, because without the right motivation the writing becomes flat and more like a chore to do than interesting. I believe that as human beings every one of us has had a question or two in our lives that has really just stuck with us, like “What is really in mayonnaise?” or “Why can’t I put metal in the microwave?” You know the questions I’m talking about- the ones that sit with you and just make your brain ache until you know the answer. It seems that now is the right time to pull up those questions, because I wouldn’t doubt that the most bizarre of questions might turn out to be the best essays.

Another defining characteristic that Ballenger mentions in his text is that the research material utilized when writing the essay is presented in the benefit of what writers are attempting to convey about the topic they are dealing with (Ballenger, 433). This concept is consistent with both Holmquist’s and Garrett-Brown’s essays, because while some pieces of writing read like a page out of the encyclopedia, both of these papers read almost like a personal essay, but with tidbits of fact thrown in to show the discovery that the authors made. For example, in Garrett-Brown’s piece she writes, “In an article by Alexandra Greeley… she presents her case against spending time in the sun and especially tanning… but I couldn’t help but wonder if she ever has any fun after reading the closing lines to her article” (460). She then goes on to list the disputed lines for her audience, but I thought that Ballenger’s idea was well illustrated in this case. It proved that as a writer, you do not always have to agree with your source. In fact you are entitled to your own opinion. Garrett-Brown casually threw in her information without necessarily leading her audience into assuming there would be a cited section of evidence coming up. Also consistent of this idea, Holmquist, while writing paragraphs pertaining to why people do drugs, inserts his information only where it is needed, rather than boring his readers with citation after citation (B25). While it was a much more structured essay than Garrett-Brown’s, it maintained a casual flow throughout the piece that made it more inviting for the reader.

I think when approaching Essay 2, I will take Ballenger’s advice and really just choose a topic that not only is something that interests me, but something that I can both research and write about for the next few weeks. I will not necessarily dig deep into my brain to find a topic, but skim the service to find the most random of ideas to use. I will also approach this essay with a casual tone, rather than going into formal research mode. Since the paper will be about something that I like or am fascinated by, the quality should be informative and personal to me. While I cannot say that I am essentially eager or thrilled to write this next essay, my mind is more at ease after reading more about discovery essays.