First College Paper

So, I just had a conference with one of my profs regarding the first paper of the class, which is also my first paper of college. It was an argumentative prompt; you had to discuss how you felt Odysseus acted while he tried to complete his homecoming once he landed on the shores of Ithaca, the slaying of the suitors and such. (Those unfamiliar with the Odyssey or those who need a refresher on this portion: click here.)Was he fair? Brutal? Somewhere inbetween?

I went with the third option and made my case, explaining the things that happened and how they showed Odysseus in either a positive or negative light.

I followed the style of arguing I had learned before. You explain what happened ("By the end, Athena is skewing the suitors’ spear throws and making sure that each of the four spears from Odysseus and his men find their mark.") and then tell what this signifies ("This is quite the advantage, and really, anything that Odysseus did to gain the upper hand aside from having the support of a goddess could quite easily be viewed as overkill.")

Apparently, this is style is too forceful for my professor. He wants me to argue my points, not just say things.

Am I incorrect in saying that argument requires evidence? You give evidence, then you explain your stance. How else am I suppose to argue?

I've always been told you need to be strong in your points. Don't say "this suggests" or "this could mean", say "this means" or "this clearly shows" or what have you.

Arguments are supposed to be forceful. You're supposed to convince the reader, and you can't do that if you're simply handing them suggestions and vague stances.

You need to be clear and concise. What's your stance, and what in the text gives you the validation to have that stance?

I guess my point is that I have a writing style, and an argumentative/persuasive writing style. It worked just fine in all my honors and AP English classes. I got very comfortable with it, and my teachers liked it.

Asking me to completely change this style and fix a paper written in said style by Sunday is gonna be a lot to ask.

Especially this weekend. X_x

Wish me luck everyone.

Until next time,
Max

Hello World

So this is my blog. No idea whats gonna go on here, how often I'll post, whatever, but I figured this would be an interesting thing for me to try. I'm starting my first year of college, a new and scary period of my life, and it'll be handy to have a place to vent and talk and such.

Hopefully I can learn a little bit more about myself, and you all can learn a bit about me, too. 

-Max D.