The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2

183 “Why Don’t We Write?” by Jeremiah Beatham Instructor’s Notes “Why Don’t We Write?” is an example of a Problem- Solution essay. At the end of the required semester of composition, the instructor asked Jeremiah and his classmates to identify problems in composition theory and pedagogy. Students were able to participate in the ongoing academic discourses about composition and composition theories in order to write papers that were academically relevant to the field of composition studies. In the first part of the paper, Jeremiah identifies a serious problem that besets many composition students—the lack of motivation students have in composition classes. Jeremiah identifies who can solve the problem and then uses deductive arguments to explain how the solution he suggests will solve the student-problem of lack of motivation in a composition course. Examine how Jeremiah integrates scholarly articles about composition theory and his own voice to identify the problem and then to move beyond complaining in order to solve the problem. Writers’ Biography Jeremiah Beatham is a second-year Industrial Design major from Mexico-- just a regular guy who isn’t used to writing things that stick out to people. He’s just as shocked as you are that he’s in this book, because typically he likes to make things with this hands or spend time outside, hopefully with good friends and family. Why Don’t We Write? Scritch, scratch, scuff, scuff. The sounds are of a pencil laying down graphite as fast as the young man can think until he pauses, erases, re-writes, brushes the rubber wisps off the page, and reads over his work. He sets his mechanical pencil down on the bed next to him, leans against the poster-collage of a wall, and sorts through the lines in the Moleskine, reciting his poem out loud,