Essay 1: Explaining an Idea
“Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just
enough money not to quit.”
–George Carlin
It is, of course, dependent upon who we are and what we do that allows us to define ‘work’ as
this, a ‘career’ as that, and a ‘job’ as another something different altogether. Then too, if we
throw into that definition-mix such words as ‘profession’ and ‘passion’ and ‘vocation,’ we can
easily find ourselves in quite something of a mess. But that ‘mess’ is exactly what I want you
to muck about in for awhile and then to find your way out of when you write Essay 1. In other
words, I want you to consider the terms above and offer a clear-cut definition of one of them.
Now I am not asking you to discuss work as an issue in physics or economics, nor am I
wanting you to tell me about your own personal history of jobs, and I certainly am not wanting
you to simply outline your dream for your career. Instead I want you to share your ideas
about “Work [or Career or Profession or Job or etc.] in 21st Century American Society” in an
explanatory essay, providing a clear-cut definition of your chosen term in your thesis and
specific details and discussion in your body paragraphs.
That is:
• Think about the differing denotations and connotations of these terms: work, career,
job, profession, passion, vocation.
• Arrive at a definition of one of the terms and write an essay explaining your definition.
• Your thesis must identify your chosen term AND it must offer a clear-cut distinctive
definition of it.
• Your body paragraphs will develop that definition, using specific details and examples
by way of proof and support.
• Remember…you are not ARGUING a point but rather explaining/defining a term and
idea.
Your essay must:
• Follow the academic essay structure of introduction, body, conclusion
• Include at least two quotations from at least one of the readings from Week 1 or 2
• Be formatted in MLA, complete with proper heading, header, parenthetical citation,
and works cited page
• Be at least 3 pages long, not including the works cited page (so 4 pages WITH the
works cited page)
• Be submitted as either a Word document or .pdf according to the directions provided