Jonathan Martin
Articles tagged “essays”
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ENGL 1101: Etymology and the Sway of Time
~ by Jonathan Martin
As if 2010 was not far enough back for you, I now present a research essay from 2009 that I coauthored with my brother Joshua (so if you notice a difference in writing styles, it has nothing to do with my schizophrenia) concerning the unusual history of some common words: idea, rhetoric, tawdry, and guy.
Flippantly Invoked Vocabulary
In today’s culture, words tend to morph to the context in which they are most used. Over mere centuries, vocabularies with deep roots and connotations are reduced to flippantly invoked words. Words that once frolicked in lush definitions are steadily watered-down to common usage and association. As Salman Rushdie laments, “[n]ames, once they are in common use, quickly become mere sounds, their etymology being buried, like so many of the earth’s marvels, beneath the dust of habit” (Rushdie). Among such words are comprised idea, rhetoric, guy, and tawdry.
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ENGL 1102: Insatiable Desire
~ by Jonathan Martin
Time for essay recap no. 2! I wrote this essay in February for an english assignment examining that peculiar (pesky more like!) characteristic of human nature: insatiable desire (that means you never are satisfied). Being a secular school, all the non-believers had their work cut out for them — as for myself, I had a head start on the topic!
Insatiable Desire: Romantic Depiction, Cultural Demands, or Realistic Nature?
Parents are well acquainted with the phenomenon — the week after Christmas their young toddlers and pre-teen kids, who had already enjoyed a spoilsome season, are forthwith drawn into the never-ending cycle of “if I get that toy, I’ll be happy forever.” Adults as well are befuddled by their ravenous desire for alternative (typically “better” to their understanding) circumstances and possesions. Yi-Fu Tuan verbalizes this peculiar trait of human nature: “Human beings have been and continue to be profoundly restless. For one reason or another, they are not content with being where they are. They move, or if they stay in one place, they seek to rearrange that place.”
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ENGL 1102: Reading Practices and Comprehensive Depth
~ by Jonathan Martin
I wrote this essay last year as an ENGL 1102 assignment, and as it seems a waste not to put my old essays to some use, I will be starting a series that pulls from my more interesting assignments. Not too much red ink please, or I may relapse into essay revision stress disorder!
Reading Practices and Their Relationship to Comprehensive Depth
Inevitably, the method or procedure through which reading comprehension is accomplished directly affects its retention and inward understanding. Additionally, depending on the context, the audience may strive for particular excellence in certain aspects while ignoring others. Obviously the purpose of reading will consequently determine the manner in which the composition is approached and noted. Multiple generic instances of this variability present themselves as prime candidates for observation.