M. Fogus
Collage is about the juxtaposing of images and ideas, each of which interacts with the other elements of the collage, but is also discrete in a sense. Because collages are not unified like more traditional essays--which rely on structures such as chronology or the hierarchical arrangement of ideas--the form can free student writers from some of the more typical concerns about structure (such as transitions and topic sentences and conclusions), allowing them to focus instead on other aspects of writing, such as descriptive skills and voice. Collage may also encourage revision in the sense that it is more open: each element can be expanded or edited down independently of the others, and elements can be moved around easily to see how different orderings affect the piece.
In the assignment in the adjacent column, students respond to writing prompts to form a kind of autobiographical sketch. This is an ideal way for students to introduce themselves to each other if the essays are collected in a class publication. This particular collage also serves as a "gateway" to the descriptive essay, since many of the prompts are designed to elicit descriptions; peer feedback is also guided toward a discussion of descriptive techniques. But prompts can easily be modified to fit the instructor's needs, and the collage can even be used as an alternative type of brainstorming technique to produce a first draft for a more traditionally-structured essay (although there are rewards to teaching it as a legitimate form in itself).
In the first class, I spend approximately half an hour with the students to create a first draft. I read a series of prompts (see below), instructing them to write whatever comes to mind when they hear the prompt and keep writing until I go on to the next one--or, if they can't think of anything, to write down the prompt itself so they can go back to it later. I also tell them to leave white space on the page between each prompt.
When they've finished responding to the prompts, they have a complete first draft. For the next draft (I only do two with this paper), I tell them they can take out anything they've written, add more on any part, write new sections that have nothing to do with the prompts, and/or rearrange the order. The rest of the class is devoted to a non-critical peer feedback session. Students are asked to read their papers out loud (omitting anything they feel uncomfortable about sharing); listeners are asked to comment on the parts that "struck them"--which images seemed most interesting or powerful, and why; they might also be directed to talk specifically about the role of concrete details and/or unusual language; and they might be asked to consider the voice(s) they hear in the paper and talk about the picture that emerges from that--what interests does the writer seem to have, what kind of family life, musical tastes, etc.
Notes to Instructors
The Assignment
- Write something about your name: where it came from, what it means... --Describe your earliest memory
- Think of a place that's important to you. Get a picture of it in your mind. Where are you? Write down three details about your surroundings--things you see there that are interesting or important. Imagine you're touching something there--describe how it feels against your skin. Are there any sounds there? voices, wind, background noise ... ? Are you alone? Who do you wish was there with you?
- Write down a joke you remember--any joke
- Describe a ritual you have
- Write the word "Mom" and something your mother would say. Now do the same with "Dad"
- Write down some lyrics to a song you like
- Write five lines, each beginning with the word "once"
