Read: “Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler, on Course Reserves

Blog post (due Monday at 11:59 p.m.; 200-300 words; please include your name and the post number [#10] in your subject line):

First, reflect on your past writing and consider:
1) What do you try to do in an introduction?
2) What do you try to do in a conclusion?

Next, choose a piece of writing—a magazine or newspaper article, an essay, a work of fiction, a book from one of your other classes, a piece of junk mail, etc. Is the introduction effective? What about the conclusion? Why or why not?

In your blog post, choose to focus on either the introduction or conclusion of your chosen piece. Describe the passage in detail, breaking down each step that the author takes. (Make sure to include the title of piece and the author, if known.) Explain what makes it strong or what makes it fall flat. If it’s an introduction, does it hook your attention and provide necessary information? If it’s a conclusion, does it leave you satisfied as a reader? Start to consider how you might incorporate some of the strategies that the author uses into your own introduction and/or conclusion.