I have been playing tennis since I was 5, with some occasional gaps of not playing in between, and I realized that I have never written anything about it. (this is not part of the essay)
Tennis is a somewhat primitive sport, but it really never gets old. If you think about it, all it is is using various kinds of objects to hit an inflated ball over a net and trying to keep the ball in the court. So what really makes so many people play tennis?
I play tennis for a few reasons. The first reason is because my family and friends play tennis. Playing tennis is one more thing to relate to them by. Also, my dad always drags me out to play tennis, so there's no avoiding it even if I wanted to. Another reason I play tennis is because of the feel of it. There is nothing like hitting a really good and clean hit. Right when my racket touches the ball for a good whack, I know that this is the thing that will defeat my opponent. It gives me a great sense of achievement. Also, there are always moments of great suspense. Whenever I hit a really high ball that looks like it's going to go one inch out of bounds, I hold my breath and hope for the best. When it gets in, I am very exhilarated and feel like I am at the top of the world.
I don't really like tennis though. Tennis is just another form of exercise. It is even more primitive than other sports. It has less rules and guidelines than most others. That makes tennis a very boring and mundane experience. You barely have to think about anything except, "run, swing, oh that ball is moving to my left, run, backhand". It might be more fun for beginners, because they still have to think a lot about how to do the stroke. For more experienced players though, It is just the same few strokes over and over again. There really isn't much variety in tennis. Apparently many professionals including Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf agree with me too.
Tennis can be a very amazing sport if you want it to be, but to me, it is a very boring and mundane sport.
"If you think about it, all it is is using various kinds of objects to hit an inflated ball over a net and trying to keep the ball in the court." <---You don't need "If you think about it," and the "is is" is grammatically correct, but stylistically a bad habit. Maybe change to, "It's really quite a simple sport - all it requires is a racket and a ball - so what exactly makes it so enrapturing to so many people?"
ReplyDelete"I play tennis for a few reasons. The first reason is because my" <----You don't want to repeat the word "reason." Just change to "One of the reasons I play is because my family and friends all play."
" Playing tennis is one more thing to relate to them by." <----Awkward, change to "Playing tennis lets me spend time with them and get closer to them."
"Another reason I play tennis is because of the feel of it." <----"Another reason I play is because of the sense of satisfaction I get."
"When it gets in, I am very exhilarated and feel like I am at the top of the world." <---- "When it lands inside the line, I'm exhilarated and feel like I'm on top of the world."
"I don't really like tennis though."<----This change in tone comes too abruptly; you'd just finished laying out all the points why tennis is a fun sport; all of a sudden, you do a 180 degree turn and argue against it. You need some sort of transition. Maybe "When all is said and done however, I don't really like tennis. It's just another form of exercise."
Also, look at the length of the sentences in this paragraph:
I don't really like tennis though.
Tennis is just another form of exercise.
It is even more primitive than other sports.
It has less rules and guidelines than most others.
That makes tennis a very boring and mundane experience.
You have several short, clipped sentences written consecutively, when you should be changing up sentence length to give it a better flow.
"Tennis can be a very amazing sport if you want it to be, but to me, it is a very boring and mundane sport." <----You still need to work on your endings. "While tennis may be a physically and emotionally satisfying sport for many, it is an activity that remains a source of disappointment for me."
Assignment for today: Read these two opposing articles: http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnHawkins/2010/06/15/four_reasons_there_shouldnt_be_a_mosque_at_ground_zero
and
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/08/16/100816taco_talk_hertzberg
You can also read more about the situation from news sources online.
The question is: should the mosque be built or not? Pick a side and argue your points. There is no wrong position - just be sure you back up your position with evidence and justified claims.
You don't have to write this just in one day, by the way. You can make this your 1000 post if you want, and do it over two days. Just make it well-researched and well thought out.
ReplyDelete"Usually, the temperature determines my activeness. If it is hot, I'm lazy, and if it is cold, I want to run around randomly while flailing my arms."
ReplyDeleteBy the way, it's pretty hot today, so my suggestion (in an attempt to make you energetic and overactive) is to:
1) Read the articles.
2) Take a cold shower.
3) Think about the articles and what you're going to write while in the shower.
4) Drink a cup of iced orange juice while writing.
5) Munch on pieces of ice while writing.
A sure recipe for non-laziness and spectacular success!
So the final reading list (of which your goal is to finish by the end of December) is:
ReplyDeleteWorld War Z - Max Brooks
Cities of Coin and Spice (2nd book of Orphan's Tales).
1984 - George Orwell
A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula Le Guin
Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde
Brave New World - Alduous Huxley
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Alborn (Your mom might like this one as well. You can recommend it to her).
Fire and Hemlock - Diane Wynne Jones
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
Mortal Engines - Philip Reeve
Going Bovine - by Libba Bray
The Hunger Games - Susanne Collins
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
The Atrocity Archives - Charles Stross
Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny
Storm Front - Jim Butcher
Dune - Frank Herbert
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Magician - Raymond E. Feist
Good Omens - Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett
Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
Challenge Books:
Anathem - Neal Stephenson
House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
The Great Gatsby - by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I think it's extremely doable, especially if you keep up a book a week.
Hehe, I feel so sorry for you. What an unfortunate thing to be born to a tennis-love family :-)))))
ReplyDelete