(OE011) Making a Parable Portfolio With MWA Peer Tutor Maddy Manning-Bi

In this article, the Board of SASS interviews Modes of Writing and Argumentation (OE011) Peer Tutor Maddy Manning-Bi. We hope that this article will help current and future MWA students in their academic journey!

When did you take Modes of Writing and Argumentation, and who was your instructor?

I took MWA freshman year (2018-2019), which was also my first year at OHS. The wonderful Dr. Nunnery was my instructor.

What did you enjoy about Modes of Writing and Argumentation?

I really enjoyed having Dr. Nunnery as a teacher and learning new skills for writing. Dr. Nunnery was always incredibly enthusiastic and passionate, and always made his classes feel like a safe place. You could discuss anything you’d like in class, go any direction, and he would always be there to support you. His anecdotes about SuperMax are an added bonus of course… Moreover, I grew an incredible amount as a writer over the course of that year, being that it was my first ever English course at OHS. I doubt I would be the writer I am today without having taken MWA in the first place.

What challenged you the most in Modes of Writing and Argumentation? How did you overcome those challenges?

Because it was my first OHS English course, my greatest challenge was definitely writing multi faceted thesis statements that included enough depth and, as Dr. Nunnery would put it, “so-what questions.” Even now, this can still be a struggle for me but it has gotten easier as I grow and learn more about my writing style and the texts I read and analyze. While I was taking MWA, I would combat this struggle by meeting with Writing Instructors for every paper, going to Office Hours to receive feedback on thesis statements or paper ideas, and exchanging peer reviews with other students so I could see different perspectives on my paper, receiving different types of criticism that could improve my work.

Are there midterms/finals in this class? How would you recommend reviewing for these exams?

Thankfully, there are no midterms or finals for the class (at least not when I took it)! Just papers due instead of an exam.

What are the major assignments for this class? How would you recommend approaching these assignments?

While I would really consider all the assignments as “major,” I would say that the Parable Portfolio at the end of the first semester and that the “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” paper at the end of the second semester are the most important, as they are each worth a considerable amount of your final grade and stand as the substitute for final exams.

For the Parable Portfolio, this is a creative yet extremely rigorous paper as there are three parts to it (or at least there were when I took the course). For the first and second part, which consist of your own imaginative work and a study of it, I would suggest having fun with it. Don’t try to write something that you think your teacher wants to see or that is a carbon copy of a parable you read. Whatever message it is you’d like to get across, stick with that. Or, if a story idea comes first, feel free to write that out and see if you can pull a moral or lesson from it! There is no strict rulebook for creative writing, in my opinion.

As for the RaGaD essay for the second semester, my main challenge was understanding the nature of the play. Stoppards’ play, while intriguing and extremely interesting, took about four reads for me to really understand the nuances of it. If it’s practically unintelligible upon first read, don’t feel discouraged at all! Continue reading and rereading and also underline or highlight any passages that raise interesting questions or create confusion. All of these inner thoughts you have will later benefit you when writing your paper and trying to find ideas for your thesis!

What tips do you have that could be useful to students taking Modes of Writing and Argumentation?

My main tip would be to meet with Writing Center Instructors! This was one of my most helpful resources and it still is. For every English paper I write, I still make at least two meetings before the due date. Besides this, don’t be afraid to reach out to your teachers: if you have an idea for a paper that strays from the prompt and you’re not entirely sure about it, email them! Instructors and peer tutors are all here to help you, so never feel embarrassed for reaching out. In fact, we appreciate it!

About how much time did you spend a week working on assignments and preparing for discussion sessions in Modes of Writing and Argumentation?

For discussion sections and Reading Questions, I would spend around an hour to an hour and a half. This would consist of studying the readings, annotating, and finishing the weekly RQ. With an essay, that would take an additional four to five hours out of my week. While this is not the same for me now, it would take an exceptionally long amount of time for me to write a first draft, let alone a cohesive paper. I would spend several hours attempting to perfect each body paragraph, from going to office hours to appointments to spending time just combing through a reading again or through a draft.

What did the typical week in Modes of Writing and Argumentation look like?

If I’m remembering correctly, I had classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The class itself was very flexible (thank you Dr. Nunnery for all your no-questions asked extensions!! They saved me!!) and it was always a great time. We could come to class and spend the whole Discussion Section asking questions, veering from one tangent to the next, or studying a William Eggleston photo.

What was your favorite topic covered in Modes of Writing and Argumentation?

My favorite topic was probably the Parable Portfolio and the Intertextuality unit. I really enjoyed reading and examining different portfolios, and I got to pick a parable of my choice to analyze for the third part of the portfolio. I also adore creative writing so any assignment that includes that sort of aspect automatically wins me over! As for the Intertextuality unit, that essay was probably my favorite as I was able to pick my very own outside text to analyze, or rather, musical! I chose the Deaf West production of the Broadway show “Spring Awakening” and had a wonderful time studying the depth that was given to the show through an adaptation starring both hearing and non-hearing actors. Also, it’s one of my favorite musicals ever and so being a major theatre geek, it was of course, incredibly entertaining.

Do you have any resources (i.e. study tips, useful websites) to share with students who want to take the course?

I actually didn’t really use any outside resources such as websites. As I have said before and cannot stress enough, the Writing Center and office hours are your greatest resources! My parents were also wonderful at listening to terrible first drafts of papers to final products, and even still now that I’m in AP Literature (thank you to my mom for giving me blazing critiques of awful thesis statements and word choices).

Do you have anything to add?

As I said earlier, never feel ashamed for needing help. The resources that are offered to you (WC, peer tutors, Teaching Assistants, office hours) are all incredible and you should take advantage of them! The minute you feel confused, unsure, or overwhelmed, immediately reach out so someone. Everyone has these feelings and sometimes, we all just need a little guidance.

Maddy Manning-Bi is a peer tutor for MWA and can be found on the Writing and Tutoring Center.

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