111 – MicrothemelIl rite a -500-word film review of Dirt: The Movie.
A brief overview of the film, including a statement of its overall theme, the key topics covered, and the conclusion. A short primer on the basic facts about soil that everyone should know, e.g., what it is, what it’s. is made of, where it comes from, what it does, and so on. (NOTE: you should include some reference to the handout.)
Your review can (and probably should) include some thoughts and reflections on: 1. The relation between soil and the broader ecology of Earth. 2.* The relation between soil and human cultures and civilizations. 3. The soil problem today, and what it will take to solve the soil problem.
01 Every general abstraction can be traced back to something concrete and particular. If it can’t be, it’s not a very useful abstraction. We only worry about plants because we’ve seen trees and flowers and bushes and mosses and ferns and cactuses and we’re looking for a way to talk about all of them without having to keep naming them.
A few things to keep in mind as you write: Try not to be too general and abstract; and try not to be too particular and concrete. What does this mean?

It always helps to follow a general point or abstract claim with a “For example” or a “For instance” or a “Consider a specific example.” Your reader will thank you.

If you can’t come up with an example, by the way, there’s a good chance you don’t quite know what you’re talking about. Talking about soil in a “big picture” way requires some generalization and abstraction (e.g., soil as “the skin of the Earth”; the difference between dirt and soil, or soil and earth, or the earth beneath your feet and planet Earth). All such abstractions and generalities can be brought down to earth (pun intended…) with the help of a well-chosen concrete example (the soil in a pot on the window sill in your kitchen, the soil in your grandmother’s garden, the soil you saw from an airplane at 36,000 feet). On the flip side, remember, particular examples are meant to illustrate more general points, at least in this sort of writing. In a short expository essay like this one, you are asking your reader to think about the significance of soil in general more than about any particular bit of dirt. So don’t let yourself get bogged down in the examples. Use them, by all means. Just don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees…

 

Sample Solution

This question has been answered.

Get Answer