Ellie Stewart Style Definition: Hyperlink: Font color: Hyperlink
Email: elliestewart@ucsb.edu Style Definition: Normal (Web)
Phone: 123-456-7890
Address: 123 Fourth St.
To whom it may concern:
In this cover letter I will be addressing my reasons for using certain writing tactics in my Writing
Project 2 Assignment. The purpose of this assignment was to pick an academic discipline,
distinguish the writing conventions used within academic articles of that discipline, and explain
the conventions while replicating them. I chose the discipline of classics, evaluated two
academic articles, and explained their conventions.
The genre of writing I wrote my essay was a classics academic article. I had to use conventions I
noticed within the articles I evaluated which included endnotes, first person narrative, evidence
and references. My essay was thesis-driven because both the requirements of the assignment and
the conventions of an academic article had a thesis. When I explain the conventions I noticed, I
use quotational evidence so the reader can see exactly how it comes from the academic article.
Although, in one particular piece of evidence when I try to explain the use of endnotes, I had to
refer to the page and line rather than give an exact quote. I had to do this because it’s not normal
to quote an endnote when citing another work, and doing so confuses my endnotes with the
endnote I am citing. Therefore, I had to refer to the place it’s included and explain it. My essay
included multiple instances of first person because the articles I read did, as well, so I used it as
well to clearly state how I came to certain conclusions.
As for the structure of my essay, I introduced the background of classics and an intro to my
thesis on what conventions I believed were a part of classics. I did this to set my readers up with
background knowledge on classics so they could understand the body of my essay and be able to
connect my examples later on. I then included a second, more in-depth introductory paragraph so
I could go more in depth on my thesis and explain the specifics of what my essay would entail.
Then in the body, I explained each convention in its own paragraph- some with multiple. This
way, readers could focus solely on the convention being presented and connect my evidence with
my explanation. If I were to include more than one convention and their explanations in a
paragraph, it would make it hard for the reader to keep track and relate the explanation to the
evidence. I had to explain endnotes in 3 paragraphs to explain what an endnote was and what
they are used for, then to give an example, and then to explain the effect they have. If I were to
fit it all into one it would be complicated, lengthy, and could disturb the readers’ understanding.
Within my essay I used endnotes because it was a convention of both articles I evaluated. I used
endnotes to include my personal thoughts or to include further information on certain sentences I
included. This allowed for readers to see how endnotes works in an article and for me to include
additional information that could disrupt the flow if it were added in the midst of the body.
I enjoyed learning how to use the unfamiliar tactic of endnotes. The endnote addition to my
essay is my personal favorite part. It allowed me to add things I wanted to include, but didn’t fit
into the body paragraphs. I also enjoyed learning how to research academic articles in the library,
and recreating conventions of an unknown genre. It was definitely difficult, especially trying to
understand the content of the academic articles. Although, after reading the prompt and realizing
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Metacognitive Reflection WP2¶
My purpose for writing this essay was to distinguish certain
writing conventions and writing styles that are common
within the discipline of Classics, as well as why these
conventions and styles are beneficial and make for
successful writing. My audience for this project is for readers
not necessarily familiar with literature within Classics, but
has some interest or is curious about what it entails.¶
The genre I wrote in is an academic essay, though, I did use
certain conventions replicating the scholarly journals that I
evaluated. I used evidence and explanations to prove my
points and had a thesis. Although, to meet the conventions of
a Classics piece, I used endnotes and some first person
narrative (which is controversial as to if it’s acceptable in
some forms of writing). I organized my paragraph with an
introduction, defining what Classics is, introduced the two
articles I compared, and then giving my thesis- this way my
audience would have some general background information
and would be able to tie later evidence with the main thesis.
Then throughout the body (3 paragraphs) I allowed a
separate paragraph for each similarity within the articles
(structure/endnotes, references to other classicists’ ideas, and
the use of first person). This way the evidence and
explanation wouldn’t be all jumbled and the reader could
connect the evidence directly with the claim of why the
similarities were used. Then to tie it all together, I included a
conclusion so that the reader could refresh over all that was
discussed. The diction that I used was fairly formal, although
there were times I used my personal accounts and how I felt
about reading certain things, so maybe the readers (if they
felt the same way) could connect or see where I was coming
from, but overall I tried to remain using formal diction. The
type of evidence I used was excerpts from the articles to
show how the conventions were used, so I could then explain
how they used it and why it was effective. This was effective
because it allowed the reader to see an example firsthand
from a Classics writing, and then see an explanation of how
it was beneficial and they can compare the explanation with
the example to test the validity. A particular stylistic choice
that I made that I borrowed from the article was the use of
endnotes and using them to not only cite, but to add my own
insights, comments, and counterarguments. On the last page
of my article in the notes section, there are numbers
corresponding with phrases with superscripts throughout the
paper; I think this is the best and most creative aspect of my
paper. I have never used (or read something with) endnotes
before, so it was a new concept, but after learning what they
are used for, I tried using them for the benefit of my paper.
There were some comments that I thought would be useful in
my paper, but could seem repetitive, out of place, or kind of
unnecessary if it were within the body paragraph, but the
endnotes allowed me to still include those thoughts without
disturbing the flow and understanding of the paper (iii, vi, vii
are my favorites).¶ ... [1]
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the real purpose of this assignment, it became easier. I hope as the reader you understand my
explanations and how I used certain tactics of replication and how they benefit articles within the
classics community.

Thank you,
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Ellie Stewart Formatted: Left, Line spacing: single
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 Ellie Stewart

W2: WP2 Final Portfolio

A Structural Study: Analyzing the Conventions, Literary Practices, and Techniques of Academic

Articles Within the Classics Discipline

Understanding ancient history and culture is very important to recognize where and how Deleted: ¶
!
our world today has evolved from. The discipline of classics is the study of ancient literature, Deleted: Classics

culture, and other findings from ancient Greek and Roman times. Because ancient artifacts are Deleted: Ancient literature and
Deleted: within Classics
written in a different language and different overall context, the translations are difficult to Deleted: normally
Deleted: Greek, so
interpret, but classics professionals specialize in translating the meanings with respect to the
Deleted: translation is somewhat

language and cultural context. When classicists explain their findings and interpretations to share Deleted: get across
Deleted: Classics allows us to better understand not just the
direct translation, but the context behind this translation.
with others, they must use certain literary techniques to make their points as clear and credible as Classics
Deleted: evaluate the evidence, literature, and culture during
possible. To do so, classicists refer to commonly known classics’ works, use endnotes to give ancient times and make their own interpretation of what it
means, both literally and contextually. Although each
further explanation on certain concepts, and use personal narrative to clearly state their points. classicist has their own beliefs on the true
Deleted: of ancient pieces
These conventions are common in classics works and they are beneficial writing tools to Deleted: all write their evaluations and prove them with
parallel …
accomplish goals that classics authors must accomplish with their writing. Deleted: and uses of evidence.
Deleted: see what kinds of
In order to determine the conventions and tactics used within classics academic writing, I Deleted: Classics

read and evaluated two classics academic articles Fluctuating Meanings: “passage rites” in Deleted: have in common, I analyzed

ritual, myth, Odyssey, and Greek romance along with Mealeager and Odysseus: A Structural Deleted: and compared it to

and Cultural Study of the Greek Hunting-Maturation Myth.i Both articles were about similar Deleted: a

topics within classics, ritual initiation. Along with similar topics, the way the authors structured Deleted: topic
Deleted: information
their essays, used certain writing tactics, and their ways of expressing their opinions were Deleted: literary techniques used by

parallel as well. To support their points, both authors referred to well-known and trusted Deleted: also similar
Deleted: other classicists’ works and ideas, used superscripts
classicists’ works, explained their own findings, and how their own findings related to previous and …

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authors’. Both articles also contained endnotes to go into further detail on certain concepts. Also,
a subtle yet successful tactic both authors used was using personal narrative to explain their
opinions and points. I believe these were the most noticeable and successful conventions within
both classics academic articles. They each played a significant role in allowing the author to
explain their theses’, how they found their information, and why it is credible.
The use of endnotes was the first convention I noticed in both articles.ii You may have
noticed an “i” superscripted in the 4th line down of the second paragraph of this essay; if you turn
to the end of my essay and look at the corresponding “i” in the notes section, you will see that I
included an endnote that contains the names of the articles and their authors. This particular use
of endnote is to be able to include my sources and their authors without disrupting the flow of the
paragraph. This is just one of a few ways authors can use endnotes.
In both essays, the authors used multiple endnotes for various reasons. If you take a look
at Meleager and Odysseus on page 165, it will take you to a page in the endnotes section. Here,
you will see the multiple endnotes, the variations of lengths, and the different styles of endnotes.
If you compare endnote 2 and endnote 5, you will see that endnote 2 gives historical background
on a concept that was included in the essay. Endnote 2 uses references to classics works well-
known in the classics community, well-known characters within Greek mythology, and uses
words written in Greek language.iii This endnote uses specific evidence that those in the classics
community would really understand. On the other hand, an endnote like number 5 is shorter and
gives a brief explanation of a concept.iv As you can see endnotes can serve different purposes,
but they all share the benefit of allowing the essay to flow.
As explained in the previous paragraph, endnotes allow authors to further explain, give
background information, and cite sources at the end of their essay. This is beneficial within
Deleted: further explanation (or citations) on certain topics,
and used first person narrative. The uses of each of these
techniques is necessary within the discipline of Classics in
order to write an effective and understandable academic
essay
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Deleted: ! While reading through both articles, the first
thing I noticed about them was that there were words or
phrases with superscript numbers (my immediate thought
was “why does this word have an exponent?”). It turns out,
these superscripts are for the readers’ use; sometimes there
are terms or concepts within Classics that need further
explanation on the meaning, counterarguments, or the
citation. For example, in Meleager and Odysseus it states ,
“Common to virtually all Greek hunting tales are the various
interpretants to which we apply the semantically related
Greek terms kosmos, kairos, and hubrisv”vi. Notice the first i
superscript, strange, right? Well, if you look at the end of my
essay, I recreated a similar “Notes” section as included in
Meleager and Odysseus, and the corresponding i section has
an excerpt of what’s included in the actual article. As you
can see, the superscripts have a corresponding explanation in
the endnotes of the essay giving further explanation on the
phrase being noted. These superscripts and notes are
beneficial especially within the Classics discipline because
there are an abundance of ancient Greek terminology,
concepts, or language that the readers may have questions on
when it comes up in an academic article (if the words
“kosmos, kairos, and hubris came up, wouldn’t you want
some background information?). So, rather than
implementing a lengthy definition in the core of presenting
an ideavii, authors can include the term for it, with additional
information in the “Notes” section (if needed by the reader).
Therefore, the use of superscripts and notes in academic
journals is a helpful technique in the Classics discipline
because it allows readers to find out more on certain topics
without interfering with their understanding of the thesis.¶
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classics because it allows classicists to include necessary information without disrupting the flow
and comprehension of their thesis and ideas. Classics pieces include lots of Greek terminology,
references, unknown concepts, and characters that some readers will need background
information on. With all of these unfamiliar components, readers will need further explanation.
Although, if authors were to implement a lengthy origin story or reference in the midst of a body
paragraph, it could stray from their main emphasis and thesis. The use of endnotes are beneficial
to both the author and the reader: authors can include necessary information in their essays
without straying from their thesis and readers can get background information on topics they are
unfamiliar with.
Another common convention between the two articles was how frequent the authors
referred to fellow classicists. The authors would refer to a classicist and their well-known work
and compare it to their own ideas. One example of reference states, “Coming from another angle,
Kermode’s focus on beginnings, middles, and ends projects a sort of passage rite structure into
fiction.”viii As you can see, this sentence refers to Kermode and how his writings relate to
passage rite structure, which Dowden explains throughout his academic article.x The tactic of
referring and including known-classicists works is beneficial for the readers’ comprehension of
the concept being presented. By comparing a new idea to a well-known classics concept, the
readers (who normally will have background on familiar classics topics) can easily relate the new
idea to an already-known concept. This comparison makes it easier for readers to understand and
visualize the author’s thesis.
A third and interesting similarity between the two classics articles was the use of personal
narrative to address an opinion or thesis. This may seem as an insignificant or even “normal”
convention, but in fact it serves an impactful purpose in classics pieces. In many instances, the
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Deleted: preceding classicists’ works about certain concepts
and how they used these references to relate to their own
points. There are many well-known classicists within the
Classics community that discovered certain interpretations
used among classicists. So, as long the reader has some
background information on well-known Classics concepts,
they can understand the authors’ comparison to familiar
ideas. One of the many examples of referring to past works
says…
Deleted: By referring to a concept from Kermodeix, it allows
the readers (whom normally would have background in
interpreting literature) to connect a new idea being presented
to them to an idea they are already familiar with. It’s almost
a distinct type of language among classicists when authors
refer to past pieces/concepts- almost kind of like a
“remember when” moment, but within the Classics
community. By comparing and contrasting ideas familiar
within the classics community, the author
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Deleted: their theses. By using these familiar and preceding
works, the author is successful in making their ideas clear
and understandable because it is being compared to an
already known concept.
Deleted: journals
Deleted: that they both spoke in the first person when
addressing…
Deleted: idea
Deleted: Sometimes
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use of “I”, “we”, “in my opinion”, or other forms of personal encounters are seen as informal in
academic writing.xi Although some disciplines reject the use of first person, classics welcomes it.
Classics academic articles use lots of references, quotes, explanations and other supporting facts;
therefore, the main appeal to readers is the use of logos.xiii So, an author’s use of first person
doesn’t lessen the credibility of an academic piece because multiple forms of evidence are
included.
Both articles included multiple sentences and explanations using first person. First person
was used to both explain thoughts, theses, and ways authors came to certain conclusions. In
Dowden’s article he states “…which is one reason why I now draw the romances into connection
with passage rite.” Sale and Rubin also use first person saying, “His attempt is interesting, but in
our opinion seriously flawed.” As you can see, the phrases “in our opinion” and “why I now…”
are used to explain what the authors think. This tactic allows the authors to get straight to the
point on their beliefs. In these scenarios, the use of first person allows authors to state their
points in a more clear and understandable fashion.xiv By explicitly stating their opinions and
ideas, authors allow readers to better connect evidence with claims.
Despite your familiarity within classics, the conventions of classics academic articles
play a role in how authors can express their findings and opinions and how readers can
comprehend it. The structure with endnotes allows readers to get follow-up information on
concepts they don’t fully understand, refer to the citation, or see remarks from the author. The
use of past authors’ works and references to well-known concepts allows readers to relate
something they already know to a new idea. This benefits their understanding and also the
credibility of the new concept being presented. Lastly, classicists use first person to clearly state
their beliefs and opinions so that readers can easily connect evidence with claims. These
Deleted: , authors avoid the use of I, we, or other indications
of a personal experience, but that’s not the case with
Deleted: xii. We can assume that since
Deleted: journals in Classics already
Deleted: evidence,
Deleted: and
Deleted: credibility of the author (ethos) isn’t the
Deleted: factor in persuasion, the main approach
Deleted: (evidence, references,
Deleted: ). As you can see, the use of personal
Deleted: is used in these excerpts from both articles,
Deleted: rites.”(iv) and
Deleted: (ii) Both journals used personal accounts to get
their point across and explain how they depicted certain
interpretations from text. I particularly noticed the use of
first person narrative because I thought “does this take away
from
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Deleted: and formality?”, but after re-evaluating, I realized
that it doesn’t.xv Instead of beating around the bush trying to
avoid using the word “I” (or “our” in the case of multiple
authors),
Deleted: can get straight to the point of what they think and
why they think it. By clearly presenting what the author(s)
believes and relating their thoughts directly to themselves, it
allows the reader to know what idea or thesis they should be
looking for. Although it may seem like a normal or
insignificant tactic, the use of personal narrative benefits
authors within the Classics discipline because they
Deleted: clearly state their beliefs among the excessive
Deleted: used in their papers, so readers can clearly connect
the evidence to the thesis
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conventions allow for classicists to successfully get their points across in the most

comprehensive and credible way.

Deleted: ! Whether you have or haven’t read a scholarly

article within the discipline of Classics, know that it has
certain conventions that allow classicists to present their
points in the most academic yet understandable way. The
structure of articles that contain superscripts and endnotes
allows readers to get filled in on topics they need further
clarification on, which benefits their understanding of the
whole concept that the author is producing. The references to
well-known classicists and ideas also benefits the readers’
understanding (if they are within the classics discipline with
Notes background knowledge) because they can compare the
author’s new idea with one that they already know. Lastly,
the use of first person as a literary practice was a common,
interesting, and beneficial similarity between the journals.
i
Fluctuating Meanings: “passage rites” in ritual, myth, Odyssey, and Greek romance was written by Ken Dowden This type of narrative allowed author to clearly state their
and Mealeager and Odysseus: A Structural and Cultural Study of the Greek Hunting-Maturation Myth was written opinions, techniques, and ways of thinking. Although there
by Nancy Felson Rubin and William Merritt Sal are unfamiliar and lengthy concepts within Classics that may
not always be the easiest to understand, the combination of
these conventions allows authors to present their ideas in the
ii
Endnotes are found at the end of an academic work and contain additional information, where a citation came most successful and understandable way.¶
from, or a counterargument pertaining to a certain sentence in the text. You can identify endnotes with a Formatted: Font: 16 pt, Bold
superscripted number at the end of a sentence, then find the corresponding number at the end of the essay in the
endnotes section.

iii
Endnote 2 in Meleager and Odysseus: A Structural and Cultural Study of the Greek Hunging-Maturation Myth
uses specific references to the characters Meleager and Odysseus, and gives a lengthy explanation of the
background and context of Greek terms like “kairos, kosmos and hubris”. This detailed endnote can help readers
better understand certain concepts, but the endnote itself uses language that could be complicated for someone not
familiar with classics.

iv
Endnote 5 in Meleager and Odysseus differs greatly from Endnote 2, it is much more “non-classicists” friendly
and gives a brief and understandable explanation of a more complicated explanation.
viii
Fluctuating Meanings: “passage rites” in ritual, myth Odyssey, and Greek Romance; Dowden, Ken Deleted: Dowden: 1999 (229)
x
Frank Kermode was a British literary critic well-known for his extensive book reviewing and editing, as well as his
own work The Sense of an Ending: Studies in the Theory of Fiction (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Kermode)
xi
There are many disciplines that view the use of first person as informal. Some believe that it takes away the
formality and credibility of information being presented.
xiii
Logos is the appeal to readers through evidence, reference, logic, and explanation.
xiv
Classics articles include lots of lengthy explanations, background stories, myth references, and other complicated
concepts. By having to “beat around the bush” and not use first person to explicitly state opinions, it would make the
comprehension of authors’ ideas more difficult.

Bibliography

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Dowden, Ken. “Fluctuating Meanings: ‘Passage Rites’ in Ritual, Myth, Odyssey, and the Greek
Romance.” Bucknell Review, vol. 1, no. 43, 1999.

Rubin, Sale, Nancy, William. “Meleager and Odysseus: A Structural and Cultural Study of the Greek
Hunting-Maturation Myth.” ProQuest, vol. 1, no. 16, 1983.
(https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/44630726.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A05aa8e818ae14b521b55cc377f27fbd
6)

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