Ellie Stewart

Email: elliestewart@ucsb.edu
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
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,

Ellie Stewart
 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

our world today has evolved from. The discipline of classics is the study of ancient literature,

culture, and other findings from ancient Greek and Roman times. Because ancient artifacts are

written in a different language and different overall context, the translations are difficult to

interpret, but classics professionals specialize in translating the meanings with respect to the

language and cultural context. When classicists explain their findings and interpretations to share

with others, they must use certain literary techniques to make their points as clear and credible as

possible. To do so, classicists refer to commonly known classics’ works, use endnotes to give

further explanation on certain concepts, and use personal narrative to clearly state their points.

These conventions are common in classics works and they are beneficial writing tools to

accomplish goals that classics authors must accomplish with their writing.

In order to determine the conventions and tactics used within classics academic writing, I

read and evaluated two classics academic articles Fluctuating Meanings: “passage rites” in

ritual, myth, Odyssey, and Greek romance along with Mealeager and Odysseus: A Structural

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

topics within classics, ritual initiation. Along with similar topics, the way the authors structured

their essays, used certain writing tactics, and their ways of expressing their opinions were

parallel as well. To support their points, both authors referred to well-known and trusted

classicists’ works, explained their own findings, and how their own findings related to previous
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
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.”v 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.vi 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
use of “I”, “we”, “in my opinion”, or other forms of personal encounters are seen as informal in

academic writing.vii 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.viii 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.ix 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
conventions allow for classicists to successfully get their points across in the most

comprehensive and credible way.

Notes

i
Fluctuating Meanings: “passage rites” in ritual, myth, Odyssey, and Greek romance was written by Ken Dowden
and Mealeager and Odysseus: A Structural and Cultural Study of the Greek Hunting-Maturation Myth was written
by Nancy Felson Rubin and William Merritt Sal

ii
Endnotes are found at the end of an academic work and contain additional information, where a citation came
from, or a counterargument pertaining to a certain sentence in the text. You can identify endnotes with a
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.
v
Fluctuating Meanings: “passage rites” in ritual, myth Odyssey, and Greek Romance; Dowden, Ken
vi
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)
vii
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.
viii
Logos is the appeal to readers through evidence, reference, logic, and explanation.
ix
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

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)