ENGL 1101/The Hobby Essay

Consider an activity that you engage in regularly that others might not—a hobby, perhaps, that you enjoy that others might find rewarding, like fishing, drawing, painting, writing, blogging, motorcycling, skiing, or something similar. You should pick something unique, not something that your community might already do or be familiar with, like praying, driving, studying, or breathing. Check with me if you are not sure.

Your essay will attempt to persuade your audience to give your hobby a try. You might argue the benefits of this activity in your life and how, by implication, it could benefit others’ lives. Draw conclusions about the importance of this practice based on your examination. Perhaps you could begin with the personal narrative and imply or directly state potential significance to a larger community as you develop your essay.

This essay should have a minimum of six paragraphs, though more are certainly acceptable, and 1000 words. Please follow MLA style and cite at least one solid source (no web sites).

Example Structure

1. Title: be sure it’s catchy and descriptive.
2. Introductory paragraph: Introduce the activity and its importance for your life. The last sentence should contain an explicit thesis statement that argues why you practice this activity and why it might benefit others.
3. First body paragraph: Consider those who might question the value of this hobby or those who might be opposed to it. Briefly address their concerns.
4. Subsequent body paragraphs: Support, argue, develop, and illustrate your argument with specific examples
5. Conclusion: Posit how this activity has influenced your development as a person and why it should be considered by others based on the evidence in your body paragraphs.

Be careful to watch your tone: you are writing an persuasive essay. Be sure that your essay contains all of the required parts of an essay that we have discussed in class, like the title, formatting, diction, etc.

Example

You have ridden a motorcycle since you were a child. Others consider motorcycles dangerous; they are often loud and many motorcyclists ride obnoxiously. People seem to hear about accidents, so they have come to the conclusion that this activity is not something they would ever consider practicing. Yet, you know that motorcycling clears your head, provides an inexpensive way of transportation, makes traveling an adventure, leads to your being a better driver, and affords you a greater sense of community with other riders. Perhaps the highways would be less stressful and dangerous places if more people were motorcyclists.