https://longform.org/lists/best-of-2020 (Links to an external site.)
Explain why the editors at Longform deemed it such an outstanding piece of writing. Your job, in other words, is to discuss the article’s language, imagery, detail, structure, argumentation, and/or anything else that makes it enlightening and engaging for readers today. Above all, you’ll need to explain what the article is supposed to do, and how the author does it effectively.
To help support your argument, you’ll need to draw on (i.e., quote and connect) relevant precepts laid out in The Sense of Style.
Your essay should be comprehensible even to someone who hasn’t read the Longform article you’re evaluating.
Criteria: Your essay should—
Establish a thoughtful thesis statement about the purpose and strengths of your chosen Longform article
Support that thesis with specific details and passages from both the article itself and The Sense of Style
Integrate quotations and paraphrases effectively, including both in-text citations and a Works Cited page
Consist of unified and coherent paragraphs, each with a clear central idea
Include an effective introduction, conclusion, and title
Be largely free of major grammatical and usage errors
Value: 100 points
Content (70 points)
Usage (30 points)
Format: 12 pt. font, double-spaced, standard margins
