Assignment task:
Please choose from the following essays in the Pursuing Happiness text.
Csikszentmihalyi, "If We Are So Rich, Why Aren't We Happy?" (pg. 140)
Your summary should be multi-paragraph and roughly one-quarter the length of the original essay. Follow the techniques covered in "Chapter 1: Summary" of your textbook. First, start with a clear summary of the author's original thesis statement and summaries of the different sections of the essay. Next, be sure to include carefully chosen details from the essay that help illuminate the author's original idea.
Remember that a summary is to be objective throughout. While you are indeed interpreting the author's idea, you should not be commenting on, or evaluating, the author's ideas, presentation of those ideas, or the topic at large. Simply present a brief restatement of the author's ideas.
As you are summarizing the thesis statement and sections of the essay, please include good paraphrases and at least one appropriate quote from the original essay. Additionally, include the proper parenthetical citation and a Works Cited page.
As you are crafting your summary, remember to spend time on your essay development. Avoid the temptation to simply run your thesis and section summaries together one right after another. Instead, make appropriate use of transitions-both within paragraphs and between paragraphs-to aid in readability and coherence. Also, be sure that the order in which you present the ideas matches the author's original order. Additionally, be sure to spend ample time proofreading and revising.
Additionally, be sure to reference your MLA handbook for formatting help.
Some common problems to avoid:
- too much space between paragraphs;
- no, or improperly placed, page numbers in the header;
- missing components in the class and personal information section;
- improperly punctuated in-text parenthetical citations;
- single spacing on the Works Cited page;
- no hanging indents on the Works Cited page;
- medium of each source missing on the Works Cited page.
Submitting you Final Draft: To submit your summary, upload it at the bottom of this page before the deadline below.