This sample essay is a model for what an “A” essay might look like, in this unit. Don’t try to imitate this essay, or make your essay follow my essay’s structure exactly, because your topic might demand a different approach. But there are some basic features of my “sample essay” that you should consider for your own. Here are some aspects of my sample assignment that you might want to take note of: (1) My introduction is brief and concise — I don’t stall by wandering through long introductory sentences. I say what I’m going to talk about and then get right to the point. (2) The main structure of my post is simply a discussion of two songs. There are lots of things I could have said about how they are different or similar, but I try to keep it simple. First I discuss the form of the song, and then I describe two different issues that set the Guthrie version and the Fiddlin’ John Carson version apart from one another. Finally, I say what those differences might show about the evolution of “folk” music. (3) I don’t pretend to know what the musician is thinking. In my language, I use words like “might” and “possibly” when discussing the motivations or interpretations of an aspect of the music. No one needs to offer definite “truths” about why a singer would sing a certain way, or a guitarist would chose a certain picking style, for example. We can only imagine that these sounds are evidence of something, or that they “might reflect” a historical or cultural feature of some kind. This is good news for you — it means you don’t have to be an expert on what the musician is thinking or doing. (4) I use specific examples in discussing both songs. For full credit, I recommend that you take the time to notice a detail in a song — something connected to a specific word or phrase in the lyric. One of your goals in this essay should be to show us that musical details have had an impact on how you understand the expression of a musician, or the meaning of a song. (5) There is NO conclusion — conclusions are unnecessary in a brief comparative analysis like this. In case you’d like more help, I’ve also offered more thoughts on ways to get started on this assignment, in a separate post. Please feel free to write to me, or comment here, with more questions!