nichthefish

How smart/cultured can I expect my essay reader to be? I have some literature references and puns on basic science concepts (they’re not too cheesy, I promise). I don’t know, should I italicize the puns, or is that too much? I don’t want them to completely go over their heads, otherwise the sentence would sound strange. Also, is modifying a very famous quote, not putting it in quotation marks, considered plagiarism? Once again, I’m depending on the intelligence of the reader to understand the reference, but what if they don’t? Basically I’m asking, how smart are these essay readers?

IGotKash

Specific example?

essaywise

Your essay idea sounds clever, but it actually might be too clever. If your essay has 10 of these literary references and puns, and if the reader needs to get all of them for your essay to work, then you might be asking too much. What percentage of readers will get all of them? It's like swinging for a home run. Though the essay readers might all be smart and experienced, that's not to say they have the background they might need to fully appreciate your essay.

My main question for you, however, is whether this type of essay is the most effective way to reveal your personality. If you write this essay well, your wordplay and references will show the reader you're smart - but is that the main thing you want to communicate? From what you've written, it seems like the real question is how to convey your humor/creativity. Maybe exploring a smaller subset of these references/puns would be a better way to do that.

How did you think of these references/puns? Why did you think of them? How does that thought process make you different from other people? How does this wordplay reveal a different perspective/philosophy on life? You might add depth to your essay by making your puns/references do double work: showing you're clever and showing how you're creative/funny.

Good luck writing!

Jon

nichthefish

Well, I'm hoping that it's not too scientific. I just need the reader to recognize, not even understand, just recognize the words voltage, current, and resistance. That's actually the only one, there is other humor in there, but it's easily understandable. My essay is about my summer internship in a science lab, but I was placed in the wrong department, which provides a few good laughs. Essaywise, I think what I want to convey is that I'm smart, but that I also have a real passion for my intended major. My essay is science-related, but also demonstrates how I overcame a prejudice of mine. Hopefully that presents my academic side and my moral side, so I hope that does double-work. I think on my next edit I'll re-read your post and ask myself those questions, because they're really good. Thanks for your help!