Sixth Form Expository Writing class

The English Department seeks to immerse students into the world of writing, the students' own as well as that of great literature. As students study works that vary in genre, period, author, and origin, their task remains the same: to learn not only what a work means but also how it means. The achievement of great writing, be it The Odyssey or an essay from The New Yorker, lies in how that particular piece is built. While the overall aesthetic impact of writing is never overlooked, students study the structure and tropes that shape such work. We aim to teach our students how to read closely, thoughtfully, and with an open mind. In their own writing, they are encouraged to be cogent, lucid, imaginative, and precise. Ultimately, we hope that the skills they develop here will engender within them a life-long love of reading and writing, which will ensure them an active, intellectual life beyond Groton. The English Department is integral to the broader purposes and objectives of the School since so much of what we cover speaks directly to these principles. The readings, papers, and discussions within the English classrooms require exactly what the School's chapel talks encourage: confronting the ambiguities and complexities of life. In addition, the English Department stresses the importance of the abilities to reason and to think imaginatively and to communicate with precision.