Of all the reasons to use "The New Yorker" in a college writing class, the most compelling may be that its articles go beyond--well beyond--the five-paragraph model. Why, oh why, did that paradigm become such a fixture in composition courses? Students in the author's writing classes invariably suppose they can compose a quick introduction, add three brief body paragraphs and a repetitive conclusion--and "voila"! Instant essay. "The New Yorker's" articles allow her class to look at fleshed-out paragraphs, conclusions that do more than echo an intro, and sophisticated syntax and punctuation. Still, the author worried whether her state-university students--who have failed the system's writing exam, are often the first in their families to go to college, and come from homes where English may not be the dominant language--would appreciate her ambitious choice of "texts," or whether bitter evaluations would leave her jobless. Even so, her students enjoyed the readings. They loved knowing that there are fine essays that don't open with a thesis statement or lead each paragraph with a topic sentence (such formulas have real value, but most great essays leave them in the dust). They appreciated, too, reading about subjects they wouldn't otherwise encounter.