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Persuasive Essay - #5Two Copies Due for Editing: Thursday, March 9
Final Draft Due: Tuesday, March 14
Content:
In this essay you will persuade your chosen audience that there is an
action or series of actions which they should take to solve a
particular problem. That problem should be connected directly or
indirectly to your fellow students in our class and should have some
connection to the environmental issues discussed during the quarter.
Possible topics:
Refuse to buy from companies that greenwash
Recycling on campus
Carpooling and/ or carpool lanes
Hybrids and/ or high mileage or low emissions vehicles
Bicycling or taking the bus or light rail
Alternatives to burning oil (solar, wind power) – addressed to legislators
Population control or “smart growth” in San Jose or Cupertino
Lowering consumption of the earth’s resources
Our connections to rainforests and other fragile environments – should we eat at __?
Classrooms: windows that open? Use of air conditioning and heating?
Native plants vs. invaders from other continents
Spread of disease – alternatives to coming to school sick
We
will brainstorm a list in class. This is NOT a research paper except
for the sources you found while doing Paper #3. Instead your ideas
should mostly come from primary sources:
a. your own experiences
b. your first-hand study of the problem
c. a survey which you hand out in class on March 7
d. two or three short interviews, conducted in class on that same day
e. other interviews which you may conduct
f. one quotation from Martin Luther King, Jr.
Form:
750 or more words (3 - 124 pages), with form as in previous papers. As
evidence, you should use material gathered in a, b, c, d, e, and f
above.
Also required:
a. ethos, pathos and logos (note each in margins)
b. at least one use of anaphora (underlined)
c. at least one metaphor (italicized)
d. material which directly appeals to your chosen audience
e. Cover page and Acknowledgments
f. a Works Cited page
g. a methodology paragraph
h. a copy of your questionnaire as an “Appendix”
Possible audiences:
For this paper, you should DEFINE YOUR AUDIENCE on the first page.
Possible audiences might be fellow students, teachers, legislators,
city council members, Mr. Roadshow in the Mercury, administrators, etc.
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A Typical Pattern:
Cover Page (1)
Acknowledgements
Page (2)
Introduction: Clearly explain the controversy around your
issue. Define key terms. OR, you might describe your visit to the
"scene" which might be three recycling cans, an overpass on 85, or your
test-drive of a hybrid car. (3)
Methodology:
One paragraph in which you explain about your survey and interviews and
what other procedures you undertook in order to develop your
solution(s). (still on p. 3)
Assertion: One paragraph in which you clearly present the problem. (page 3 or 4)
Solution:
Give your ideas for what should be done to improve the situation. You
might include several steps to lead toward a solution, or one grand
scheme. You may use interview and survey material to support your idea
that this solution would be appropriate. It should be at least two, if not three pages. (pages 4-5 )
Concession
and rebuttal: (usually one paragraph) Admit that there are points
AGAINST you. Do this fairly and succinctly . Use words like "I realize"
and "admittedly." Then show why you don't take that position, using
words like "even though" and "although." (page 5 or 6)
Conclusion:
In an argument, this should present your assertion in a fresh and
pointed way so that your readers remember it. (page 6 or 7)
Work(s) Cited or References Page (7 or 8)
Appendix (page 8 or 9) – This is just a copy of your questionnaire/ survey
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Grading:
100 points possible. 10 points for bringing a minimum of 2 pages on
Peer Editing day, 15 points for addressing the audience, anaphora, and
metaphor, 15 points for pathos, ethos, and logos, 10 points for a wide
variety of evidence (statistics, quotations, specific examples,
anecdotes), 10 points for connecting to ideas about the environment
from the first two months of the class, 20 points for grammar,
punctuation, and spelling, 20 points for concession/ rebuttal and
correct Work Cited for the King quote.
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