Like every essay we compose in this class, Essay 3 is an argumentative academic essay that must have an introductory paragraph leading up to an argumentative thesis; body paragraphs with linked topic sentences that offer evidence and analysis for support; and a conclusion that sums up your main ideas and leaves the reader with food for thought.
Like every essay we compose in this class, Essay 3 is an argumentative academic essay that must have an introductory paragraph leading up to an argumentative thesis; body paragraphs with linked topic sentences that offer evidence and analysis for support; and a conclusion that sums up your main ideas and leaves the reader with food for thought.. English 101: Essay 3 Guidelines
Prompt
For our third formal paper, we will compose a persuasive essay that explores the relationship between education, power, and community as represented in the sources below. Compose a 4-page persuasive essay in response to the following prompt: in what ways does education give people power? How does it distance them from their pasts?
Sources
Draw on at least 3 of the following sources as you craft your argument:
· Erika Sanchez, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
· Langston Hughes, “Theme for English B”
· Film clips from Dead Poet’s Society
· Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, “Preface” and/or “Introduction from They Say, I Say
· William J. Farrell, “The Power of Writing”
· Your own experience.
Do not conduct any research on your own; use these sources only. Your essay should begin by describing the context of your debate and introducing the texts upon which you will base your argument (titles, authors, and one-sentence summaries). Draw on our classroom discussions as well as your own skills of close reading and analysis, using specific references to the experiments mentioned in the texts above. Aim for using 2-3 quotations or paraphrases for support in each paragraph, and make sure to draw from all three sources by the end of your essay. Aim for at least four body paragraphs in addition to an introduction and conclusion. For this essay, make sure to address the counterargument, or the concerns of a naysayer (in your introduction, your conclusion, or in a separate body paragraph). Use transitions between and within paragraphs to connect ideas. You are expected to refer to our course textbooks for support with grammar and writing as you prepare this essay. Additional supportive materials may be found in the “Essay 3” folder on Brightspace.
Suggested Outline and Template
Like every essay we compose in this class, Essay 3 is an argumentative academic essay that must have an introductory paragraph leading up to an argumentative thesis; body paragraphs with linked topic sentences that offer evidence and analysis for support; and a conclusion that sums up your main ideas and leaves the reader with food for thought. Use the outline and template below as a guide to the required components of the essay.
I. Introduction
A. Hook
B. Introduce context for debate and texts you will be writing about, including titles and
authors of sources as needed, before transitioning to thesis
C. Thesis: respond to the questions posed in the prompt
While education gives people power, it can come at too great a cost by
_____________________________________.
All education must involve a rupture with the past because ________________.
The _______________ and ______________ that an education provides are worth the disruption to the past because __________________.
II. Body Paragraphs (as many as necessary—consider including a paragraph on counterargument)
A. Topic sentence that connects with thesis, explaining how the thesis will be developed in this paragraph
To begin, __________________ is one reason why ______________ .
Julia’s experience in I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter shows that
______________________________________.
The speaker in Hughes’s poem exemplifies Graff and Birkenstein’s claim that
____________________________.
I concede that education does mean distancing yourself from your past in some way.
B. First piece of evidence (introduce, describe, and analyze)
C. Second piece of evidence (introduce, describe, and analyze)
D. Third piece of evidence (introduce, describe, and analyze)
E. Concluding sentence/transition to next point
III. Conclusion
A. Sum up main point of essay using new language
B. Address potential counterarguments (if you haven’t already in its own paragraph)
C. Answer the question “so what?” Why should this matter to the reader?
Due Dates
Please check the syllabus for a complete list of Essay 2 related due dates. Here are the due dates for the drafts:
First draft conference: November 13
Second draft peer review: November 18
Third, graded draft (uploaded to Blackboard by 8:00 am): November 25
Final draft if included in the portfolio: December 2.
Work hard! Remember to get help from me or the Writing Center as needed.
