November 23

In class today we talked over introductions and conclusions - and the difference between writing to a "formula" (5-paragraph essays, 7 sentences in a paragraph, etc) and writing for a purpose and for a particular audience. We used this discussion to think about the audiences for your essays (me + people who endorse the perspective you are writing against)and your purposes for writing to those two audiences. We listed your purposes as meeting the criteria for the assignment (for me); demonstrating that you have learned the important concepts covered in class (for me); and persuading the "other side" of the validity of your view (for people who endorse the perspective you are writing against). I emphasized that for writing for school, the first two purposes are always there - and that the second purpose is often unstated but is almost always central in teachers minds as they grade.

We then listed on the board what you will want to do in the introduction to a persuasive essay where you are persuading people who disagree with you. We looked at the sample essays that argued issues in your text book, and noticed how these authors set up their arguments. We noted that when arguing "against" a perspective - most authors: 1) set up their position indirectly + after acknowledging the "other side" (as in the piece against legalizing marijuana), establishing their own authority (through citing facts, establishing group membership, or etc), or making a move to connect to the "emotions" surrounding the issue (like McKibben). In fact the introduction usually was organized so that writers used several paragraphs to set up the issues before identifying their position + the points they would argue.

We then looked at some sites on the Purdue OWL that dealt with how to build paragraphs, and how to use quotation, paraphrase, and summary. Paraphrasing and quotation are particularly important for this assignment since you need to refer to "facts" and the position of "the other side" in this essay. We reviewed how to introduce quotations + paraphrases, and discussed when to paraphrase + when to use quotations. You will probably want to quote the position you are arguing against - to ensure that you accurately report the points for their beliefs.

For Monday, November 30: turn in the completed draft for Project 2 as an attachment.

Have a great Thanksgiving and see you after break.