Critical thinking Essay English

Please read instructions carefully   ROUGH DRAFT DUE 9/25 and essay due date is 9/30

Please see attachments for better understanding of what's expected 

I included a source but you may also use a secondary source ( please let me know of secondary source) :  

this is My prior submission writing a rhetorical analysis of the primary source: (for reference)

• Debate On Student Loan Debt Doesn't Go Far Enough


• Robert Applebaum was a law school graduate and initiated a petition supporting the Student LOan Fogivcenss Act of 2012.  


• Publication Date - Published a year after the September 11 terrorist attacks.  The nation was at war.  Stimulating the economy would have been something that will always be necessary no matter what year it is. The year written, Americans were very emotional post terror attacks, and pathos would be a great tool to use. 


• Thesis I didn't find a clear thesis, but the author's main point is why should we penalize students working hard to get a better job by putting them in debt.  Forgiving student debt would stimulate the economy.  Those people in debt would have more opportunities to purchase homes and create a business. 


• Author's Purpose -  The author tries to persuade the audience that he is correct regarding student debt.  College tuition is too expensive, and making loans readily available is putting the economy in a bad situation that will only get worse.  He uses statistics to persuade the reader how dire the problem is.  "36 million Americans are drowning  under the weight of their student loan debt" (Applbaum, 423) 


• Intended Audience -    The author's indented audience is the 36 million Americans who are in debt and students who are getting in debt due to the high cost of College.   I believe the audience leaves feeling bitter with our school system.  "borrow to work," strikes a nerve.  It is expensive to live a California, and for the average college student who works fulltime are forced to take out student loans.  Anyone who is pursuing a better education is the target audience, maybe except for the very wealthy. 


• Methods -  Applbaum was affective with his structure and supporting evidence. He had almost a million signatures on his petition.  He compared student loans to a financial crisis in America. He reminds the reader that tuition rates will keep getting more and more expensive.  He compares debt to mortgage size debts, which is right for many students.  How could we thrive if we cannot afford a home due to student loans? 


• Tone/Voice (Persona) - Applbaum's voice is powerful to me as a college student.   I relate to what he is fighting for, and I also believe education should be a right and not only for the wealthy.   Applbaum's style of the text was appealing and drew me in from the beginning.  He builds his argument with every paragraph.  he gets bolder and more direct as the sections go on. 


• Rhetorical Appeals   Ethos, logos, and pathos are used in combination.  He states facts, uses emotion to persuade the reader, and is logical with his reasoning.  he uses ethos, and credibility is established early on in the essay—intern gaining the trust of the audience.  I trust the lawyer.  Logos is used when he reminds the reader how expensive and out of hand, tuition has become.  He compares us to being in debt as a privilege so that we can work.  Pathos is used last when he informs the reader how hard it is to obtain a mortgage and closes his essay that things will only get worse if Congress doesn't intervene. 

Topic:    Student Loans: Should Some Indebtedness be Forgiven?

Developing your Argument 

Most arguments start with a response to another writer, speaker, or cultural issue. We have spent the majority of our time during the first few weeks of the semester analyzing the arguments of the others – author’s thesis, purpose, methods, and context. We will now transition towards the development of our own arguments. 

Assignment: Our first essay will ask you to build off of the critical thinking skills we have been developing. You will be assigned two readings from Part Four of our text book. Each of these readings establishes a different viewpoint on the same topic. In homework assignments, we will work to break down the author’s point of view related to the topic. From there you will need to develop your own argument (POV) on the same topic – A response to the question that makes up the title of your casebook. Your response will be the basis of your argument; in other words, this response will is what you will use to form your thesis statement. 

*****While the topic is defined, the direction you take your paper is open. Which means, you need to think deeply about the topic and your own opinions in relation. Do not limit yourself to the readings’ POV. Your essay should not just be a summary and/or a recap of the readings. ******

Additionally, you can utilize your textbook as a reference tool – the instructional sections and the readings as models. A successful essay will develop a clear/concise thesis statement, provide evidence, be logically organized, and proofread thoroughly. 

Additional Requirements/Suggestions

• Your thesis statement must address the prompt and provide a specific framework for your essay. 


• Effective prewriting, in regards to your supporting points, will be crucial. Will you have enough information for your entire paper? 


• Your evidence should not be limited to anecdotal or personal opinion. You will need to incorporate critical analysis from, reputable/peer reviewed, sources that work to validate your arguments. You will need to do some additional research for this essay. 


• When utilizing sources as evidence, you can utilize direct quotations and/or paraphrasing. Either method must be documented through MLA formatted in-text citations and included on a Works Cited page.    


• Four – Five pages in length, in MLA format.