The obligation to endure ethos pathos logos

Essay #1: Project Text

Due Dates:

Tuesday, Feb. 17 – 1st Draft Workshop; Bring 5 copies to class

Tuesday, Feb. 24 -- 2nd Draft Workshop; bring 2 copies to class

Thursday, Feb. 26 -- Revised Draft Due / Upload to Turnitin Due

Writing Task: Write an essay in which you analyze and respond to one of the

foundational texts of the Sustainability Movement.

Requirements: 1000-1250 words, typed, double spaced, MLA format with Works Cited,

with at least 2 additional sources included.

Purpose:

To examine the rhetorical strategies of an author of one of the short texts assigned in the first 4 weeks of the semester;

To evaluate how the writer convinces you, the reader, about his or her point of view (or not!).

To support that analysis with convincing examples from the text and appropriate outside sources

To respond to that writer’s idea with your point of view on the topic.

To demonstrate your understanding of essay structure

To learn to conduct research and correctly use MLA citation

Readings: Analyze and Respond to ONE of these texts:

Carson, “The Obligation to Endure”

Suzuki, “The Sacred Balance”

Outside Sources: Along with your own ideas, commentary, and examples from the text, support your analysis with at least two outside sources from reputable web sites, editorials or news articles from major newspapers (L.A. Times, New York Times, Washington Post) or periodicals (Newsweek, Time, Atlantic Monthly), or websites (CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS) and online databases (Lexis/Nexis, Infotrac, EbscoHost). You may also use Garbology or other texts from the course to support your thesis (although these would not count as one of the two outside sources)

Step 1: Exercises 1 & 2: Summary / Response

The purpose of these exercises is to give you practice in examining each of the assigned texts closely and to prepare to write the essay.

Annotate the Text: Actively re-read the assigned essay. Then, annotate the article as we’ve discussed in class, and according to the handout on Moodle, “Annotating Texts: Instructions and Guide.” Mark phrases, images, or ideas that strike you as interesting or important; respond in the margins with your intellectual and emotional impressions. In addition, take notes and jot down your thoughts on separate paper for use later. Pay attention to the ways the essayist uses language; you are trying to find out how the essay works to influence your thinking about the topic. Consider any or all of the following as you annotate both on the text and in your notes:

Where does the writer identify his or her purpose for writing? Is there an identifiable exigence?

Can you relate to the writer? Do you share similar concerns about the world, or similar experiences?

Are you affected or changed by this reading? Why or why not?

Where do you catch glimpses of the writer’s ethos? What makes you trust or believe him or her?

What questions has he or she raised that you want to examine further? What has the writer left unsaid about this idea?

How might this issue or idea impact your life, community, or the larger society in which we live?

Play “What if?” What if these ideas were acted upon? What if they had not been? How might things be different?

Take note of rhetorical strategies you encounter: examples of the writer’s tone, use of rhetorical appeals, examples of sensory imagery & figurative language (metaphors, similes, personification, etc), examples of argument at work (evidence, opposing views, logic).

Once you have thoroughly examined the text, write your summary : Your summary should be no more than about 250 words, covering the main ideas in the text, rather than details.

Introduce the author and the title of the text you are discussing in the first line of your summary.

Do not insert your own opinion into the summary. Strive to be accurate, objective, and concise.

Cover the whole article, not just the first few paragraphs.

Use MLA documentation with parenthetical citations for any brief quotes you choose to include.

Provide a Works Cited list. We’ll cover documentation generally, but see The Little Seagull Handbook for help here.

What is your Response? Use your notes and annotations to respond to the text. What stands out to you most in terms of 1) the ideas expressed; 2) the rhetorical strategies you’ve discovered; and 3) the impact of the article on your own thinking. Your response should be no more than 250 words. Be concise.

MSS Notes:

Exercise #1 & #2 should each be about 2 typed, double-spaced pages in total for both the summary and response. You’ll have to think carefully about what to include; don’t add words merely to fill a quota. As always, spell check and proofread your document before turning it in! Be sure to clearly mark each section; i.e., “Summary” and “Response.”

Your annotation, notes, & finished Summary/Response is due in class on ________ for Ex. #1 and on __________ for Ex. #2. Plan to turn in these exercises with the finished Project Text Essay.

Step 2: Choose the article you wish to write about for your essay and begin drafting and revising your Project Text Essay.

Procedure:

Re-read both the texts and Exercises #1 & #2. Choose ONE text to focus on.

Use the Exercises, in-class notes & journals, and your annotations to help you draft your essay.

Write a First Draft of at least 2 pages.

Bring 5 copies of your first draft to class on the First Draft Workshop Day, where you will read and discuss each others’ papers.

Bring two of your groupmates’ essays home to read more in depth, and post your complete commentary of your groupmates’ essays on the correct Moodle Discussion Forum for your group. Please refer to the rubric for commentaries, provided on Moodle.

Revise your essay according to your groupmates’ suggestions, along with any suggestions from your instructor or SI Leader. Consider visiting the Writing Lab, your SI, or your instructor for help with your essay.

Bring 2 copies of your Second draft to class for the Second Draft Workshop. The second draft should be at the required finished length.

Continue to revise after the workshop.

Upload your essay to Turnitin.com sometime during the week between the first draft workshop and the final due date. Be sure to check back to see if you have any problematic passages.

Turn in your essay in a pocket folder. Include the revised draft, the first and second drafts with the SI or instructor’s initials, both of the exercises with notes, and the annotated copy of the original article you’ve been working with.

Rhetorical features to discuss in your essay may include:

The writer’s intention or purpose. What is the writer’s argument?

The context & exigence of the argument: as we learned in They Say/I Say, arguments don’t occur in a vacuum, but are usually in response to some previously expressed opinion, idea, or problem. What or who is the writer responding to? What is the problem that calls out for a response?

The writer’s persona: how does the writer’s ethos contribute to or detract from the argument? Who is the writer and why should we believe him or her?

Tone or word choice: how do they affect your response to the argument?

Use of Appeals: how has the writer used appeals (ethos, logos, pathos) to effectively persuade this audience?

Quality and use of evidence: facts, statistics, outside sources or authorities, as well as the credibility of that evidence (this is where outside sources will help – do other authorities agree or disagree with this writer?)

Use of figurative language to move the reader: similes, metaphors, sensory imagery.

Handling of opposing views: does the author address those who disagree with him or her? Is the author addressing other points of view in the conversation?

Structure:

Paragraph 1: Introduce the author and the essay; state the author’s main idea in your own words and introduce your connection to the essay. What is your point of view about the essay? State your thesis.

Paragraph 2: Summarize the essay briefly. Provide the important ideas in the text and give your reader a clear idea of what the text is about, keeping in mind your point of view and connection to it (see They Say/I Say, Chap. 2)

Paragraphs 3-5: Analyze the essay’s rhetoric. In other words, HOW does the writer convince you? Consider the rhetorical concepts listed above as you consider the CHOICES the writer has made in order to present his or her argument in a convincing manner. You don’t have to consider all of these, but do choose those that are most relevant to this text. Use the required outside sources as necessary to support your analysis.

Paragraphs 6-8 or more: Respond to the essay. What do you think about this idea? What is your point of view of the topic or the writer’s position on it? You may wish to argue with the writer; you may choose to discuss a connection you have with this idea, an experience you have had, or discuss other articles, videos, films, or books you have encountered on the subject. However, don’t lose sight of the original essay. Remember that your purpose for writing is to analyze and respond to a particular text. Use your outside sources as needed to support your point.

Provide a clear concluding paragraph that restates your main idea and provides your final judgment on the value or persuasiveness of the text you’ve chosen. Consider the implications of the ideas in the text. Leave your reader with something to think about!

Include a Works Cited that includes all texts, including videos, films, or other texts that you have referenced.

Turn in your essay in a pocket folder with both drafts; turn in Exercises 1 & 2 as well.

The Successful Essay will come to a clear conclusion about the text; it will make a clear point about the published author’s use of rhetoric; will provide a brief summary of the text; will provide plentiful development for the student writer’s point of view; be carefully organized, revised, and proofread; will include a Works Cited and observe conventions of MLA format throughout.