Period___
Essay Prompt:
Using the readings presented in class and your own knowledge and
research, write an argument defining what you see as the central
issue facing boys and young men in our society. Recommend at least
one way to address the issue toward the end of your argument.
Develop a claim, thesis statement, outline, and essay to persuade
your audience that your viewpoint is valid, true, and logical. Move
from statement of facts to a deeper argument by recommending one
way to address the issue which might resolve some complication or
implication. Use evidence from three or more sources.
College Writing 11
Requirements:
Cannon 1 of Rhetoric: Invention
1. Create a clear focus by crafting 3 claims of fact.
2. Choose one claim of fact and write it as a thesis statement in 3 different
ways: open thesis, closed thesis, and counterargument thesis
Cannon 2 of Rhetoric: Arrangement
3. Write an outline which includes at least 4 pieces of relevant evidence from
the excerpts.
4. Renumber the paragraphs to more logically order your points.
5. Type and submit a final outline to turnitin.com
Cannon 3 of Rhetoric: Style
6. Introduction with a thesis
7. 1-2 narration paragraphs
8. 3-4 confirmation paragraphs
9. 1 refutation paragraph
10.A conclusion
11.Include 3 or more style elements.
12.Remember to review the directions and the rubric. Also, proofread for
grammatical/CUPS (capitalization, usage & grammar, punctuation, and
spelling) and verb tense errors.
Cannon 4 of Rhetoric: Memory
13.
Write a 1 page speech outline which shortens your argument to fit in
the time frame.
14.
1.
College Writing 11
Exercises: Circle the correct word or phrase that gives the sentence correct parallel
structure.
1. After Amanda cashes her paycheck, the money goes to her savings account and
__________.
A. paying her credit card bill
B. toward her credit card balance
C. credit card balance
2. When Noodle the poodle realized that the leash meant a bath, not a walk to the park, he
growled, pulled, and __________.
A. was leaping like a fish on a line
B. he was leaping like a fish on a line
C. leaped like a fish on a line
Exercises 2: In the sentences, write a word or phrase in the blank that gives the sentence
parallel structure.
3. The little girl liked eating cookies better than _____________________________ at her
grandmothers house.
4. Students like to sleep, relax and _______________________________________ during the
summer.
5. Food, shelter, and ___________________________________________________ are all I need
to survive on a deserted island.
6. ______________________________________ is much better than a visit to the dentist.
7.
Example
Example
Example
Unclear:
supports it.
Not specific:
Non-arguable:
Clear: Homeless shelters help many people who have lost their way in life and
cannot get back on their feet, so the government economically supports facilities
and programs like this.
Specific: Government surveillance programs do more harm than good because
they invade civil liberties, lead innocent people to suffer unfair punishments, and
ultimately fail to protect the citizens that they are designed to safeguard.
I.
II.
III.
Confirmation: Use reasoning to explain why you believe in your thesis and
persuade your audience to agree.
a. contain cited evidence, examples, facts, and definitions to prove the
claim of the paragraph
b. explain why the evidence supports the claims and the larger thesis
c. logical elaboration relating back to your point.
d. begin with claims/topic sentences
e. end with a clincher which provides a sense of closure to your idea in
this paragraph and/or transitions to your next idea.
IV.
V.
II.
Narration #1
a. Alzheimer's is a cognitive disease which affects hundreds of thousands of
people in the United States alone.
i. Tell about the disease. Explain that the cause is unknown.
ii. Prevalence " The total number of people with dementia worldwide in
2010 is estimated at 35.6 million and is projected to nearly double
every 20 years, to 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050"
(World Health Organization).
b. Describe side effects.
III.
Narration #2
a. There are some available care options for those who have dementia.
b. Provide details and background information about nursing home bills,
caregivers, and medications
c. "By 2010, Medicare costs for beneficiaries with Alzheimer's are expected to
increase nearly 55 percent, from $31.9 billion in 2000 to $49.3 billion
and Medicaid expenditures on residential dementia care will increase 80
percent, from $18.2 billion to $33 billion" (McConnell).
IV.
Confirmation #1
a. Recent medical innovations have shed some light on the issue, but are not
leading towards a cure, rather they are leading to treatment options.
b. For some people the following drugs help prevent some symptoms for some
time:
i. tacrine (Cognex), donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), or
galantamine (Reminyl)
ii. May help control behavioral symptoms of AD such as sleeplessness,
agitation, wandering, anxiety, and depression.
c. "Developing new treatments for AD is an active area of research. Scientists
are testing a number of drugs to see if they prevent AD, slow the disease, or
help reduce symptoms" (National Institute on Aging).
V.
Confirmation #2
a. Past medical innovations all were targeted on treatment of patients rather
than a cure, and they are financially draining.
b. Explain negatives of medications and how according to Thomas J. Moore, an
authority on prescription drugs, "Each year, 100,000 Americans or more die
of adverse drug reactions, one million are severely injured, and two million
are harmed while they are hospitalized, making ill effects from drugs one of
the greatest dangers in modern society and one of the leading causes
of death... The incidence of adverse drug reactions is estimated to be twice to
three times greater among the elderly" (qtd. in Cruikshank).
c. Explain how this is affecting the present.
Confirmation #3
a. The most recent invention, a motion sensor for Alzheimer's patients, was just
developed as another way to monitor those with the disease rather than cure
them.
i. Fifteen year old Kenneth Shinozuka
ii. Sensor: "Shinozuka's creationa small pressure sensor that can be
attached to a foot or a socknotifies caregivers via their smartphones
if a patient who should be sleeping gets out of bed. His grandfather,
who has Alzheimer's disease, served as inspiration" (Scheer).
b. Show a case study example of his use of it.
VII.
Confirmation #4:
a. Advances in understanding the brain are more valuable than temporary fixes.
b. Neuroscience and brain chemistry experts try to explain what happens while
we age.
c. Differences in behavior lead to differences in aging.
i. "Of the mental activities, reading, playing cards or board games,
doing crossword puzzles, and playing a musical instrument reduced
dementia risk, while writing for pleasure and participating in group
discussions did not" (Alzheimer's Association).
VIII.
Confirmation #5
a. Despite funding difficulties, the true cure for a cognitive disease is in better
understanding brain science.
i. Explain the importance of the cure and actual treatment.
1. For the financial aspect
2. For the human aspect
ii. "Morrison-Bogorad, who is associate director for the NIA's
Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program, says she is
optimistic that research will lead to ways to delay Alzheimer's onset"
(McConnell).
IX.
X.
Conclusion
a. Reworded thesis: Recent medical innovations help people manage disease,
but do not lead towards a cure, so research being done by neuroscientists
should be much more heavily funded.
b. Briefly summarize main premises
c. Discuss the future of technology and brain science research and its impact
on society.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold, ed. Twentieth-Century British Poets. New York: Bloom's Literary
Criticism, 2011. Infobase Publishing eBooks. Web. 21 Dec. 2012.
Clinton, Hillary Rodham. "Womens' Rights Are Human Rights." Vital Speeches Of
The Day 61.24 (1995): 738. History Reference Center. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New York Times.
New York Times, 22 May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.
Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1942. Print.
Sherman, Steven J. "Intuitive Versus Rational Judgment and the Role of
Stereotyping in the Human Condition: Kirk or Spock?" Psychological Inquiry
3.2 (1992): 153-59. Print.
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Definition
A biased, suspicious,
unknown, or incredible source
is used to defend a conclusion.
Red
Herring
Example
According to Sylvia McManhon, We
should abolish the death penalty". (The
writer never stated that McManhon is a
credible expert who published articles
and books about the death penalty and
works for the New York Times)
We admit that this measure is popular.
But we also urge you to note that there
are so many bond issues on this ballot
that the whole thing is getting
ridiculous.
Definition
The argument relies on a
premise that says the same
thing as the conclusion.
Example
Hasty
Generalizat
ion
Arguing
from
Ignorance
False
Dilemma
Faulty
Cause
Definition
A word or phrase is loaded
when it has a secondary,
Example
That beast of a penguin may just
carelessly kill its offspring.
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Vagueness
evaluative meaning in
addition to its primary,
descriptive meaning.
A lack of a specific definition,
explanation, or a mistake in
grammar or word choice
makes the meaning of a
passage unclear.
14
10. Do not use the passive voice (OVS) (Careless students are failed by the ruthless
professor); use the active voice (SVO) (The ruthless professor fails careless
students). Because the active voice is direct and clear, this rule is the most
important of style, but it has serious consequences for your meaning as well.
Politicians, administrators, and those foolishly trying to avoid the consequences of
their actions love the passive voice because it protects them from facts and
responsibility: Mistakes were made.
11. Adverbs should be adverbs. Do not do it different if you know what I am saying.
12. Every pronoun should have a clear antecedent to which it agrees in person,
number, and gender.
Argumentation Rules:
19. Never just summarize or paraphrase. Assume your reader has read/seen it. I do
not want to know what happened. I want to know your ideas about what
happened.
20. Support your assertions and ideas with concrete examples, with brief quotes from
the story, book, or film you are discussing, or with a short citation from some
reliable authority.
21. Words like maybe, seem, perhaps, and might do not keep you from being
wrong; they merely alert the reader to the fact that you are worried about it.
22. Avoid vague generalizations: as we all know, people say, since the beginning
of time, etc. Obvious claims such as mankind would not exist without the heart
are equally lamentable.
23. Write about works of art in the present tense, since Hamlet will be stabbing
Polonius and Roy Hobbs will be knocking the lights out with his home runs long
after your grandchildren have forgotten your name.
24. Avoid asking the audience rhetorical questions. Your audience will not respond to
your questions. Strongly written sentences with deep thoughts are much more
strong.
25. Delete the phrase in the past from your writing as well as any hint of
chronological snobbery. Chronological snobbery is the erroneous assumption that,
with the passage of time, mankind has gotten progressively wiser. In the past, such
a pedantic list of writing rules would have been unnecessary for undergraduates.
26. When citing a dictionary refer to the Oxford English Dictionary whenever possible.
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Delivery Evaluation
Category
Focus (10)
Score
Comments
Organization (10)
Maintains organization and transitions throughout.
Has a natural flow. Includes a hook, body, and conclusion.
Development (10)
Ideas in speech are developed by using:
Precise observations and details
Stories
Explanations
Ethos (10)
Likability: Speaker has a friendly, positive attitude when speaking and
Completion (10)
Satisfied all requirements regarding:
Time
Subject
Type of speech
Speaker:_____________________________
_____________________________
Q&A Session
Directions: After or while listening, write two questions from the options below. Write on
this paper, either the front or the back. When the Q&A session begins, ask one of the
questions.
18
_______________________________________________________________?
Level 3: Can you elaborate on the
reason__________________________________________________________?
Level 3: How is _____________________________ related to
_________________________________________?
19
Argumenta
tion:
Your written
response
shows an
understandi
ng and
interpretati
on of the
writing
Developme
nt:
Your written
response
gives a clear
and logical
explanation
of ideas,
using
supporting
material.
Arrangeme
nt:
Your written
response
shows a
coherent,
orderly,
wellreasoned
approach.
Style:
Your written
response
shows a
sense of
audience by
using
effective
10
Argument and ideas
are presented in a
creative and original
manner.
Defends a clear,
precise, debatable
thesis/claim of fact
throughout.
Rhetorical appeals to
ethos, logos, and
pathos create a strong
sense that the writer
Clearly written topic
sentences focus
paragraphs.
Develops persuasive
arguments to
establish his/her case.
Builds and elaborates
ideas thoroughly.
Uses examples
precisely.
Develops the topic in
an interesting and
imaginative way.
Sets up and maintains
a clear focus.
Follows classical
argumentation with
an introduction,
narration,
confirmation,
refutation, and
conclusion.
Introduction is
engaging and
appropriate;
Has vivid language,
fluidity, and a sense of
engagement and
voice.
Contains at least 3
instances of figurative
language
Has sophisticated
style of sentence
6
Offers a simple
interpretation of the
writing prompt.
Thesis is missing two of
the following
characteristics: clear,
precise, debatable
Rhetorical appeals to
ethos, logos, and pathos
are unclear and don't
convey a sense of mastery
of the topic.
Topic sentences are
unclear.
Introduces, but doesn't
develop persuasive
arguments to establish
his/her case.
Answers the question in an
abbreviated manner.
Gives brief examples to
explain ideas.
Develops ideas somewhat
inconsistently or in a
limited way, creating little
Shows an attempt to
create and maintain a
focus.
Strays from the topic at
times.
Exhibits some type of
sequence of ideas and
contains, in some order,
elements of classical
argumentation, such as an
introduction, narration,
confirmation, refutation,
Has a vague sense of
audience.
Contains at least 1
instance of figurative
language
Uses simple sentences.
Uses vocabulary which is
below level.
Demonstrates partial
20
Provides a thoughtful
analysis of the writing
prompt.
Thesis is missing one
of the following
characteristics: clear,
precise, debatable
Rhetorical appeals to
ethos, logos, and
pathos create a
general sense of
knowledge of the
Topic sentences
generally focus
paragraphs.
Develops somewhat
persuasive arguments
to establish his/her
case.
Develops the topic in
an acceptable way.
Uses relevant
examples throughout
the essay.
Obviously attempts
organization.
Focuses on the thesis
statement.
Exhibits a generally
logical sequence of
ideas by mostly
following classical
argumentation with an
introduction,
narration,
confirmation,
Has a sense of
audience.
Contains at least 2
instances of figurative
language
Has good control of
basic mechanics.
Uses an appropriate
level of vocabulary.