English 1A
Worthington
Essay Assignment #2
Activism and Social Responsibility
In the memoir Escape from Slavery, former slave Francis Bok passionately
speaks out against the cruelty of slavery in the Sudan. Despite his initial
hesitation, Bok shares his story with a variety of audiences throughout the United
States: “I never set out to become a public speaker and a human rights activist. I
certainly never imagined myself as a Sudanese politician. But over the past two
years I have become all of the above…I am proud that God has given me this gift
to help other people” (276). Today, Francis Bok continues to spread the word
about slavery, not only in the Sudan but around the world.
Your Assignment:
For this assignment, you will follow Francis Bok’s example and advocate for
and/or protest against a specific social issue in the community that relates to one
of the categories listed below.Your “cause” may be of local, national, or
international concern.
Your paper should move beyond a simple description of the issue. You should
consider the complexities of the problem and encourage your readers to think
more critically about the social implications surrounding this particular problem.
Your essay should be persuasive and move your readers to act or respond in
some way. Remember that you are arguing for a particular solution or course of
action.
Categories:
Education
Human Rights Abuses Immigration Intra-racial/cultural Conflicts
Health/Safety
War/Politics
Criminal Justice
Family
Social Service
Organization/format:
 The first part of your paper will present your issue, describe the problem,
providebackground information (or history) about the issue, and state the
thesis/claim that you intend to support.
 The remainder of your paper will be devoted to your analysis of the
problem (possible solutions, other forms of advocacy or protest used in
the past to address this issue. Explain why they were or were not
effective).
 You will also consider and respond to possible counter-arguments or
“voices of resistance. “
 Remember to include a strong conclusion and a title that reflects the topic
of your essay. We will discuss introductions, conclusions, and titles in
class.
 Finally, plan to use evidence from the two full-length texts, the course
readings, and at least 6 - 7 outside sources to provide deeper insight into
the issue and strengthen your own “ethos.” At least two of your sources
should represent the opposing point of view.
 All drafts must be typed in MLA format, which includes a Works Cited
page for outside sources and parenthetical citations for in-text citations.
We will discuss the correct way to cite sources during class.
Due Dates:
_____
_____
Peer review draft: 5 pages (bring two copies)
Final draft:8- 10pages (include Works Cited reference page,
rough draft, and outline. I will return all papers that do not include a
reference page)
Important! You must bring a hard copy of your essay to class. Late essays
will be reduced by one full grade. I will not provide written comments on final
drafts submitted after the first 30 minutes of class on the assigned due date.
Please see me before the due date to receive help with your paper.