Point of View
Take a moment and re-examine the graphic (EarthrisingoverMoon[composite]) at the beginning of this Point-ofView Section. Notice how this viewpoint is the reverse of what we, here on Earth, are familiar with. When it comes to these
two bodies in our solar system, we are used to seeing the Earth's Moon from here on Earth. It's a bit of a shock when we
see the Earth from our Moon's surface. This is an example of two different points of view.
Here are some short definitions of viewpoint:
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Where are you coming from?
What's your position?
Where do you stand?
What's your take?
Being able to determine an author's P.O.V. (point of view) makes you a stronger reader. This helps you analyze
and critique the points that the writer presents. You will gain a better understanding of why the passage contains the
message that it sends. Keep in mind that a writer's point of view often 'colors' the information in the text. To correctly
assess a passage, one needs to discover the author's viewpoint.
Along those same lines, there are a couple of words you should be familiar with: bias & prejudice. As used today,
their definitions are very similar. The best way to explain them is by giving some examples of what does and does not show
bias or prejudice. First, two scenarios that do not demonstrate bias or prejudice:
You want to take a book home from the NWC Library collection. You are informed by the librarian that you must
have a valid HCCS Library card in order to checkout a book.
You are buying a used truck at the neighborhood Ford dealership. As part of the purchase agreement, you have to
pay $125 to register the vehicle in your name.
Now, let's see two situations that do demonstrate bias or prejudice:
You want to take a book home from the NWC Library collection. You are informed by the librarian that since you
have an ankle tattoo you will not be permitted to checkout any library books.
You are buying a used truck at the neighborhood Ford dealership. As part of the purchase agreement, you have to
pay $125 to register the vehicle in your name. There is an additional $50 charge because your last name is hyphenated.
Bias or prejudice appears when the 'playing field' is not level. Some person or some group is denied access while
everybody else has access. It's also present when a person or group is required to do more (like pay an extra fee) than the
rest of the population.
Editorials
The editorial section of a newspaper is designed for people expressing their viewpoints. You may have written a
letter to the editor before. Your letter could have been in response to a local, state, or national issue. Maybe you expressed
your point of view concerning the quality of street repairs, or a recent comment by a political representative. It's similar to a
debate session where people express various views on a topic.
Hot Topics
A hot topic is the same as a controversial issue. It's 'hot' because it can turn into a pretty 'heated' discussion.
Some of you may have been on a debate team in high school. As you know, each team will be given a side of the
controversy to represent. If you have strong evidence to support your point of view , you have a powerful argument.
Without much supporting information, your position is weak, and the opposing side will probably win over the audience.
Writing a five-paragraph persuasive essay is quite similar to working on a debate team. As the author, you must
take a stand or position on the hot topic. Your thesis will likely have three factors that help to bolster your stand. Each body
paragraph will focus on one of the three areas of support. Obviously, the objective is to convince the audience that your
take on this controversial subject is the correct one. It's similar to a politician campaigning to win your vote by convincing
you that she is the best candidate for that office.
If given the hot topic of 'capital punishment', you first need to determine which 'side of the fence' you are on. Are
you for it or against it. Once that is decided, strong supporting information is needed. Assume you are against the death
penalty. You might select the following as your three supporting factors:
- only God can take a life
- putting a criminal to death is inhumane treatment
- a mistake might be made which can't be rectified
At this point you would amplify each of the three points with more support such as: definition, example, illustration,
research, personal knowledge, case study, expert medical opinion, legal rulings, religious tenants, published works,
editorials, etc. Then, you compose your rough draft: introduction, three bodies, and summary. If possible, set your
passage aside for several hours or longer. Come back with 'fresh' eyes for any needed editing. Afterwards, it's ready to
publish.
Here are just a few of the hundreds (thousands?) of hot topics you can choose from:
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women in the military
required voter I.D.
parental school choice
abortion
preferential college-admission policies
building border fences with Mexico and Canada
public school vouchers
texting-while-driving laws
drone surveillance in U.S.
school prayer at sporting events
English as the official language
illegal immigrant deportation
amnesty for illegal immigrants
balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution
marijuana legalization
Use the foregoing as a template and select a hot topic you have an interest in. [ Your work will tend to be of higher
quality if you express your views on a subject you care about. ] Determine your point of view on the issue. Then compose
a five-paragraph persuasive essay that puts forth your best argument. Organize your thoughts during your pre-writing
activities. You might make an outline or do some free-writing. Fill in your paragraphs with plenty of specific details to make
your case. Spend time with your editing so you don't leave any careless errors in your paper. Act as if this is a prepared
speech you are scheduled to deliver before a large group of NWC students. Your goal is to convince all the students in your
audience that this is the position to have.
Fact vs. Opinion
As a future college graduate you will be expected to differentiate between fact and opinion. Without that skill, you
will make some wrong decisions on important matters; both career and personal. On many occasions people will mask their
views by presenting them as facts. You need to know when that happens, so you won't be misled. How does one separate
fact from opinion?
A fact can be proven true. An opinion is someone's personal preference or judgment. It can't be proven true.
There are some words that frequently are associated with an opinion statement: would, should, could, ought. Also, opinion
statements many times contain a comparative (prettier) or superlative (prettiest) reference.
Scenario #1:
Bill, your neighbor, bought a new truck on Monday. He sees you on Tuesday and says, 'I just bought a new truck
yesterday'.
Is that fact or opinion? Can I prove it true? Yes; I could check with the dealership. It's fact, not opinion.
Scenario #2:
Bill, your neighbor, bought a new truck on Monday. He sees you on Tuesday and says, 'I just bought the prettiest
truck in Texas yesterday'.
Is that fact or opinion? Can I prove it true? No; how do you prove prettiest? You can't; so it's opinion. Did you
notice the superlative reference?
The following sentences demonstrate opinion statements:
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Sandra should spend more time on her studies and less time at the mall.
Sandra could raise her G.P.A. if she stopped dating Juan.
Sandra would perform better in college if she joined our study group.
Sandra ought to hire a personal tutor to help her in accounting.
Making them similar to what you just read, compose two sets of scenarios. Each scenario set will have a factual
version and an opinionated version. Remember to test each for 'truth'.