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English 101: Essay 3: Argument, Imitation
Schedule
(Slightly different from our original course schedule)
Wed 2/23: Response due to Trimble, Chap. 6. Brainstorm problems and solutions.
Background on “A Modest Proposal.”
Fri 2/25: Seminar paper due on “A Modest Proposal.” Student-led discussion.
Last day to withdraw.
Mon 2/28: Problem-Solution Essay 3 due. In-class workshop. Post
essays to online groups. Online discussion runs through Friday.
Wed 3/2: Response due to Trimble, Chap. 7. Brainstorm imitations.
Fri 3/4:
Seminar paper due on “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther
King. Student-led discussion.
Mon 3/7:
Wed 3/9:
Fri 3/11:
In-class work on the imitation essay.
Imitation Essay due. In-class workshop. Post essays to online groups.
Online discussion runs through Sunday.
Seminar paper due on “Games,” by Steven Johnson. Student-led
discussion. Discuss “The Gift” assignment.
Mon 3/14: Various tips and reminders: Grammar, usage, etc.
Wed 3/16: Revision of either the Problem-Solution or the Imitation essay due.
The Revision Portfolio includes the finished essay, the earlier version you
turned in, with my comments, and any other notes and drafts.
Fri 3/18: The Gift: Presentation and celebration. Last class meeting.
Wed 3/23: 1-3pm: During this, our scheduled final period, I will be in my
office. You can come by, if you like, to discuss your writing or pick up
any remaining work.
Version 1: Problem-Solution
Due Monday 2/28 in class and to online groups
Length: Usually about 750-1000 words, or 3-4 pages
Format: word-processed and double-spaced
The Assignment: Think of a problem that affects a community you are part of, think of a
solution to that problem, and write, for a public audience, a proposal introducing your
solution, saying why it’s a good one, meeting counterarguments, and generally arguing
that your solution be adopted.
Thinking of the problem: Do not write about a huge national or international problem.
Think of a problem that is local and that affects a particular community. This needs to be
a community that you are part of, so that you can speak with credibility. Here are two
approaches to thinking of a problem to write about:
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1. Brainstorm problems, then think of the affected community. Here’s what I think
of:
Problem
Community
Raw milk no longer available at PCC
Raw milk drinkers
Monday-night dances too crowded
Old-time music community
Seattle Arts & Lectures Poetry Series
The SAL organization and people in
is under-attended; it’s only full when
Seattle
famous poets come
2. Brainstorm communities that you are part of, then think of the problems that
affect them:
Community
Problem
Bicyclists
Drivers turning right without looking
A company
The boss is unfair
NSCC students
High tuition
A Church organization
Not enough people volunteer
Form: Who you pick for your audience will determine what form your writing will be in.
For example, if you choose “Residents of Seattle” for your audience, you might write
your piece as a letter to the editor of The Seattle Times or another local paper. If your
audience is “The NSCC Community,” you might write a letter to the school paper (well,
we used to have a school paper, but we don’t anymore). Perhaps your audience is a more
widespread community, such as fans of a particular team or band, or people who use a
particular park. In those cases, a letter to the editor might be appropriate, or perhaps an
article in a newsletter or letter to an online forum that goes out to a particular community.
You can imagine any form you wish. The only requirement is that this writing be
intended for a public audience—you’re writing something that anyone will be able to see
or run across, so you want it to reflect well on you and to show your earnest effort to help
solve the problem.
Voice and audience: Address your essay specifically to your exact audience. Remember
that you want to persuade them that your solution is a good one, so appeal to their
specific concerns and interests. Remember that even though you may be criticizing
something about them or their behavior, if they are to accept your solution, you cannot
offend them or accuse them. Write your piece in a way you think they will welcome and
accept.
Establish credibility: Your piece needs to establish your credibility as a writer and
problem-solver. It does this throughout, by means of your tone, your presentation of the
information, your recognition of opposing ideas, your connection with and understanding
of the problem, and your ability to understand all sides. It might also do it specifically,
early on in the essay, saying something about your qualifications as a solver of this
problem—your past experience, your expertise, etc.
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Structure: Follow this exact structure in creating your essay.
1. Introduce the problem: You need to convince your audience that the problem or
situation you are discussing does indeed need attention. Explain what the problem is,
what may have caused it, and why it matters. Your audience needs to care about the
problem before it can consider your proposed solution.
2. Present the solution: State your idea for a solution to your problem. The length of
this part of the essay, the description and development of the solution, will vary
depending on the subject matter. Your solution may be a fairly simple suggestion or
may consist of a series of steps.
3. Argue for the proposed solution: You will need to convince your readers that your
solution is reasonable and will be effective. You can use personal experience,
observation, hypothetical scenarios, examples, and/or speculations to support your
proposal. You may talk with and interview people in the community. You will not be
doing library or internet research, and you will not need to supply statistics or data.
Make sure you have chosen a topic that will provide you with vivid examples from
your own observation and experience.
4. Consider the counterarguments: Consider the objections or questions your audience
may have, and recognize that they may have other ideas about how to solve the
problem. In your essay, show that you understand what the objections are, and meet
those objections, showing why your proposed solution is reasonable. Imagine that
your readers are right there, telling you that they have better solutions than yours.
Point out the good and bad points of these other solutions and show why yours makes
sense.
5. Revisit the solution: Maybe you still believe that your solution, as originally
proposed, is the best one. Or maybe, after discussing counterarguments, you want to
adjust your solution a bit.
6. Close: As Trimble advises, end with a twist and with emotional impact. This might be
a place to consider the larger ramifications of your solution, the effects it could have
on this community or on a wider group.
Version 2: Imitation
Due Wed 3/9 in class and to online groups
Length: Hard to predict, as there are so many choices, but to write a fully developed
essay will probably take about 750-1000 words, or 3-4 pages
Format: word-processed and double-spaced
The Assignment: Write an essay of your own which imitates the structure, form, and
possibly even the style of any of the essays we’ve read for class. Examples:
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“The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”: Your essay will probably tell
about your own childhood experience of learning something, and will follow the same
structure and approach as Alexie’s essay.
“Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of the Dinosaurs”: Write about a situation in
which you’re trying to evaluate three things, and you want to show why one is best.
Follow the same structure and approach as Gould’s essay.
“Letter From Birmingham Jail”: You want to persuade some people that your approach to
something is the right one. You need to reason very carefully, and be very polite, because
you need these people to be on your side. Follow the same structure and approach as
King’s essay.
“Our Vanishing Night”: You want people to become aware of something they might not
already know. Follow the same structure and approach as Klinkenborg’s essay.
“Shooting an Elephant”: You have a strong opinion about something in culture or society.
Write an essay in which you express this opinion by telling a symbolic story, as Orwell
does.
“A Modest Proposal”: You have a strong opinion about an issue in culture or society.
Like Swift, write an ironic essay in which you propose a ridiculous solution and argue for
it in such a way that highlights the issue and supports your opinion. Follow the same
structure and approach as Swift’s essay.
Does my imitation have to be in the same style as the original? No, you do not have to
write in sentences like Swift’s or Orwell’s, for example. Your essay will be in
contemporary General English, as Trimble calls it, and of course it will be flavored with
your own voice. However, your imitation should definitely steal what’s useful and
applicable from the sentence style of the original.
REVISIONS
DUE WED 3/16
Format: In a folder, with the Questionnaire (see below) on top, then your finished,
revised essay, then the version you turned in, with my comments and the comment-sheet,
then any other notes and drafts.
Questionnaire: On the day the revision is due, I’ll have a form for you to fill out,
answering a few questions about your essay.
Grading of the Problem-Solution essay: 100 points total
1. Explanation and example, 20 points: The essay supports its point with plenty of
detail and vivid example, giving plenty of information, explaining background
where necessary, following clear logic, and addressing counterarguments where
necessary or (if the imitation) where the original does.
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2. Organization, 20 points: The problem-solution essay follows the assigned
structure, is easy to follow, is organized to emphasize the main points, and
anticipates the responses of the intended audience. The imitation essay imitates
the organizational pattern of the original.
3. Audience, 20 points: The problem-solution essay speaks clearly and specifically
to a specific public audience, in a way that that audience will understand and
accept. The imitation also has considered its audience, in the same way that the
original has. For example, some of the essays we’ve read are for a general
audience, and some, such as King’s and Swift’s, were originally for a specific
audience.
4. Style and Voice (20 points): For either essay, the writing should be clear and
fluid. Verbs should be strong and active. Word choice should be accurate and
specific, and the words should be used correctly. Clutter has been eliminated.
Additionally, the imitation shows that it has analyzed and made decisions about
taking on some of the sentence patterns or techniques of the original.
5. Grammar and proofreading (20 points): The essay is free of distracting
grammar errors, and has been carefully proofread.