HW for 10/2

1. Make sure you share e-mail contact info with your STAR group. You are going to present your work--your sources found--to the class next Monday to lead our discussion on "Causal arguments for the poem going viral."

2.  Read on Unit 3 of myLearning course page, the handout: "Causal Arguments Writing Strategies Models" -- this is a handout that has specific model examples of thesis and topic sentences and body paragraphs responding to "Good Bones."

2. Read the refresher below on creating "hooks" and :

General Hooks 

 The purpose of a hook is to draw your reader in to what you have to say. You don't want the hook to sound too broad and anonymous. You want to one of the general hooks below in a creative, but thesis-connected way: 

1. Relevant quote

• From the subject of your essay, such as
• from one of your sources!, or
• from an expert on the subject matter
• from a discipline/field of study that helps you frame ideas in essay,
• or.... 

2. Personal anecdote with relevance to thesis

• Perhaps, you can use one you can come back to? One that relates to the subject matter--even the event

3. Provocative and relevant question

• A question that challenges ethics or morals
• A question that challenges legality
• A question that challenges cultural value 
• A question that challenges a cultural trend
• A question that challenges...  

4. Specific Example that fit your subject (perhaps one you will actually bring back and expand on later in your body)

• Perhaps a fact (#5) about the subject. What happened at the shooting, or in the poem you are analyzing? 
• An example of something else "gone viral."

5. Relevant fact: particularly one that sets the tone and allows you to explore the fact specifically as it relates to your thesis.

• Data -- a case study, or demographic study
  
• Laws or Theories from a social science (sociology, psychology, anthropology)
• Relatable events in history (kairos) and their outcomes
• .... 

Drafting an Introduction

1. Have your thesis and subtopics at least drafted and outlined; these ideas are your map directions!

2. Decide which type of hook most interests you. Do some brainstorming that helps you (including, looking on the Internet for a relevant quote or fact to help you out)

3. Once you have the type of hook you want and have some content to work with, start drafting your introduction paragraph (

• Aim for around 8-12 solid sentences, or
• 1/2 to 3/4 at most of first page for 750 word essays

Once I find my hook, I can draft my introduction

• When using a quote or a fact, it is good to start your hook off with a phrase that introduces where that quote/fact is coming from:

• (subject of essay/author source) once said, "..."

• According to ________, ...

• Or...try out your own introductory phrase that gives context to the quote/hook!

T

Causal Argument Main Ideas & Body Paragraph Order

1. Do not simply restate evidence from the poem or from the shooting.

2. Show Cause. You are going to have to use inductive reasoning (page 256-57).

• How does X help make Y happen? 

• How does the event (Orlando) help make the text (the poem) go viral? 

• How does the imagery (or one image) help make the poem go viral?

• How does general cultural mindset help make the poem go viral? --> to answer these questions, you have to identify a cultural belief and argue why some element of the poem resonates with that belief enough to share the poem....

3. Review these two sites for further guidance:

• "Identifying possible causes among specific events" explanation from Fayetteville State University faculty site

• X is the difference.... (what makes the poem "different")
• X is the common thread...(what qualities does the poem share with other viral art)

• University of Kentucky, model sample claims

Here is an effective strategy: using an organizational chart... to get you to 

1) Create (and later revise) your thesis and topic sentences, and 

2) Order your paragraphs in a logical thought pattern...(page 263)

***Making the cultural views claims first (whether in the introduction only, or as part of the body paragraphs) will provide a logical context from breaking down the poem...

**You can follow your own pattern, but make sure your pattern is created (by you), not just writing

* The assignment requires both analysis of literature and of culture, which means the final form of each essay will vary based on how you structure claims. For simplicity sake, it would be easier for you to follow our modeling in class, but that may inhibit your writing.

Cause	Effect	Outcome=Argumentative claim (complete sentence)
From cultural/sociological/psychological views… ·      What is happening in culture that relates to the poem? ·      What are typical beliefs that are part of mainstream media that relate to the poem,?  ·      What ideas does the event being focused on (the Orlando shooting) symbolize about American life and times that also relates to the poem?
From the product… ·      What is thematic message, and how does that theme connect to those people sharing the poem? ·      What elements of the poem most help illuminate the thematic message, making them most impactful, and how/why are they so impactful? o   Don’t just state that the imagery is impactful or “powerful,” but argue why in that same sentence… o   Don’t just state that the metaphor is, either; identify a metaphor and argue why that hits home… o   Don’t just state that the poem’s tone is, either…

HW for 9/27: STAR Group Work and Unity Strategy (PRE)

1. Make sure you share e-mail contact info with your STAR group. You are going to present your work--your sources found--to the class next Monday to lead our discussion on "Causal arguments for the poem going viral."


2. Another mnemonic acronym, read up on the Unified Body Paragraph Strategy of PRE below. Part of the this lesson involves reading the article, "In the Beginning," which is about Steve Prefontaine, the person who inspired me to create the PRE strategy:

http://home.europa.com/~bence/pre/

The above picture is Steve Prefontaine, a world-class runner who died too young. His nickname is Pre. Look at how focused his eyes are in this picture and remember those eyes when you remember our unity technique, PRE, defined below.

http://www.justrunners.com/Steve%20Prefontaine%20Poster.htm

PRE, besides being a famous runner, is a mnemonic device: each letter represents what type of content needs to show up in a unified, developed paragraph. P(oint)R(eason)E(xample/explanation). 

PRE teaches us that to be the best one must put their best effort into all that they do. PRE can also teach us, again, how to write a unified body paragraph. 

Point: start each paragraph off with a sentence (we call it that Topic Sentence) that states who/what the paragraph is about--your subject--and what you have to say about that subject in that paragraph.

Reason: follow up your Topic Sentence with some logical reasons for why you believe your point is true.

Evidence (Example/Explanation of E): follow up your reasons with specific examples that support your point and reasons. You can also add a second E to Example, and that would be Explain! Make sure that when you illustrate your example that you also make sure to explain how it connects back to your Topic Sentence.

How to apply PRE:  

1. Read your text/generate topic sentences. For our example, read article, "In the Beginning," so see how the model body paragraphs below were brainstormed and crafted.

2. Develop a larger point about the source text. For our example, the body paragraphs below make basic summary points about "how Prefontaine learned to be successful, according to the article." (We will discuss the different structure of Introductions and Conclusions over the coming semesters.)

3. After making a Point, incorporate your Reasons and some Example facts from the article and the quotes above.

Note that all Points are green, all Reasons are yellow, and the Examples/Explanatory sentences are all gray/black. I color-coded it so that you can see the different types of content and see the order/structure being repeated in each paragraph. 

           Steve Prefontaine, who held many American records in distance running, is a great example of how much effort plays a role in having success in life--even during high school years. Prefontaine started off as one of the weaker runners on his high school team before setting goals to become a national record holder by his senior year. In the article "In the Beginning," Michael Musca discusses how Prefontaine could not break five minutes in the mile his freshman year of high school, and as a sophomore failed to qualify for state. However, by his junior year in 1968, he went undefeated and won the Oregon state cross country meet in. Musca writes that "From this point forward, the winter of 1968, young Pre embarked on McClure’s 30-week program, which he hoped would yield the time goals and a state championship in the two-mile" (Musca). Prefontaine would run four to eight miles a day while working multiple jobs. His setting goals and following them is what lead to his success during those years.

      Those high school years are a small example of showing how setting goals matters; Prefontaine also had the work ethic and mindset to accomplish his goals. Steve Prefontaine is widely known as the ultimate competitor. He fulfilled his goals by training extremely hard and by maintaining an aggressive mindset that he would maintain for the rest of his life. There is no better evidence than Pre's own words: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" (Just Runners). These are the words of a competitor, someone who does not settle for finishing a task. Another quote of Prefontaine is "I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, then I am the only one who can win it" (NKFU). He confidently believes that nobody can beat him if he works as hard as he can.

        Prefontaine's successes came from also following a clear plan of actions to take to accomplish his goals. Pre's high school coach, Walt McClure, helped lay out a training program so that Prefontaine could set the records and live up to his goals. McClure set Pre up on a 30-week training regiment in the winter of 1968 that  helped Pre win state in the two-miler that Spring. Prefontaine continued to run at least four miles a day during that following summer, even as he worked multiple jobs to help his struggling family (Musca). Prefontaine won the two miler his senior year in a national record of 8:41.5 (Musca), which shows how much one can improve in something if they are really dedicated to their own success. 

       Prefontaine was never known as a fast runner, but his effort on those days off helped propel him towards national success at an early age.  ...

Scaling the News

Our Contexts For Arguments: Our Frames

What is Historical and Cultural Context?

What about Social Context? (this one has some errors in grammar, but I thought it would be good to see how (who I imagine is) a student applies context.


Besides knowing the context for an argument...what about knowing what kind of criticism categories you are 1) experiencing when you are critically reading, and 2) applying when you are critically  thinking and writing.

• From an English 205 course at Ole Miss (The University of Mississippi), check out this wonderful outline of different types of critical approaches that we levy (take) to subject matters we cover in college courses.

How does this all help me as a writer?

• Identifying and understanding the difference between Information and Issue Question (56-58)
• Identifying and understanding the difference between a Genuine Argument and a Pseudo-Argument (58-60)

And then there is our ability to apply "all these things that [we]'ve done" to the real world in which we are conscious:

• The Colin Kaepernick Argument 

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Writing

Partial Bio: "His second book, Between the World and Me, was released in July 2015. It won the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction,^[4][5] and is a nominee for the Phi Beta Kappa 2016 Book Awards.^[6] He was the recipient of a "Genius Grant" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2015" (Wikipedia)

HW for 9/25

 1. Read Chapter 12: Causal Arguments, which is the type of argument we are making for our first full-length essay assignment.

2. Read the two poems below that will be your choices for the Causal Argument assignment: "Good Bones" and "All the Dead Boys Look Like Me."

• We will actively read them in class, but you may want to get ahead of the assignment

3. Review Chapter 5 and answer: 

• What is the STAR method? This method is important to Finding and Evaluating sources.

Good Bones by Maggie Smith


Life is short, though I keep this from my children.
Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine
in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways,
a thousand deliciously ill-advised ways
I’ll keep from my children. The world is at least
fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative
estimate, though I keep this from my children.
For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird.
For every loved child, a child broken, bagged,
sunk in a lake. Life is short and the world
is at least half terrible, and for every kind
stranger, there is one who would break you,
though I keep this from my children. I am trying
to sell them the world. Any decent realtor,
walking you through a real shithole, chirps on
about good bones: This place could be beautiful,
right? You could make this place beautiful.



ALL THE DEAD BOYS LOOK LIKE ME by Christopher Soto

for Orlando

Last time, I saw myself die is when police killed Jessie Hernandez

                                      A 17 year old brown queer, who was sleeping in their car

Yesterday, I saw myself die again. Fifty times I died in Orlando. And

                        I remember reading, Dr. José Esteban Muñoz before he passed

I was studying at NYU, where he was teaching, where he wrote shit

                        That made me feel like a queer brown survival was possible. But he didn’t

Survive and now, on the dancefloor, in the restroom, on the news, in my chest

                        There are another fifty bodies, that look like mine, and are

Dead. And I have been marching for Black Lives and talking about the police brutality

                        Against Native communities too, for years now, but this morning

I feel it, I really feel it again. How can we imagine ourselves // We being black native

                        Today, Brown people // How can we imagine ourselves

When All the Dead Boys Look Like Us? Once, I asked my nephew where he wanted

                        To go to College. What career he would like, as if

The whole world was his for the choosing. Once, he answered me without fearing

                        Tombstones or cages or the hands from a father. The hands of my lover

Yesterday, praised my whole body. Made the angels from my lips, Ave Maria

                        Full of Grace. He propped me up like the roof of a cathedral, in NYC

Before, we opened the news and read. And read about people who think two brown queers

                        Cannot build cathedrals, only cemeteries. And each time we kiss

A funeral plot opens. In the bedroom, I accept his kiss, and I lose my reflection.

                        I am tired of writing this poem, but I want to say one last word about

Yesterday, my father called. I heard him cry for only the second time in my life

                        He sounded like he loved me. It’s something I am rarely able to hear.

And I hope, if anything, his sound is what my body remembers first.

General Elements of an Argument

Enthymeme (67-71)

•  a claim with reasons --> incomplete without grounds/evidence explained, because the claim and the reasons come with assumptions

• Applying this knowledge: as essay writers, understand that your thesis claim is an enthymeme! 
• You must support this claim not only with subclaims/reasons, but with a body paragraph that explores those claims with grounds (supporting evidence (reasons and examples)

Warrant (72) 

• the value, belief, or principle that the audience (reader, listener) must hold if the soundness of the argument is to be warranted

Grounds (72)

• supporting evidence, including: facts, data, stats, causal links, examples, etc.

Backing (73)

• The argument or arguments that support the warrant
• body paragraph topic sentences, if not reasoning claims supporting topic sentence claims.

Writing Gestures in Argument Essays

Tactful, Courteous Language:

• Avoid large, sweeping statements (Everyone, Nobody, All, . . .)
• Avoid boxing in you, your readership, or those with differing viewpoints into overly general teams/categories.
• Avoid personal attacks (ad hominem) or bold judgments of anyone you are speaking about!

• However, one might consider a persuasive way of describing the action of a person/group in regards to TONE

Point Out Common Ground: if there is something within the larger argument that you agree with, it is effective to make reader see your open-mindedness.  

• Discussing in your argument where you agree with others will logically be followed by your contrasting interpretation of what sides agree upon.

• Quick Brainstorming: Write down a couple of ideas that you may share with "the opposition." Specify who this person/group is...

Acknowledge Differing Viewpoints: start with the different viewpoint and use a change in direction transitional word/phrase (however, while, although, in contrast, …) and then go into your viewpoint.

• You may also start with the proper transitional phrase and differing viewpoint, insert the comma at the end of that point, and then go into your viewpoint

Make Reader Aware of the Merits of Differing Viewpoint: beyond just stating different views, adding some of the positives of that other view will enable you to compare and contrast the positives of the other side with the positives of your side! 

Quick Brainstorming: Write down what you feel is "good" or "right" about "the opposition's" point of views.

Rebut Differing Viewpoints (even published critics/authorities): Many large issues have common arguments made for either side. After acknowledging a differing view, make arguments for why the view is less valid than your own.

• Quick Brainstorming: Write down what you think "the opposition" is missing or ignoring in their own point(s). 

HW for 9/20

1. Due: printed and due at the start of class, a complete Argument Summary. 

• Upload a copy to myLearning only as your student backup for end of semester; however, note that uploading the assignment alone does not mean your assignment is done on time. You must hand in a hard copy at the start of class when Professor A. collects them in order for your assignment to be considered done on time.

2. We plan to cover Chapter 4 and 5 of Writing Arguments.  Chapter 6 is a longer discussion of Aristotle's appeals. 

Define Reason & Aristotle's Appeals

What is a Reason? (p. 60)

• A reason (or premise) is...
• Words that indicate reasoning:
• because, for, since, ...

Aristotle's Ways Human's Make Appeals (Reason | |Persuade) to Audience

***Many times, as writers and speakers, we mix and match our appeals, and that is fine and dandy. It's most important that you are very conscious about trying to appeal to your audience, thinking of your audience and using language to affect them.

Ethos (ethics/people)

• Making an appeal using one's own credibility/character
• Using things about yourself (personal history, age, race, religion) to make an argument

How to attempt:

• Describe what you think are moral or positive characteristics and actions of a specific person/group of people if you want to show their goodness or authority.

• Describe immoral actions and negative characteristics and actions of a person/group of people if you want to put them in a 'bad light' or have them lose authority.

Logos (logic/facts)

• Making an appeal using your logic, your reasoning skills.

How to attempt:

• Cite facts. Basic facts of life that can found anywhere, or specific facts that give a view of the situation. 
• Explain what your facts mean. Interpret them for your audience. Never let a fact speak for itself! Facts can be distorted into different truths.

Pathos (apathy/empathy/sympathy/feelings)

• Making an appeal to the readers' emotions. 

How to attempt:

• Describe an event that represents an idea to you, and try to describe the actions and details that help build a particular emotion. 
• Using figures of speech like hyperbole (gross exaggeration), anaphora (repeat an important phrase for emphasis), and metaphor may be helpful.
• Try to use words to draw an image. 
• Use dialogue or quotes that represent things said that illicit emotion. 
• Pose questions that illicit an emotion.
• Huge generalizations and huge consequences. Formulate these in a way that comes off syntactically as possibilities. 
• Make sure something or someone is impacted by somebody else's actions, but make sure that you specify who each someone is!

Kairos

• Using time and setting to give context to your argument! What's going on in the world, recently, currently, historically, that supports your points?

How to attempt:

• Write about an event and its known impacts...
• Write a point about the historical aspects of the event--is what is going on today a reoccurrence?
• or, talk about an event and what the results could be if the world doesn't act (and act the way you urge them to!).

Review and Check: Argument Summary Basics

Any clear summary involves the following information (not in exact order, of course; plus, you can combine)


Check to see if you have all of the following, as we have discussed:

1. Identity the Source / context

• Author
• Text
• Genre/type of source/name of publication

2. Subject matter & position

• Author's main claim (thesis)
• Author's key example used
• Subclaims/points or reasons that author believes thesis is valid (reasoning)
• What "side" of an issue is the author on?
• What key terms does the article use?

3. Possible additions to a longer summary:

• What can we take away from the source's points? 
• What does the author hope reading audience takes away?
• Who is the intended audience?

Other rhetorical actions for clearest writing:

• Define key terms that may be unfamiliar or out of context
• Use adjectives, adverbs and strong analysis verbs
• Avoid pronouns; repeat specific nouns (modify the noun phrase) 

Using DEP Clauses For Developing An Idea

How can I use DEP clauses for strengthening ideas?

First, Identify:

• What are dependent clauses (DEP)?
• What are a few important DEPs, and where can they be placed in a sentence?

• Transitional phrases
• Introductory phrases
• Appositives
• Relative clauses
• Chomp chomp
• UNC Writing Center

Second, Basic Function (Purpose)

• What is context? 

• What kinds of context may be needed? 
• How does purpose of essay help a writer determine context needed?
• How does the course determine context needed?

• Which parts of speech in a basic simple sentence can be modified with DEP clauses?

• S-V-O
• intro, SVO
• S, ______, VO
• SVO, ______
• SV, _______, O

• Concision/ reducing # of ________ or _________

HW for 9/18

First of all, upload your thesis statement and two subtopics drafts by Friday night so that I can give you feedback prior to Monday's homework, which is:

1a. Review the two blog posts that come before this one: Words, Words Words & General Thesis Statement Strategies.

1b. Read chapter 3 and 4 of Writing Arguments  (52-56; 60-66 are most important) to help you understand Sophie Gilbert's piece a bit more and how you should try to frame your summary of her argument.

2. For a brief workshop: bring in one printed version of a completed Argument Summary (peer workshop*)

• You lose 5 points on your final grade for the assignment if you do not have your typed draft and do not participate.  

• Typed, double spaced, and fitting all other conventions outlined within the syllabus

Model Sentence Starters (just based off of what students wrote last semester & today's lessons):

• Gilbert suggests...
• Gatekeepers represent...
• Gilbert believes white privilege means...
• According to ...(adjectival phrase)..., writers like Marlon James, ...
• ...signifies...
• ...Gilbert believes two main factors to consider...

General Thesis Statement Strategies/ Writer's Tips

Thesis Statement

The sentence that states the main point you are making for the entire essay. All points made in essay are meant to support this statement (sometimes posed as a question).


The Rhetorical Parts:

• Make sure you imagine your audience
• Make sure you clarify your subject text--name the author and/or text (if not in the thesis, in the introduction)
• Make sure you provide the type of source (genre, according to Writing Arguments)
• Use a nice introductory clause to provide contextual detail
• Make sure your thesis language frames your piece's purpose.    
• Also, make sure your language frames the subject (author/text) of your piece's purpose. 

• ***In essence, your thesis should give your reading audience a sense of what kind of commentary your own writing is making on the original text's purpose

The Language Parts:

• subject (a noun or noun phrase (click link) that acts) + verb (how we act upon subject) + object (the idea, a noun or noun phrase, that receives the action)

• Use specific language over abstract/too general words, whenever possible.

• Avoid all-incusive language (everyone, no one, is, all, ...)

• Avoid using standalone pronouns (It, this, these, ...) as subject

• Use an analysis verb (click link) to indicate to your reader how dynamic you are looking at your subject. 

• The more action on the subject, the more you transform our view of it. The more you can pose questions about subject with that verb.

• Example: The myth is...  (NO!).   ...  The myth illustrates... (Yes, please)
  

• Be specific about what your body paragraphs discuss. Do not tease the reader with an unclear object!!! 

• ***One of the most ineffective thesis statements is the type that only suggests ideas but does not actually identify what ideas will be developed in the body paragraphs.

• Don't use general/broad phrases; specify.

•  For example...