Updated Assignments List for Nov 17

The Rhetorical Form of Argumentation—Part 1
• Introduction—pg. 555-580
Blogged discussion: “Letter form a Birmingham Jail”—Martin Luther King
pg. 589-601 (no journal due)
Practice Proficiency Exam 2

Process essay draft 2 due

The Embalming of Mr. Jones

The Embalming of Mr. Jones (1963) offers much in the way of analysis of semantics and style. Please consider the following questions fully and answer in a minimum of 6 sentences per post, not including the question you're responding to:

1. What is Mitford's thesis? Does Mitford expect her readers to agree with her viewpoint? Provide textual evidence to support this and analyze that evidence.
2. What is Mitford's tone (the feeling of the piece)? What effect does that tone have on you as the reader? How does it affect your regard for her ideas?
3. How does her choice of framing her ideas as a process essay impact your perception of her ideas? Was it effective? Why?
4. Pick out one quote that was significant to you. Explain it and why it was significant.
5. What biases did you have, for or against the subject, while reading this text? When did you become aware of it and did it hinder your evaluating the text in an objective way?
6. What ideas were you unfamiliar with from the text and how did you approach that information?
7. Pose one question you have about the text. Then, attempt to answer someone else's question.
8. Respond to one other student's post by either adding to it or politely refuting their ideas.

Assignment Update for November 10

• 1st draft of process essay due by email.  (Prompt: Using process analysis, describe something you do regularly)
• For Blogged discussion: The Embalming of Mr. Jones (No journal)
• For class discussion: Get it Right, Privatize Executions (Journal)

My First Conk

Please answer each question with a minimum of 6 sentence paragraphs per post.

1. The Autobiography of Malcolm X was published in 1964, when many African Americans regularly straightened their hair. Is the thesis of this excerpt still relevant today? 
2. Why do you think Malcolm X includes so many references to pain and discomfort throughout the text? Do modern techniques for straightening, which can be much less painful and damaging, change the message he is trying to get across? Explain.
3. Discuss Malcolm X's choice of telling his story via a process essay. Is it an effective technique? Might another form have been more effective?
4. What behaviors can you identify from your own group (women/men/ethnic, etc.) that you feel is destructive to their identities as members of this group. Why do people continue to engage in it?
5. Comment on another classmate's post to either add to his ideas or intelligently (and politely) refute his logic.  

Process Essay

Hi All,

We didn't go over the process essay, so I will be backlogging the 1st draft of this essay until next week. We will cover this and the prompt tomorrow. I will adust the schedule.

AF

Power Point Presentations: Crafting a Thesis & The Basic 5 Paragraph Essay

Please pre-view these slideshows on The Basic 5-Paragraph Essay & Moving from Topic to Thesis.

(Select "view" to run the program)

Why Marriage is Good for You

Please respond to the following questions in a minimum of one paragraph (six sentences) each:

1. Does Gallagher make a sound case for marriage? Explain why/why not.
2. Gallagher discusses only traditional, heterosexual marriage. What effect might including civil unions or gay marriages have on the essay? Would it have shifted it's focus or strengthened/weakened her essay?
3. What objection does Gallagher have to framing her argument in "exclusively moral, spiritual, and emotional" terms (2)?
4. Why does Gallagher think she has to defend marriage? What preconceptions about marriage does she assume her readers have?
5. What do you believe is the strongest argument that Gallagher makes in her essay? Explain.
6. Respond to at least one of your peers' posts by posing thoughts for further consideration or contributing to their analysis.