Running_head_EVALUATING_SOCIAL_PROBLEMS_2EVALUATING_SOCIAL

Running head: EVALUATING SOCIAL PROBLEMS 2

EVALUATING SOCIAL PROBLEMS 2

Domestic Abuse

Introduction

Begin with an introduction of your topic, your social problem. Define it, describe why it is a social problem, and give some background information about it (in relation to the US). Give a thesis…something like: In this essay, I will discuss domestic violence from the major sociological perspectives – functionalism, conflict, and interactionism – in order to …

Functionalism propounds social order and cohesion as opposed to conflict; unlike symbolic interaction, functionalism focuses on a more macro-sociological point of view. Functionalists view societies as embodiments of entities, such as schools, churches, and governments. In the view of functionalists, culture, and society are informed by the entities thereof; functionalists acknowledge the function of various entities that exist in societies and the roles they play in shaping roles, duties, social obligations and responsibilities and by extension maintaining social order. Source?

Functionalism asserts that everything that functions in society serves a purpose and works harmoniously with others to attain an equilibrium (Ktepi, 2016). As such, they could be viewed as being pieces of a puzzle; with each part having its distinct role; a role played to sustain some sort of an equilibrium (Demerath, 1996). According to functionalism, income disparities between the rich and the poor, and varied socioeconomic statuses that exist in societies should not be viewed as factors that can potentially breed conflicts but should rather be celebrated for giving societies a structural form. Functionalism explains that attempts to redistribute resources or power only tips existing equilibrium, disrupts harmony and leads to anarchy (Ktepi, 2016). When individuals hold the view that marriage equality portents negatively on the institution of marriage, usually, they frame the world in a functionalist view.

Functionalism gives domestic violence a clean bill of health. In societies that celebrate men and suppress women’s call for equality, any actions that are geared towards earning women equal rights and freedoms as men, when viewed through the lens of functionalism, can only come off as troubling (Barrett, 2017). Efforts to maintain the status quo by having women remain in their ‘rightful’ place may, therefore, seem justified. Functionalists see societies as entities composed of individuals who have their place and staying in it, sometimes to the point of authoritarianism, a functionalist in the pre-industrialization era could have remarked that women should not be allowed to work because society functions with women overseeing domestic activities and men run the economic and political aspects of societies. Functionalists, in past centuries, relegated women to childbearing and domestic chores. In societies where women content with overly constricted space for self-expression and growth, any efforts in the line of career growth over domestic activities could have earned the fury of men and justifiably so because such actions go against the norm. This is a viable argument, with the language that it is “justifiable.” While functionalists argue that change disrupts the stability of society, they also argue that when change happens the other institutions must adjust to bring society back to equilibrium. Dysfunctions may occur, though, as those changes are taking place. Thus, as women take on different roles, violence towards them may occur.

Conflict Theory

Conflict theory explains that societies are made up of institutions that compete for power and influence. Conflict theory as advanced by Karl Marx stemmed from clashes between workers and the factory owners. The theory has been used to explain wars and violence. Omer and Jabeen (2016) observe that conflict theory observes that everything is caused by a struggle between those in power and those who lack power. The theory encourages social change, and its proponents believed that the strong prey on the weak.

Conflict Theorists believe that the wealthy scheme and plot ways to ensure that the status quo remain whereas the less privileged seek to deconstruct the status quo. The powerful, therefore, express no reservation on suppressing the poor and powerless. Unlike functionalism, the theory explains that social order is a function of domination. In the view of Karl Max, power lies in the hands of those with political, economic and social resources. The effect of the power imbalance between those who wield tremendous power and those with less power often lead to a power struggle (Omer & Jabeen, 2016). Those who are in a better position often undertake to defend their standing; a move that often, perpetuate the power struggles that pit the less privileged against the bourgeoisie.

Aside from being used to explain wars and violence, conflict theory can also be used to shed light on other social phenomena such as domestic violence. Conflict theory explains that domination and struggle often exist between the powerful and the suppressed. In the case of a domestic situation, violent man may wish to have his way; he may never wish to have his authority in the family challenged. Anyone who threatens his position as the head could, therefore, earn his wrath. When a man feels that he is being disrespected by his children or wife, he may resort to violence to reassert himself as the authority and the figurehead in the family. Unimpressed with being dominated over, the woman would have the urge to push back. She would perhaps defy the directives from her spouse, she could even ignore his requests and as such raise tension that would give way to physical and verbal assaults.

Be sure to discuss modern conflict theory here as well. (Consider the works of Mills and Berger.)

Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic interactionism is a sociological viewpoint that focuses on micro-sociology. It’s a theory about small-scale social development where different individuals assign different meanings to the same object. According to a symbolic interactionist, society is built on everyday interactions between individuals. Culture is, therefore, shaped and perpetuated through individuals' interaction with others (Powell, 2013).

An example, a symbolic interactionist might argue that humans learn to behave through interactions with their elders and their peers. Elders in the pre-historic times, for instance, taught the young about their way of life through word of mouth. They impressed upon the youth, the need to observe certain values as well as the reasoning that underpins shunning certain behavior. However, in the contemporary setting, conversations among teenagers, which is basically a form of interaction, can revolve around the most sought out musicians, the; most popular cloth line etc. Such conversation establishes value and assigns a value to objects of discussion and as a result, inform ways in which people assign value to objects.

Functionalist might argue that the function of the film industry and other forms of mass media provide entertainment and to teach people what is acceptable behavior, symbolic interactionism, on the other hand, could adopt a different view. They could explain that reality is based on the interpretations individuals get from social interactions. For instance, when an individual exhibits deviant behavior, a symbolic interactionist would explore the help of peer groups to help correct such deviant behavior (Kwok Kuen, 2012). Guides from the peer groups would discourage deviant behavior while at the same time encouraging conforming behavior.

As such, symbolic interactionism focuses on the meaning of a “small-scale” interactions. The example of a person whose deviant behavior calls for corrective measures also reaffirms the fact that individuals assign meaning to certain “symbols” i.e. they interact with other people, and create a frame of references, i.e. “lens” through which they perceive the world (Powell, 2013). A conforming behavior that could be viewed as ideal could then be observed by many. A person who goes against the behavior may attract scorns and insults. Being a micro-level approach, symbolic interactions explains interactions that occur at an interpersonal level and explores the meaning people give to objects, things, and symbols.

Domestic violence, to a certain degree, stems from symbolic interactions. In societies where men are socialized to be brutal and violent, children and teens become exposed to attacks on women. If such transgressions against women go unpunished and at the same time, and with no word of condemnation from individuals and groups, then the behavior becomes reinforced and normalized. Young boys transitioning to adulthood would then learn that it is normal to assault women in marriages in the name of instilling discipline.

Domestic violence is invariably exacerbated when the aggressor enjoys the protection of culture while the victim takes the back seat and lays low. In most cases, the victims, and particularly in the case of spousal violence, have rigged notions that they play second fiddle to men. In the victims’ perspective’ challenging violence from men could therefore only go so far, stall from the get-go if interventions were to be sought. And so, when victims suffer in silence without even a word to the authorities, then the aggressor get incentivized to perpetuate assaults and the vice ends up permeating societies. Women in the Middle East have, for a long time borne the biggest brunt of gender socialization that put men on pedestals while drowning the voice of the female gender and ignoring their plight.

How a Christian Worldview might approach reasoning for domestic violence as well as

the hope of alleviating the social problem.

A victim who braves domestic violence may have a reasoning that would likely differ from those who view occurrences from the standpoints of functionalists and conflict theorists. Even when faced with physical abuse, a Christian would seek to establish the extent of forgiveness that Jesus would go to while in a similar predicament. The desire to be Christlike in forgiveness and humility would inform tolerance that a victim would exercise (David, 2008). The Christian notion of forgiveness requires believers to forgive unconditionally and to let go of their rage and frustrations. Borrowing from the biblical teachings, a victim may be obliged to extend a hand of grace and forgiveness to her abuser just the same way Jesus forgave the Romans who crucified him on the cross and the masses who called for his death. The fact that Jesus even remembered the thief on the cross next to him, a victim of domestic violence with a Christian point of view may have even greater incentive to forgive the actions of an aggressor.

Whereas ordinarily the reactions to domestic violence and any other form of violence may; rage, vengeance, emotional trauma, or worse apathy. The notion of true forgiveness form people who espouse Christian teachings and values would most likely downplay violence and react to it with a significant sense of calm and clear mindedness (David, 2008). Coming from an understanding that when people project emotional fury towards others, they become irrational and lose focus and as such predispose themselves to more violence, a Christian may not be willing to go that route and another reason to forgive, to some, forgiveness gives a person the opportunity to step outside a situation, so that they can to look at it rationally, and with compassion, and understanding (David, 2008).

Holding onto unforgiveness is detrimental to a victim of domestic violence and any other victim of any other transgression out there because it perpetuates an ongoing hurt on a victim. Individuals do not operate at full potential while holding onto anger, bitterness, and victimhood; and by understanding that the decision to hold onto these things is both strange and self-defeating, a person who espouses Christian teaching may see it wise to forgive and forget about the suffering they have endured at the hands of aggressors. To them, forgiveness means letting go of entitlement and hurt.

How would the Christian perspective explain what causes domestic violence (e.g. sin, lack of love)? How might Christians offer help to those experiencing domestic violence?

Conclusion

Functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism all have varied explanations of how societies work. Functionalism justifies the existences of vices in societies. It normalizes the existence of gender disparity in education and employment by affirming that individuals have specific places they hold in societies. In cultures where women are considered inferior to men, functionalism could easily be used to justifies roles of childbearing and domestic chores as a preserve for the female gender. Conflict theory, on the other hand, explains that one group will always dominate the other and that the aspect of domination inherently exists in societies. It also

Functionalism does argue that deviance is functional, because it confirms social norms and further unites society…but it’s in the context of uniting society against acts of deviance such as domestic violence that is agreed up in US society as “wrong.”

highlights the concept of power struggle that sometimes consumes lives, results in displacement of humanity and loss of livelihoods as a common phenomenon that stems from having powerful people who are hellbent on retaining their influence on the masses and the masses on, the opposite side of the spectrum with the determination to tap into the power and influence under the grip of the most powerful people in societies so that they could have such powers redistributed.

Unlike the conflict theory and the functionalism theory, symbolic interaction is based on the interaction of people and the way they assign meaning to objects based on their interaction with such objects. Individuals who live in societies where human rights are respected and women enjoy similar rights as men would less likely report cases of domestic violence. In such societies, men are socialized to handle divergent views with increased levels of civility. However, in societies where women play second fiddle to men, and the avenues for recourse are also choked, men tend to abuse their spouse with little to no consequences.

References

Barrett, L. F. (2017). Functionalism cannot save the classical view of emotion. Social Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience, 12(1), 34-36. doi:10.1093/scan/nsw156

Demerath, N.J. (1996). Who Now Debates Functionalism? From "System, Change and Conflict" to "Culture, Choice, and Praxis". Sociological Forum, (2), 333.

Ktepi, B. M. (2016). Functionalism. Salem Press Encyclopedia,

Kwok Kuen TSANG1, g. (2012). Emotion Management of Teaching: Conflict Theory and Symbolic Interactionism. New Horizons in Education, 60(2), 83-94.

Omer, S., & Jabeen, S. s. (2016). Exploring Karl Marx Conflict Theory in Education: Are Pakistani Private Schools Maintaining Status Quo? Bulletin of Education & Research, 38(2), 195-202.

Powell, J. L. (2013). Symbolic Interactionism. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

David, K. (2008). Assuaging Rage: Remorse, Repentance, And Forgiveness in The Classical World. Phoenix, (3/4), 243.

E d g a r A l l a n P o e

T h e Te l l - Ta l e H e a r t

iT’s TRue! yes, i have been ill, very ill. But why do you say that I have lost control of my mind, why do you say that I am mad? Can you not see that I have full control of my mind? Is it not clear that I am not mad? Indeed, the illness only made my mind, my feelings, my senses stronger, more powerful. My sense of hearing especially became more powerful. I could hear sounds I had never heard before. I heard sounds from heaven; and I heard sounds from hell!

Listen! Listen, and I will tell you how it happened. You will see, you will hear how healthy my mind is.

It is impossible to say how the idea first entered my head. There was no reason for what I did. I did not hate the old man; I even loved him. He had never hurt me. I did not want his money. I think it was his eye. His eye was like the eye of a vulture, the eye of one of those terrible birds that watch and wait while an animal dies, and then fall upon the dead body and pull it to pieces to eat it. When the old man looked at me with his vulture eye a cold feeling went up and down my

E d g a r A l l a n P o e : S t o r y t e l l e r

back; even my blood became cold. And so, I finally decided I had to kill the old man and close that eye forever!

So you think that I am mad? A madman cannot plan. But you should have seen me. During all of that week I was as friendly to the old man as I could be, and warm, and loving.

Every night about twelve o’clock I slowly opened his door. And when the door was opened wide enough I put my hand in, and then my head. In my hand I held a light covered over with a cloth so that no light showed. And I stood there quietly. Then, carefully, I lifted the cloth, just a little, so that a single, thin, small light fell across that eye. For seven nights I did this, seven long nights, every night at midnight. Always the eye was closed, so it was impossible for me to do the work. For it was not the old man I felt I had to kill; it was the eye, his Evil Eye.

And every morning I went to his room, and with a warm, friendly voice I asked him how he had slept. He could not guess that every night, just at twelve, I looked in at him as he slept.

The eighth night I was more than usually careful as I opened the door. The hands of a clock move more quickly than did my hand. Never before had I felt so strongly my own power; I was now sure of success.

The old man was lying there not dreaming that I was at his door. Suddenly he moved in his bed. You may think I became afraid. But no. The darkness in his room was thick and black. I knew he could not see the opening of the door. I continued to push the door, slowly, softly. I put in my head. I put in my hand, with the covered light. Suddenly the old man sat straight up in bed and cried, “Who’s there??!”

I stood quite still. For a whole hour I did not move. Nor did I hear him again lie down in his bed. He just sat there, listening. Then I heard a sound, a low cry of fear which escaped from the old man. Now I knew that he was sitting up in his bed, filled with fear; I knew that he knew that I was there. He did not see me there. He could not hear me there. He felt me there. Now he knew that Death was standing there.

Slowly, little by little, I lifted the cloth, until a small, small light escaped from under it to fall upon — to fall upon that vulture eye! It was open — wide, wide open, and my anger increased as it looked straight at me. I could not see the old man’s face. Only that eye, that

E d g a r A l l a n P o e

hard blue eye, and the blood in my body became like ice. Have I not told you that my hearing had become un usually

strong? Now I could hear a quick, low, soft sound, like the sound of a clock heard through a wall. It was the beating of the old man’s heart. I tried to stand quietly. But the sound grew louder. The old man’s fear must have been great indeed. And as the sound grew louder my anger became greater and more painful. But it was more than anger. In the quiet night, in the dark silence of the bedroom my anger became fear — for the heart was beating so loudly that I was sure some one must hear. The time had come! I rushed into the room, crying, “Die! Die!” The old man gave a loud cry of fear as I fell upon him and held the bedcovers tightly over his head. Still his heart was beating; but I smiled as I felt that success was near. For many minutes that heart continued to beat; but at last the beating stopped. The old man was dead. I took away the bed covers and held my ear over his heart. There was no sound. Yes. He was dead! Dead as a stone. His eye would trouble me no more!

So I am mad, you say? You should have seen how care ful I was to put the body where no one could find it. First I cut off the head, then the arms and the legs. I was careful not to let a single drop of blood fall on the floor. I pulled up three of the boards that formed the floor, and put the pieces of the body there. Then I put the boards down again, care fully, so carefully that no human eye could see that they had been moved.

As I finished this work I heard that someone was at the door. It was now four o’clock in the morning, but still dark. I had no fear, however, as I went down to open the door. Three men were at the door, three officers of the

E d g a r A l l a n P o e : S t o r y t e l l e r

police. One of the neighbors had heard the old man’s cry and had called the police; these three had come to ask questions and to search the house.

I asked the policemen to come in. The cry, I said, was my own, in a dream. The old man, I said, was away; he had gone to visit a friend in the country. I took them through the whole house, telling them to search it all, to search well. I led them finally into the old man’s bed- room. As if playing a game with them I asked them to sit down and talk for a while.

My easy, quiet manner made the policemen believe my story. So they sat talking with me in a friendly way. But although I answered them in the same way, I soon wished that they would go. My head hurt and there was a strange sound in my ears. I talked more, and faster. The sound became clearer. And still they sat and talked.

Suddenly I knew that the sound was not in my ears, it was not just inside my head. At that moment I must have become quite white. I talked still faster and louder. And the sound, too, became louder. It was a quick, low, soft sound, like the sound of a clock heard through a wall, a sound I knew well. Louder it became, and louder. Why did the men not go? Louder, louder. I stood up and walked quickly around the room. I pushed my chair across the floor to make more noise, to cover that terrible sound. I talked even louder. And still the men sat and talked, and smiled. Was it possible that they could not hear??

No! They heard! I was certain of it. They knew! Now it was they who were playing a game with me. I was suffering more than I could bear, from their smiles, and from that sound. Louder, louder, louder! Suddenly I could bear it no longer. I pointed at the boards and cried, “Yes! Yes, I killed him. Pull up the boards and you shall see! I killed him. But why does his heart not stop beating?! Why does it not stop!?”

Essay 1 Argument with Counterargument & Refutation in MLA Rubric

Skill Assessed:

Level Achieved Beginning Developing Proficiency Mastery Score

Thesis/ Claim Reader cannot determine thesis and purpose OR thesis has no arguable claim.

Thesis may be obvious or unimaginative. Thesis and purpose are somewhat vague.

Contains an arguable claim that is somewhat original. Thesis and purpose are fairly clear.

Contains an arguable claim that develops fresh insight and challenges the reader’s thinking.

±20%

__/30

Support/ Reasoning (2

points/ paragraphs

required in this section)

The writer focuses on own thoughts and beliefs about the topic; neglects the rhetorical elements. Offers simplistic, undeveloped, or cryptic support for the ideas.

The writer includes 1 rhetorical element in the development of ideas. Offers somewhat obvious support that may be too broad. Details are too general, not interpreted, irrelevant to thesis, or inappropriately repetitive.

The writer includes 2 rhetorical elements in the development of ideas. Offers solid but less original reasoning. Assumptions are not always recognized or made explicit.

The writer includes all 3 rhetorical elements (logos, pathos, ethos) in the development of ideas. Assumptions are made explicit. Details are relevant, original, and convincingly interpreted.

±26%

__/40 Counterargument

Paragraph/ Opposing

Viewpoints

Counterargument is missing or vague. Obvious lack of sound, logical argument throughout.

Counterargument paragraph missing and/or vague. There are one or two examples that are not sound, logical argument.

Author acknowledges the opposing view, but does not present sound counterpoints.

Author acknowledges the opposing view and argues it logically.

±13%

__/20 Refutation Paragraph

Refutation is missing or vague. Obvious lack of sound, logical argument throughout.

Refutation paragraphs attempts to “turn back” but does not present any new evidence.

Refutation paragraph partially turns back to original argument but may not present new evidence.

Refutation “turns back” to the writer’s original argument with additional support.

±13%

__/20

Structure & Organization

Work lacks structure; lacks a clear thesis or conclusion, body seems haphazard; transitions are not present. The ability to apply basic essay structure is not evident.

Body lacks a clear direction; supporting evidence loosely tied to thesis; transitions missing; conclusion has no sense of closure. Includes some of the basic parts of an essay.

Body mostly flows from the thesis; transitions are awkward at times; appropriate conclusion. Includes most of the basic parts of an essay.

Body flows from thesis; transitions guide the reader smoothly through the text; conclusion effectively wraps up the essay. Includes all basic parts of an essay.

±16%

__/25

Sources/ Documentation

Neglects important sources. Overuse of quotations or paraphrase to substitute writer’s own ideas. *(Probably uses source material without acknowledgement.)

Uses relevant sources but lacks in variety of sources and/or the skillful combination of sources. *Quotations and paraphrases may be too long and/or inconsistently referenced.

Uses sources to support, extend, and inform, but not substitute writer’s own development of ideas. *Doesn’t overuse quotes, but may not always conform to MLA format.

Uses sources to support, extend, and inform, but not substitute writer’s own development of ideas. *Source material is announced by a signal phrase and ended with intext citations.

__/NA

Grammar/ Mechanics

Errors so numerous they distract the reader and skew the writer’s meaning

Repeated weaknesses in mechanics and usage. Pattern of flaws. Meaning is still clear.

Occasional minor errors do not distract the reader or interfere with meaning

Essentially free from mechanical, grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors.

±10%

__/15

NOTES:

135-150 = A 90-104 = D 120-134 = B 0- 89 = F 105-119 = C

_____ /150 TOTAL:

Student Notes for Next Writing Assignment:

What worked best for my writing according to the rough draft rubric:

What doesn’t work for my writing according to the rough draft rubric:

In my FINAL DRAFT, I will focus more on:

Higher Order Concerns (HOCs) Lower Order Concerns (LOCs)

Essay 1: Argumentation with Counterargument & Refutation in MLA Dr. Philip Zimbardo argues that all people have the capacity to do great evil or exceptional good. Many authors and philosophers, also, seem to accept this human theory, and present their own ideas and arguments as a challenge to readers’ notions of the definitions of both. Zimbardo’s main theory is that doing evil is as much the fault of the situation as it is the individual and extensively lists the ways in which a person may find him or herself more tempted and even more capable of purposefully causing harm to others.

The short stories we have read over the last few weeks, although works of fiction, focus on two major categories of evil: obvious evils committed by a single character or group of characters and banal evils or everyday/ common evils perpetrated by a group or individual willingly. The phrase ‘banality of evil’ was first coined in a 1963 book by political theorist Hannah Arendt, a Jew who fled Germany during Adolf Hitler's rise to power. Arendt reported on Adolf Eichmann's trial for The New Yorker. She, as well as many others rightfully, viewed the Nazis as monstrous evils in the world who chose to inflict the worst human abuses on others. What she did not expect while sitting in on Eichmann’s trial was “an ordinary, rather bland, bureaucrat, who in her words, was ‘neither perverted nor sadistic’, but ‘terrifyingly normal’. He acted without any motive other than to diligently advance his career in the Nazi bureaucracy. Eichmann was not an amoral monster […] Instead, he performed evil deeds without evil intentions, a fact connected to his ‘thoughtlessness’, a disengagement from the reality of his evil acts. Eichmann ‘never realised what he was doing’ due to an ‘inability… to think from the standpoint of somebody else’. Lacking this particular cognitive ability, he ‘commit[ted] crimes under circumstances that made it well-nigh impossible for him to know or to feel that he [was] doing wrong’ “ (White, 2018). Arendt’s biggest question after the trial and execution of Eichmann was “Can one do evil without being evil?” This question has been studied by many people all over the world throughout time, such as by Zimbardo and Stanley Milgram, among others. And this question has been a major theme in literature

and art. This month, you will each provide insight and even deepen the discourse on this theme in your first essay for this class.

Topic: Based on your understanding of Zimbardo’s lecture and using the short stories as your evidence write an argument answering the following: Which is the greater evil, an obvious evil or a banal evil?

Requirements:

• 3 pages from Introduction to Conclusion

• Must contain a counterargument

• Must contain a refutation

• Sources must be cited in MLA

• Essay shows conscientious editing and proofreading

• Student’s original analysis and wor

Step 1: The Rhetorical Situation

Fill out the questions below to help you consider the most important aspects of your essay. What is the topic of this essay? What kind of essay is this? What does this essay need to include?

Who is the intended audience or discourse community of your essay?

Gender:

Age range:

Level of education:

What do they think makes a convincing argument?:

What do they need to know from your argument?

What kind of argument do they expect from you? (ethos, pathos, or logos centered)

What kind of details do they expect of this caliber of writing?

What will not impress them or what will turn them off of your argument?

What is the essay’s purpose?

What is the function of presenting an argument?

What makes effective argument based on your studies so far?

Write out your strategy for writing your argument or what is your usual writing process. Refer to this strategy if you

lose your focus, have doubts, or get stuck during the writing process.

Review the rules for Standard Academic Convention that is printed in the syllabus. Remember that it is easier and a

lot less ‘glitchy’ to set up the Word document perimeters before adding text. Review the student example MLA essay.

Format accordingly.

Initial the box to the right when you have completed Step 1.

Step 2: Discovering/ Prewriting There are many different kinds of prewriting techniques and exercises to choose from to begin getting your ideas down. Whatever you choose it should fit with the way you think and the kind of essay you are writing. Here is a chart to help you pull your ideas out if you are having trouble starting.

What I know What I believe or think What Zimbardo thinks What the short stories led me to think

What is true or factual Kind of proof I need to prove any of this true

Step 3: Organizing with an Essay Map Carefully study the essay map below. Use this set up for Essay 1.

How to Create and Use and Essay Map Essay maps are a great way to plan for essays that are 4 or more pages long since they allow you to see the full span of the essay and give you an opportunity to make good decisions about what information needs to go in what areas.

Pro Tips:

• Even better, you control the image, so you can put as much detailed notes on to your map as you want.

• It can also help you to avoid ‘overwriting’ or writing more than you need to, which shows lack of control and an inability to be concise.

• For a person who often underwrites, a map can help guide your writing so that you have not left anything out that really needs to be there.

You create your map by drawing it into your class notes or by making text boxes in MSWord. Here is an example of the latter. The large rectangles represent pages in an essay, and the smaller rectangles represent paragraphs on a page. This map uses the standard college formula that paragraphs are at least 6-8 sentences long, using Times New Roman font set at 12 points with the text double spaced and left-aligned with the first line of each paragraph indented ½ an inch, and bordered by 1 inch margins on all sides.

*This essay map is for an Argumentation Essay that is 3 pages long and included a counterargument and a refutation or concession paragraph.

Ibis 3

Student Name Course Section Instructor

Assignment Attempting

Due Date

Student’s Title

2 3

Introduction: A. B. C. D. Thesis Statement

Body Paragraph 1: First Point A. Topic Sentence B. Support C. Sentences of Analysis D. Transitional Sentence

Body Paragraph 2: Second Point A. Topic Sentence B. Support C. Sentences of Analysis D. Transitional Sentence

Body Paragraph 3: Counterargument A. Topic Sentence B. Support 1. Support 1 a. Explanation sentence b. Expert evidence 2. Support 2 a. Example/ statistic sentence b. Explanation sentence C. Sentences of analysis/ Overall analysis D. Transitional Sentence/ or Concluding sentence

Body Paragraph 4: Refutation/Concession A. Opening Sentence B. Support 1. Support 1 a. Explanation sentence b. Expert evidence 2. Support 2 a. Example/ statistic sentence b. Explanation sentence C. Sentences of analysis/ Overall analysis D. Transitional Sentence/ or Concluding sentence

Conclusion: A. Restatement of thesis or summary B. Advice, warning, caution, or value C. Present day status or prediction

Step 3: Organizing with an Informal Outline

How would an informal outline for this essay look using the prewriting you have generated. Use this page to

create an informal outline (you can find information on informal outlining and example outlines in the Bedford

book and in The Holy Grail Study Guide).

First Point

Second Point

Counterargument

Refutation

Phase 3: Organizing with a Formal Outline

How would a formal outline for this essay look using the informal outline you have generated and what your

essay map requires. Use this page to create a formal outline (you can find information on formal outlining and

example outlines in the Bedford book and in The Holy Grail Study Guide).

I. Introduction

Thesis statement:

II. Body

A. Your argument:

1. Your first point

2. Your second point

B. Your counterargument

C. Your refutation

III. Conclusion

Concluding statement:

Step 4: Drafting without Training Wheels & Creating the Works Cited Page and In-text Citations Use the graph below to write out the references page resources provided to you in class and any two resources you have found. Use

the MLA chapter in the textbook to determine the kind of resource by category you are attempting to cite, pay attention to how the

example is laid out, and then, mirror what you see using the information for the sources you have. After identifying the major parts of

the citation, be sure to look closely and fix any errors with punctuation, capitalization, italics if needed. Use the smaller column on the

right to write out the resulting in-text citation for each entry. I’ve included an example below with the page number I referred to in

Bedfords.

My Resources

Category/ Kind of Source

Works Cited page entry

In-text Citation

Short story

from an

edited book

Example

#35 on

page 638

Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, edited by X.J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia, and Dan Stone, Pearson, 2020, p.265-272

Example #16 on page 606

(Jackson 265)

Step 5: Revising Checklist (for You Use All by Yourself Because You Are a Brilliant and Exceptional Grownup) YOU’VE GOT THIS!!!

Instructions: Use your pencil to make corrections. Remember, this paper is a work in progress. You are not done writing! Look for ways to improve what you’ve already written. Check off each step AFTER it has been completed.

_____ 1. Read the paper out loud.

Does it make sense? _____ Have words been left out? _____

_____ 2.Highlight the sentence or parts that state your main idea at the beginning of your paper.

_____ 3. Reread your introduction (lead) or selected section. Does it draw the reader in, making him/her want to keep reading? YES MAYBE NO

_____ 4. Draw a line through information that doesn’t support your main idea (anything off topic) (topic sentence or thesis). _____ 5. Add information if you feel additional points need to be made or if your details are too general or not thorough. _____ 6. Details should be in a logical order that makes sense. Use your formal outline to keep yourself on track. _____ 7. Paper should end well --- not stop suddenly or drag on too long. Does your conclusion leave the reader satisfied? _____ 8. Replace overused words with words that are more descriptive and accurate (like, so, then, etc.). _____ 9. Find any word repeated more than once.

Draw an X through each occurrence. Replace the repeated words with a synonym or dump it if possible. Too many I’s, then’s, and’s, etc. can kill your writing.

____ 10. Draw an X through is, are, was, were. Try to replace most of these with more descriptive verbs.

____ 11. Underline the words/phrases that are descriptive and create a vivid, clear image. If you can’t find many, add descriptive words (adjectives).

____ 12. Highlight all transitions. Make sure they tie ideas together and are used correctly. ____ 13. NTSSBWTSWIEP: Draw a box around the first word of every sentence. No two

sentences should begin with the same word in each paragraph when possible since this creates redundancy. NTPBWTSW: No two paragraphs should begin with the same word.

____ 14. Make sure you have a variety of sentence patterns. Sentence patterns include: basic, compound, complex, and compound-complex. You can review the “Basic Sentence Structure” handout and the “Bike How Sentences Work” Indie Lecture for more about this.

Combine some sentences with a comma and conjunction (and, but, or).

____ 15. Read the paper out loud one more time. Are you satisfied with what you’ve written? YES MAYBE NO Does the paper show originality and individuality or could this have been written by anybody?

YES MAYBE NO

Step 6 & 7: Editing and Proofreading Checklist:

____ completed packet ____ professor’s or tutor’s comments (if student was tutored) ____ printed report from Smarthinking Tutor (if student was tutored) ____ Essay packet checklists ____ final draft of Essay 1

Did I remember to:

____ add the page number and title of my essay to the header

____ add my heading to the left hand side of my first page

____ center my title under my heading. The title needs to be centered with the first

letter of the first and last word capitalized. Capitalize the first letter of all the major

words in the title. Do not capitalize articles and prepositions inside the title. Do not

punctuation the title.

____ use Times New Roman throughout the whole essay

____ use 12 point font throughout the whole essay

____ not use italics or bold

____ use 1 inch margins throughout the whole essay

____ indent the first line of each new paragraph using the TAB key once

____ check to make sure that each of the paragraphs are at least 6 sentences long

____ use the following list to make sure I have thoroughly edited my work (use Grammarly.com for more help) To help you with all of these things, you may want to read your writing out loud to yourself or to a classmate, touching each word with the tip of pencil. The two of you can help each other fix common errors that are often missed.

__ Spelling (use Word’s Spellcheck!), including common homophones (their, they’re, there; your, you’re; its, it’s; etc.) __ Capitalization (beginning of sentences, proper nouns) __ Compound sentences need a comma __ Tries new structures: hyphens, semicolons, colons, parentheses, or dashes __ Correct usage of adjectives and adverbs __ Correct usage of conjunctions (and, or, but, because, so) __ Transitions are effective, clear, and flowing __ Subject and verb agree in every sentence __ No run-ons (sentences that are too long) __ Paragraph indentation __ Correct verb tense __ Uses a variety of sentence types (interrogative, imperative, declarative, exclamatory) __ Sentences are punctuated correctly __ No sentence fragments! Every sentence needs a SUBJECT and a VERB

How this Essay will be graded

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