For English 112-6

If you have an older edition of The Say/I Say, you can access Tuesday's reading at this website: A More Perfect Union

Pay close attention to how President Obama's speech is structured.

FOR ENGLISH 112-6

ENGL 112

Ms. Kravig

Spring 2012

Paper 2: The Power of Speech

For your second formal paper in this class, you will put on the shoes of a presidential candidate and write a campaign speech. There are two ways in which you and your Writing Buddy may collaborate: 1. You are opposing presidential candidates and your written speeches will be counter-arguments. 2. You are running-mates (president and vice-president candidates) and will be supporting arguments.  Choose one of these options and write your speech accordingly. As you build your persuasive speech, find themes and sources that are interesting to you and develop a strong thesis. From that thesis, build your argument, be sure to include necessary background information, the context and conversation you are entering, good reasons, convincing evidence, appeals to your audience, other positions, and, as always, be aware of the tone of your writing. Include at least 2-3 relevant sources to support your argument.

An A paper will demonstrate excellent composition skills—developed through hard work and elbow grease. These skills include but are not limited to: appropriate and effective (strong) organization, lively and convincing supporting evidence, effective diction and sentence skills, and perfect or near perfect mechanics. It will show careful and thorough consideration of the key features of an argument. An A paper will exceed expectations.

Objectives

After completing the persuasive speech, students should be able to:

• Identify their target audience and the areas where the target audience might be persuaded

• Develop strategies designed to increase an oppositional audience’s support for your position 

• Make language choices that appeal to an oppositional audience

• Extemporize a speech in a lively manner (extra credit)

 Audience:       Voting Americans.

Length:            3-4 pages, word-processed, double-spaced, TNR 12 pt font, MLA or APA format

Draft 1 Due: Tuesday, May 1 Bring 2 paper copies (turnitin.com by 8 a.m.)

Draft 2 Due: Thursday, May 10 Bring 1 paper copy (turnitin.com by 8 a.m.)

REMEMBER

• Don't panic!
• Presidential candidates have certain issues that they refer to as their “platform.” For example, candidate Ron Paul often focuses on the economy or universal healthcare. They choose these topics because these are the topics that the public cares about.
• Most campaigns have a slogan. Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign slogan is “I’m In. Are You?” Think of incorporating one into your speech.
• Know your audience.
• No papers are accepted after 5 pm the day that it is due. 20% off for any paper turned in late, and 10% off for any paper turned in late to turnitin.com. If the paper is not on turnitin.com, it will not receive a grade.
• Extra credit will be given to volunteers who perform their completed speech. 

For English 113-10: Paper Proposal

A standard research paper proposal should not be longer than ten per cent of the total length of your planned paper. Therefore, since  your paper is 8-10 pages, your proposal should be about 1 page in length. 

A standard paper proposal contains:

• the topic,
• the thesis,
• your intended audience
• the outline of planned research

We will discuss this more fully in class on Thursday. 

FOR ENGLISH 112-6

As we have discussed in class, even a film that is generally deemed "good" can have bad reviews. Titanic, one of the highest grossing films in the history of cinema and winner of eleven Academy Awards, received both good and bad reviews when it was first released in 1997. Since you will be working with a partner and writing either for OR against your chosen film, read the two following film reviews of Titanic and consider how the two critics approached the film:

Titanic review from The New York Times

Titanic review from the San Francisco Chronicle

In a paragraph, write a response in the comments section of this post addressing the following things:

* How does each reviewer give their opinion of the film? Do they blatantly state, "I hated/loved this film" or are they in the business of showing, not telling? How do they demonstrate this opinion?
* What technical aspects of the film does each reviewer discuss? (cinematography, music, acting, special effects, etc.)
* Think of the film review you will be writing. Do these reviews give you any ideas on how to approach your first draft?

READING RESPONSE DUE: SUNDAY, APRIL 15

FOR ENGLISH 112-6

Stephen King, master of horror writing, writes an essay entitled "Why We Crave Horror" to help explain pop culture's fascination with filmed nightmares. Read the essay at the following link Why We Crave Horror and then write a short response (3-4 sentences).

Some things to consider as you read:

1. Does Stephen King make a persuasive argument? Why or why not?
2. How does King prove his point?
3. Do you agree that we "crave" horror? Why or why not?

Think of this reading in terms of your first paper. Stephen King takes a pop culture phenomenon (horror films) and explains to us that we "need" them. Consider his argument techniques, and remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. (

READING RESPONSE DUE: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11 

ENGLISH 113-10, SCHEDULE CHANGE

There is a change in our schedule for week 2. Instead of meeting in the library on Tuesday, April 10, as is written in your calendar, we will meet there instead on Thursday, April 12 at scheduled class time. Make note of this. I will also announce it in class.

FOR ENGLISH 112-6

Please read the following article and write a short (2-3 sentences) response in the comments section of this post.

What is Logos?


READING RESPONSE DUE BY SUNDAY, APRIL 8.