Into The Wild Persuasive Letter
Dr. Gingrich, AP Lang and Comp, Fall 2014
Rubric
Sample Papers
Sample Essay Fall 2014 Maggie Boggs
A friend of yours is about to go out on an adventure leaving home and foregoing a college education or a profession. They say they are fed up with the confinement of the bourgeoisie values shopping mall, suburban lawns, and meaningless instruction of formal education and have no intention of returning to Alpharetta. Write a letter in which you argue why they should or should not do this. In this letter, you should focus on logical proofs: syllogisms or deductive reasoning, cause and effect, analogies or compare and contrast, statistics, definition. You should use a total of five examples, two of which should be direct quotes from Into the Wild, and represent at least two different categories of argument.
Papers should be 750 to 1250 words and should be typed, double-spaced, using times new roman font..
The rough draft is due Monday, September 8th (beginning of the period) and the second draft is due Friday, September 12th (at end of the period, we will be in the computer lab).
Sample Essay Fall 2014 Maggie Boggs
A friend of yours is about to go out on an adventure leaving home and foregoing a college education or a profession. They say they are fed up with the confinement of the bourgeoisie values shopping mall, suburban lawns, and meaningless instruction of formal education and have no intention of returning to Alpharetta. Write a letter in which you argue why they should or should not do this. In this letter, you should focus on logical proofs: syllogisms or deductive reasoning, cause and effect, analogies or compare and contrast, statistics, definition. You should use a total of five examples, two of which should be direct quotes from Into the Wild, and represent at least two different categories of argument.
Papers should be 750 to 1250 words and should be typed, double-spaced, using times new roman font..
The rough draft is due Monday, September 8th (beginning of the period) and the second draft is due Friday, September 12th (at end of the period, we will be in the computer lab).
Definition
Definition demonstrates how to set the terms or parameters of an argument. Defining issues in terms that support your position frames the argument so that, through syllogistic reasoning, an audience can be lead logically to the conclusion you intend. To argue by definition, then, is to convince the audience that the definitions are reasonable, supportable and logical and, since your argument is based on them, your conclusions are as well. http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/ documents/argueparts/definition.cfm |
Cause and Effect
Cause and effect demonstrates how a given problem leads to effects which are detrimental or how the causes of a problem need to be addressed. In either case, the writer sets up a logical relationship based in causality as a key part of the argument, using other forms of proof to support their analysis of causes or effects. http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/documents/ argueparts/causeeffect.cfm |
Compare and Contrast
Compare and contrast demonstrates how a given argument may be similar to or different from something that they already hold to be true. By logical extension, the similarity between the two gives your argument more persuasive power. Pointing to the differences between something held as fact and something you are arguing can convince the audience of its worthiness and allow you to focus only on the differences. http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/documents/ argueparts/comparecontrast.cfm |
Syllogistic Reasoning
Syllogistic reasoning demonstrates deductive logic and begins from the premise that a fact or opinion is inarguably true. Through a series of steps the writer demonstrates that the position being argued follows logically from that premise; an extension of what is already inarguably true. In another use of this appeal, the writer presents a series of facts from other sources and then draws a logical conclusion based on these facts, showing how each group of facts leads to a premise which the audience can accept as fact, and finally, how these premises, when put together, lead to a certain conclusion. http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/documents/argueparts/ syllogistic.cfm |