Find a controversy that arouses your interest. It could be an issue currently in the news or it might be a long-lasting one. Your purpose isn’t to try to solve a large social or moral problem, but just to make clear where you stand and why. First state your view and then your reasons for holding it. Sum it up in the end, convincing the reader why he or she might see it as you do. Remember to see the conflict in both a local and a global context if possible.
Purpose: Using your skills of analysis, critique, observation, description, and persuasion, write a compelling argument for the stand you have taken.
Audience: Readers who are aware of the issue, but who may not have taken their own stand as of yet. People that you want to move to action, or to think in a new way.
Persona: One who really believes in the issue she/he is writing about. Someone who has something at stake in the issue. Someone who is respectful of others’ opinions. A sympathetic & generous writer.
You might want to use an editorial as a jumping off place. Read an editorial you disagree with and let this essay be a response to the editorial.
6 pages long
3 Scholarly Sources—No Encyclopedias, No Dictionaries, No Guides, No Web pages (unless scholarly)…books, academic journals. No CREDO Reference, No Facts on File, NO CQ Researcher!!! Talk with your reference librarian to get help with what is a scholarly source.
MLA Documentation
