Activity 38: Considering the Writing Task – annotate as needed

Foodisanessentialpartofthehumanexperience.Itisnecessaryfor lifeandisa keyingredientofculture.Agovernmentthatcannotfeed itspeopleisnota goodgovernment.Peoplemakeindividualchoices aboutwhattoeatandhowtoprepareit,butgovernmentsalsomake policiesthatcontrol andinfluence thetype,abundance,andquality offood.Abalanceddietcanmakeushealthywhileeatinga limited dietofoneortwotypesoffood,evenifthefoodishighquality, can makeussick.Foodcanappeartobehealthybutcontainpesticides, contaminants,ordangerous bacteria.Wemakepersonalchoices aboutfood,butourchoicesareinfluencedbyadvertisingand governmentpolicies.

Forexample,WendellBerrywantsustobecomemoreawareand involvedinthefoodweeat.He wantsustoask questions and makepersonalchoices.MichaelPollandiscussestheunintended consequencesofmassivegovernmentsubsidiesonthepriceand availabilityofcorn.Hisargumentisa policyargument.David Barbozadiscussestheinfluence ofadvertisingonthefoodwedesire. He isinterested inhowadvertisinginfluences ourpersonalchoices. AlthoughJayRaynerdoesnotmentionWendellBerrybyname,he clearlythinksthatifeveryonemadethepersonalchoicesthatBerry recommends,itwould leadtofoodthatwastooexpensiveformost peopletobuy,withdiresocialconsequences.

Takingthestatement youwroteinActivity37 explainingwhich author youagreewiththemostas a starting point,andtakingthe argumentsandevidenceofallfourauthorsintoaccount,chooseone ofthefollowingwritingtasks:

This will be a research paper – meaning, you MUST cite sources. You may use any/all of the articles covered in class – but you must also have TWO additional sources (MUST be cleared by Mrs. Wagner). Paper will be 3-5 pages in length and include in-text citations as well as a works cited page. MLA format is required. GOOGLE MLA FORMAT!!!

CHOOSE ONE

  1. PersonalView:Inresponsetothefourarticlesyoureadinthis module, writeanessayinwhichyoustateyourownpersonal preferencesregardingfoodandnutrition.Inthispaper,describe themaincriteriabywhichyouwillmakedecisionsaboutfood. Discusswhatkindsoffoodyouwillbuyforyourself andyour family members, whereyouwillbuyit,andhowyouwillprepare it.Inadditiontoreferencestooneormoreofthefourarticles, support yourfoodplanwithlogicalargumentsandevidence.
  1. PolicyView:Inresponsetothefourarticlesyoureadinthis module, whatshouldpolicy-makers(politicians,schoolboards, foodsafetyexperts,etc.)dotomakethefoodsupplyhealthy and affordable? Youmight discusssuchissuesas foodlabeling, agriculturalsubsidies,nutritionaleducation, foodinspections, andregulations.Youmight alsodiscusswhether certaintypes ofunhealthyfoodsshouldbebannedfromstores,restaurants, or schools.Writeanessayinwhichyoudescribea policyora planthatwould improveourfoodsupplyorthehealthofthe population.Inadditiontoreferencestooneormoreofthefour articles,support yourplanwithlogicalargumentsandevidence.

Onewaytoproceedwitheitheroneoftheseassignmentsisto describewhatoneormoreoftheauthorsyouhavereadwould say aboutthisquestion andrespondtohisargumentsandviews.

Activity 39: Taking a Stance - INFORMATIONAL

Read thefollowinglistofpointsandexamplesaboutwritinga good argumentativeessay.Thencreateyourownplanfortakinga stance onyourchosentopic.

  1. Stateyour opinion on your topic in your thesisstatement.

Towritea thesisstatement foranargumentessay,youneedto takea standfororagainstanactionoranidea.Inotherwords, yourthesisstatement shouldbedebatable—astatement thatcan bearguedorchallenged andwillnotbemetwithagreement by everyonewhoreadsit.Yourthesisstatement shouldintroduce yoursubjectandstateyouropinionaboutthatsubject.

NoteMichaelPollan’sthesisinhisfirstparagraph: “Thesedays thenation’s nearly80 million-acrefieldofcornrollsacrossthe countrysidelikea secondgreatlawn,butthiswholesome,all-American imageobscuresa decidedly moredubious reality.” Thisisa debatablethesis.

•Notdebatable:Mostpeopleliketoeatcorninthesummer.

•Notdebatable:Manyadultsbuycorninthesupermarket during thesummer.

Pollansetsuphisargumentwithsomebackgroundaboutcorn andaboutthedomesticationofplantsandhowimportantthatis tothehealthandpropagationoftheplantitself.Thisbackground informationisnecessaryforthereadertounderstandPollan’sposition.

  1. Findoutasmuchasyoucanaboutyouraudience beforeyouwrite.

Knowingyourreaders’backgroundandfeelingsonyourtopicwillhelpyouchoosethebestsupportingevidenceandexamples. Supposethatyouwanttoconvincepeopleintwodifferentage groupstoquiteatingsomanysnackfoods.Youmight tellthe groupofteenagersthatsnackfoodswillmakethemgainweight andhavecavities.Butwitha groupofadults,youmight discuss thestatisticsabouthealthandlongevity.

Pollan’sessaywasfirstpublishedintheNewYorkTimes,which hasa highly educatedreadership, mostly inthenortheast partof theU.S.Hisdiscussion hastotakeintoconsiderationthevarieties ofpeoplewhoreadtheNewYorkTimesthroughouttheU.Sand intheworld. Hisessayisfilledwithfacts.

  1. Chooseevidencethatsupportsyour thesisstatement.

Evidenceisprobablythemostimportantfactorinwritingan argumentessay.Withoutsolidevidence,youressayisnothing morethanopinion;withit,youressaycanbepowerfuland persuasive.Ifyousupplyconvincingevidence,yourreaderswill notonlyunderstandyourpositionbutalsoperhapsagreewithit.

Evidencecanconsistoffacts,statistics,statementsfrom authorities,examples,orpersonalstories.Examplesand personalstoriescanbebasedonyourownobservations, experiences,andreading,butyouropinionsarenotevidence. Otherstrategies,suchas comparison/contrast,definition,and cause/effect,canbeparticularlyusefulinbuildinganargument. Useanycombinationofevidenceandwritingstrategiesthatwill helpyousupport yourthesisstatement.

NotethefollowinguseofevidencebyPollan:

•Facts

–Theaveragebushelofcorn(56 pounds)sellsforabout$2 today.(paragraph 4)

•Statistics

– Nearly 10 percent of the calories Americans consume now come from corn sweeteners; the figure is 20 percent for many children. (paragraph 7)

•Statements from Authorities

– A recent study at the University of Minnesota found that a diet high in fructose (compared to glucose) elevates triglyceride levels in men shortly after eating, a phenomenon that has been linked to an increased risk of obesity and heart disease. (paragraph 10)

•Examples and Personal Stories

–None

  1. Anticipate opposingpoints of view.

Inadditiontostatingandsupportingyourposition,anticipating andrespondingtoopposingviewsisimportant.Presenting onlyyoursideoftheargumentleaveshalfthestoryuntold—the opposition’shalf.Ifyouacknowledgethatthereareopposing argumentsandanswerthem,youwillmoveyourreadersmorein yourdirection;youwillimpressthemwithyourhonesty.

•WendellBerrysays,inparagraph 6, “Perhaps I exaggerate,but notbymuch.”Thatacknowledgmentaddstohiscredibility. Weallexaggerateattimes.

  1. Findsomecommonground.

Pointing outcommonground betweenyouandyouropponent isalsoaneffectivestrategy.Common ground referstopoints

ofagreement betweentwoopposingpositions.Forexample, onepersonmight bea vegetarian andtheothera meateater. Acknowledgingthatvegetarians do,infact,havetomakesure theyeatenoughprotein beginstheconversationwithmeat eaters.Mostpeoplecareaboutthehealthoftheirbodies.When youstateinyouressaythatyouagreewithyouropponenton certainpoints,yourreadersees youas a fairperson.

•In paragraph 21, Berry says, “Though I am by no means a vegetarian, I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable in order to feed me.” He admits that although he eats meat, he’s also concerned with the animal itself. Few would argue that he ought not care about how an animal is raised.

  1. Maintaina reasonabletone.

Justas youprobablywould notwinanargumentbyshoutingor makingmeanornastycomments,donotexpectyourreadersto respondwelltosuchtactics.Keepthe“voice”ofyouressaycalm andsensible.Yourreaderswillbemuchmoreopentowhatyou havetosayiftheythinkyouarea reasonableperson.

•Note Pollan’s rhetorical questions in paragraph 8: “So why begrudge corn its phenomenal success? Isn’t this the way domestication shouldwork?”

  1. Organize your essaysothatitpresentsyour position as effectively aspossible.

Bytheendofyouressay,youwantyouraudiencetoagreewith you.Soyouwanttoorganizeyouressayinsucha waythatyour readerscaneasilyfollowit.Thenumber ofparagraphs mayvary dependingonthenatureofyourassignment.

  1. Stateyour opinion on your topic in your thesisstatement.(Hint: Makesurethatyourthesisissomethingthatisdebatable.)
  1. Findoutasmuchasyou canaboutyour audiencebefore you write.(Hint:Forthe“PersonalView”essay,youraudiencewill probablybefamily members andfriendswhomaynotagree withyourfoodplan.Forthe“PolicyView” essay,youraudience willbeappropriatepolicymakersandotherswhomight votefor themorinfluences them.)
  1. Chooseevidencethatsupportsyour thesisstatement.(Hint:Go throughyournotes,quickwrites,andannotationstosee what youcanuse.Atthispoint,justgothroughyourmaterials and makecheckmarksordrawcirclesaroundrelevantparts.Wewill developthisaspectingreaterdetailinthenextactivity.)
  1. Anticipateopposingpoints of view.(Hint:Whoisyour opposition?Whataretheylikelytoargue?)
  1. Findsomecommonground. (Hint:Weallhavetoeat.Wealllike tosavemoney.Weallwantgoodhealth.)
  1. Maintaina reasonabletone.(Hint:Whatwordssound reasonable?Whatwordssoundunreasonable?)
  1. Organize your essaysothatitpresentsyour position as effectively aspossible.(Hint:Whatmight bea goodleadinor hook?Whatargumentsshouldcomefirst?Whatarguments shouldcomelast?)

Activity 40: Gathering Evidence to Support Your Claims - COMPLETE

Folda sheetofnotebook paperintoquartersandlabelitsothatit lookslikethis:

Facts / Statistics
StatementsfromAuthorities / Examplesand PersonalStories

Listtheevidenceyouwanttouseintheappropriateboxes.Don’t writedownfullstatements becausetherewon’t beenoughroom. Writedownthingslike“Rayner onapples”or“Barboza onbreakfast cereal.” Dothesamethingwithanypersonalanecdotesyouwant touseas examples.Youmight write,“Mylittlebrother inthe supermarket,”“Myobsessionwithcheesesnacks,”or“Thetime momcookedhealthystuff.”

Onceyouhavefilledoutthesquares,thinkabouttherelationships betweenthedifferentitems.Drawlinesbetweenrelateditemsin differentsquares,noting onthelinewhattypeofrelationshipitis. Anideafromoneauthormight beopposedtoanother.Astatistic fromonearticlemight support anideainanother.Apersonal anecdotemight illustratea pointthatoneoftheauthorsmade.

Whenyouwriteanargumentativeessaylikethisone,youare puttingideasandinformationtogether fromdifferentsources, combiningitwithyourownexperience,andproducinga newtext witha differentcontributiontotheconversation.

Activity 43: Considering Structure

Lookatthefirstdraftofyouressay.Answerthefollowingquestions:

•Howmanyparagraphs doyouhave?

•Areanyoftheparagraphs muchlongerthantheothers?Could theybedivided up?Wheremight theybedivided?

•Doesyourbeginningorintroductionaccomplishthefollowing rhetoricaltasks?

–Directreaders’attentiontothetopicorissuethewriting addresses?

–Establishtheimportanceofthetopic?

–Providebackgroundinformationthattheaudiencemayneed?

–Introduce thethesis,purpose,ormainclaimofthewritingin ordertosuggesthowthepiecewillbedeveloped?

•Doesthebodyoftheessaydothefollowingtasksforthereader?

–Explain,illustrate,anddevelopthetopicorissue?

–Developtheideasinsufficientdetailtobeclearand convincing?

–Presentexamplesorargumentssupportedbyevidence?

–Quote,paraphrase,orsummarize othertextsthatsupport your purpose?

–Presentandanalyzedata?

–Addresscounterargumentsoralternativepositionsor explanations

–Usewords,phrases,andclausesas wellas variedsyntaxto indicatetransitionsbetweenthemajorsectionsofthetext andclarifytherelationshipsbetweenclaim(s)andreasons, betweenreasonsandevidence,andbetweenclaim(s)and counterclaims?

•Does the conclusion do the following tasks?

­Connectthewritingtosomelargerclaimoridea?

­Pointthereadertonextstepsornewquestions raisedbythe essay?

­Identify theconclusionsthewriter hasreachedandtheir significance?

­Evaluateoranalyzetheconclusionsdrawnbytheargument?

­Explaintheimplicationsofthemajorpointoftheessay?

Inthemargins ofyourdraft,indicatewhereyoumight improveyour essayinyournextdraft.

Activity 44: Using the Words of Others – MLA FORMAT REQUIRED – GOOGLE IT!!!

Therearethreewaystointroducelanguageandideasfromother writers intoyourownwriting:quotes,paraphrases,andsummaries.

Direct quotation:Thefirstwayisa directquotation.Forexample, youcouldquoteWendellBerryinthisway:

In“ThePleasuresofEating,”WendellBerrysays,“ThoughI am bynomeansa vegetarian, I dislikethethoughtthatsomeanimal hasbeenmademiserable inordertofeedme.”

ThequotationmarksindicatewhichwordsareBerry’sandwhich wordsareyours.Itisalsopossibletoincludeanextendedsection ofanarticleina blockquote.Forexample,wemight decidethat thequotethatwehavebeenworkingwithneedsmorecontext. However,whenusinga blockquote,itisnecessarytoframeitby leadingintoitandcommentingonitafterwards.Itneedstobeclear tothereaderwhytheblockquoteisthere.Itwillnotspeakforitself. Hereisanexample:

In“ThePleasuresofEating,”WendellBerryarguesthatboth theanimalsandplantsweeatshouldhavehappyhealthylives beforeweeatthem.

ThoughI ambynomeansa vegetarian, I dislikethethought thatsomeanimalhasbeenmademiserable inorderto feedme.IfI amgoingtoeatmeat,I wantittobefroman animalthathasliveda pleasant,uncrowdedlifeoutdoors, onbountifulpasture,withgoodwaternearbyandtreesfor shade.AndI amgetting almostas fussyaboutfoodplants.I liketoeatvegetablesandfruitsthatI knowhavelivedhappily andhealthilyingoodsoil,nottheproducts ofthehuge, bechemicaledfactory-fieldsthatI haveseen,forexample, inthecentralvalleyofCalifornia. Theindustrialfarmissaid tohavebeenpatterned onthefactoryproductionline.In practice,itlooksmorelikea concentrationcamp.

Readingthis,onemight gettheideathatanimalsandplantshave thesamerightsas humans.Can wereallyaffordthis?

Intheblockquote,noquotationmarksarenecessary.The indentationindicatesthatthewordsbelongtosomeoneelse.

Paraphrase:WecanalsoparaphraseBerry’sideasinourownwords. Wemight writesomethinglikethis:

In“ThePleasuresofEating,”WendellBerrysaysthathedoesnot liketoeatanimalsthatweremademiserable inordertofeedhim.

Notethatthepronounshavechangedfromfirstperson“I”and“me” tothirdperson“he”and“him.”Thelackofquotationmarksaround Berry’sideaindicatesthatthewordsareyours,though thesentence indicatesthattheideasarehis.Aparaphrasemuststillgivecreditto theauthoroftheideas.

Summary:Youwroteshortsummariesofeachofthefourarticlesin Activity38, usingthefollowingpoints:

•Whatisthearticleabout?

•Whatisthemainargument?

•Whatdoestheauthorwantustodo?

Anyoneofthesecouldbeusedinyouressayifyouwantedtogive thereadera quickoverviewofwhatanarticlewasabout.

Nowlookoveryourroughdraft.Arethereplaceswhereitwould be smootherifyouchangeda quotationintoa paraphrase?Is therea blockquotationthatneedsbetterframing? Is therea placewherea nicequotationfromoneofthearticleswould helpmakeyourpoint better?Makeannotationsonyourdraftindicatingwhereyoushould makethesechanges.