Required Texts Needed to Write This Essay
Happiness Lab Season 1, Episode 3 podcast “A Silver Lining”Links to an ex ternal site. (audio) with Dr. Laurie Santos or “A Silver Lining” Transcript.
Read the transcript or listen to Hidden Brain podcast: “Would You Rather Win Silver Or Bronze? (Be Careful What You Wish For)”Links to an external site. (August 3, 2012)
“Mindfulness Meditation for Athletes: Get in the Zone”Links to an external site. on the benefits of self-awareness without self-judgement in sports. Athletes often struggle with performing well under the stress of competition; mindfulness meditation technique are shown to improve performance by drawing all the athlete’s attention on the present moment and thus silencing the voice of self-criticism and self-comparisons to others.
“Michael Phelps and his Blind Swimming in the Olympics”Links to an external site. by Adarsh Srinivas Reddy. Learn about the power of visual meditation through Reddy’s analysis of Michael Phelp’s victory in a butterfly swim competition despite the way his googles filled with water during competition.
Read Model Student Essay Four for a nice example of what you should aim for in your own essay.
Instructions
Introduction Paragraph (3/4 page)
Start with a hook that grabs the reader’s interest and introduces the essay topic.
Summarize the main ideas in Dr. Laurie Santos’s podcast episode ““A Silver Lining”Links to an external site.. In your summary, make sure to credit her (by her full author name and podcast title).
Define “ethos,” “pathos,” and “logos.” Helpful resources:
Farnam Street article “Ethos, Logos, and Pathos: The Structure of a Great Speech”Links to an external site.
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: Definition and ExamplesLinks to an external site.
End with your introduction paragraph with a 1 sentence thesis statement that is specific, concise, clear, and arguable.
Thesis (one sentence)
Thesis Question: Discuss specific examples of how our readings about athletic competition for this Essay 4 module use 2 of the following 3 modes of persuasion– ethos, pathos, or logos–to argue that strengthening the mind is the most important way to succeed at athletic competition.
Examples of strengthening the mind can include mindfulness, visualization and other meditation practices, positive reframing of past events, selecting beneficial points of reference etc..
Thesis problems to avoid:
So if you are arguing that a text uses pathos, what does the author say to make the reader feel emotions that make them side with the author?
When you talk about Logos, explain what the writer’s logical arguments are to support her or his arguments. Not that athletes think logically. Look at the way the texts make their arguments convincing by being logical.
Make sure your thesis and topic sentences clearly say which modes of persuasion you’ve chosen to provide examples for: ethos / logos / pathos. Limit each body paragraph to talking about only one mode of persuasion.
Body Paragraphs
Very Important Requirement: Provide specific examples from the stories of at least 2 athletes featured in assigned readings for this Essay 4 module.
Required: provide supporting quotations from at least 3.
No sources or use of AI bots like Chat GPT is permitted for any stage of the essay writing process, including brainstorming, revisions, grammar check, or composition.
No sources or use of AI bots like Chat GPT is permitted for any stage of the essay writing process, including brainstorming, revisions, grammar check, or composition.
Conclusion
Restate your thesis using new wording and phrasing so you are not simply cutting and pasting.
End with some interesting reflections on the topic that go beyond merely repeating what you said earlier.
