Before endeavoring to write this paper, make sure you’ve read the following essays:
The Damned Human Race (pg. 42 in your textbook)
Thinking as a Hobby (pg. 30 in your textbook)
Harrison Bergeron
The Ones Who Walk Away From OmelasLinks to an external site.
After reading the aforementioned essays, read Chapter 4, for it details how to write an Issue/Problem Paper.
For your second Issue/Problem Paper, these are several prompts. Please choose one:
1. Based on The Damned Human Race, what would Twain think about The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas?
2. Based on The Damned Human Race, would Twain support those who leave Omelas? Or would he be more supportive of those who choose to stay?
3. Based on Twain’s essay, should those who leave Omelas be considered “damned?” Or are the “damned” those choosing to remain in Omelas?
4. Based on Twain’s essay, should people walk away from Omelas?
5. Who is the Grade One Thinker in Harrison Bergeron? (Notice the key word, “the.” This prompt is not asking you to classify the characters in the story as Grade One, Two, or Three Thinkers. It is asking you who THE Grade One Thinker is in Harrison Bergeron. Thus, after your first paragraph, you must refute the opposition twice for the other two potential Grade One Thinkers.)
6. If the lack of equity among humans (as portrayed in The Damned Human Race) has something to do with the division and conflict that humans inspire, would the solution presented by Diana Moon Glampers in Harrison Bergeron help support Twain’s claim?
7. Based on Mark Twain’s The Damned Human Race, classify Twain as a Grade One, Grade Two, or Grade Three Thinker. (If you choose this one, you must refute the opposition twice in your second paragraph.)
For Prompts #5 and #7, please adhere to these definitions:
Grade-One Thinkers: offer solutions
Grade-Two Thinkers: detect contradictions
Grade-Three Thinkers: feel instead of think
Make sure to mind the following:
Proofread! Your I/P Paper is worth 100 points.
Make sure that the first sentence of your I/P Paper is your claim.
Diction tips for refuting the opposition can be found on pg. 156-157.
When writing, make sure each assertion (“point”) is coupled with an example. Hence, as noted on pg. 55, you’ll have your “claim,” then your first “point,” and then your first “example.” Following the “example,” you should have a sentence of “commentary.” (“Commentary” simply explains the relevance of your “example,” and it also links your “example” to your “point” and, most importantly, to your “claim.”) For clarification, simply note the examples on pgs. 57-58. Both Susan and Joey follow the “Point/Example/Commentary” format.
Your typed I/P Paper should not exceed one page. Your point size should still be .12, and your composition should still be double-spaced. Also, your margins should meet MLA guidelines. Although your I/P Paper should not exceed one page, a second page will be included. This will be your Works Cited page. Of course, if you only cite one work, then it will be aptly titled: Work Cited.
Make sure to compose a Works Cited page for this assignment. Check out Owl Purdue for MLA assistance. Keep in mind that Thinking as a Hobby and The Damned Human Race appear in your textbook, so you cite them as A Work In An Anthology, as per Owl Purdue.
For additional information on refuting the opposition, or if you’d like to see three models of a complete I/P Paper (first draft, second draft, third draft), just revisit I/P Paper 1.
Organization
Here’s how I/P Paper 2 should be organized (for Prompts #1, 2, 3, 4, and 6):
Paragraph One
Claim
Point
Example
Commentary
Commentary (You may only need one sentence of Commentary, depending upon how well you connect your Example to your Point/Claim in your first Commentary.)
Point
Example
Commentary
Commentary (You may only need one sentence of Commentary, depending upon how well you connect your Example to your Point/Claim in your first Commentary.)
Paragraph Two
Address the Opposition
Identify with the Opposition
Refute the opposition
Organization
(If you are choosing Prompt #7, please follow the Organization as noted in I/P Paper 1, for it is essential that you refute the opposition for the two grades of thinking that oppose your claim, which means that you should refute the opposition twice.)
(If you are choosing Prompt #5, you likely want to refute the opposition twice, as there are likely three viable candidates for Grade One Thinking in Harrison Bergeron: Diana Moon Glampers, Hazel Bergeron, and Harrison Bergeron.)
Here’s how I/P Paper 2 should be organized (for Prompts #5 and 7):
Paragraph One
Claim
Point
Example
Commentary
Commentary (You may only need one sentence of Commentary, depending upon how well you connect your Example to your Point/Claim in your first Commentary.)
Paragraph Two
Address the Opposition
Identify with the Opposition
Refute the opposition
Address the Opposition
Identify with the Opposition
Refute the opposition
Checklist
1. GRAMMAR. Grammatical errors (commas, apostrophes, run-ons, fragments, etc.) are common. But as per the rubric, grammatical errors can compromise a person’s grade. Thus, please consider doing one of the following:
Send your Paper to NetTutor (you should see NetTutor in our course navigation/menu).
Work online with the MSAC Writing Center (Links to an external site.).
Run your Paper through Grammarly (Links to an external site.).
2. LANGUAGE. Watch out for definitive language in your I/P Paper 2. Words like “only,” “never,” “always,” etc. are difficult to use responsibly. Further, they will likely compromise what you’re attempting to communicate. Instead, soften assertions (particularly in your Points and Commentary) with words like “seems,” “likely,” “may,” etc.
3. WORKS CITED. You’ll need to cite a minimum of two works for I/P Paper 2. The two will likely come from these options: The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, Thinking as a Hobby, The Damned Human Race, and Harrison Bergeron.
Assuming you are citing Thinking as a Hobby or The Damned Human Race from our textbook, then you’ll cite each as A Work In An Anthology as per MLA 8th Edition. Go to Owl Purdue (Links to an external site.) for instructions. Here’s an example of how to cite A Work In An Anthology:
Harris, Muriel. “Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers.” A Tutor’s Guide: Helping Writers One to One,
edited by Ben Rafoth, Heinemann, 2000, pp. 24-34.
Here’s each part of the citation:
Last name, First name. “Title of Essay.” Title of Collection, edited by Editor’s Name(s), Publisher, Year,
Page range of entry.
If you are citing The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas or Harrison Bergeron, you must cite each as an Electronic Source via Owl Purdue (Links to an external site.).
Here’s how to cite The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas:
Le Guin, Ursula K. “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.”
https://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/emily.klotz/engl1302-6/readings/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-le-guin/view (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Accessed 14 June 2023.
Please DO NOT upload I/P Paper Two until you’ve examined your graded I/P Paper 1 and considered its strengths and weaknesses, especially as they pertain to I/P Paper Two.
Please examine the I/P Paper Rubric (below) so that you know specifically what your grade will be based on. (Please access it through a web browser. For some reason the Rubric does not consistently appear when using the app.)
