Research Essay One
Due End of Second Week
Please save work using the following format: LastnameFirstinitial_ENGL EX: LindsayN_ENGL
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This is a complex Research Essay. Attempt a rhetorical approach to your essay.
Expository Essay
An expository essay explores various angles of a specific topic to provide information in an objective manner. For example, if the subject is universal healthcare, the paper would provide information on what universal healthcare is, how it works, which countries use it and how it differs from privatized healthcare. All of these issues would be expressed in a neutral tone, without trying to convince the reader of either one side or the other. The goal is analysis and presentation.
Introduce the essay’s position with a thesis statement.(usually the final sentence of the first paragraph
Provide support for your thesis through by employing the resources found
Use direct quotes (properly) from resources chosen
Criteria:
Must be at least four to five pages in length
Must be MLA formatted (proper heading, page numbering, double-spaced, etc…)
First person narrative is NOT allowed for this essay (any instance or use referring to yourself: “I”, “my”, “me”, etc…)
You may choose to focus from the assigned reading the textbook OR any essay excerpt that interests you.
MUST include at least two other resources besides the textbook. ONE MUST be an academic journal article
Avoid using the introductory clause “In conclusion” to begin your last paragraph. This type of clause is typically more appropriate for essays ranging ten pages or more.
TOPIC Choices (Choose One)
Lao-tzu – Expository Essay
How would Lao-tzu critique the society in which you live? What would he recommend to as worthwhile behavior, and what would he condemn? Would you feel it possible to argue against his critique and maintain a worthwhile and virtuous path of behavior for oneself?
Suggested approach would be choose a theme related Lao-tzu’s work a framework for making larger points.
Don’t forget to use the text as a resource to cite Lao-tzu’s work (Works Cited and in-text referencing).
You are also free to apply current events and relevant resources (magazine articles, newspapers, etc…)
Thomas Jefferson – Expository Essay
The Declaration of Independence was written after the first year of the American Revolution. What would be some of the reasons for writing such a document if the colonies were already in battle? To whom could it be useful? Consider its effect both in England and in the colonies.
Suggestion: Jacobus points out the style in which the Declaration of Independence is written. Jefferson’s experience with legal documents and language certainly influenced the way in which it’s constructed. Consider how establishing a document during wartime would seem prudent from a legal vantage point.
Bhutto – Argumentative
Bhutto blames the West for the fact that there are no Muslim democracies. Check on her claim, and develop an argument that relies on examples of Western policies toward a few of the major Muslim nations that have interacted with the West in recent years. Choose Egypt, Libya, Iran, Iraq, or Afghanistan and see to what extent the West may have undermined efforts to create a democracy in that nation.
More recent events certainly play into answering this questions If you plan to utilize recent news stories, consider offering perspectives from two, divergent points of view.
TIP:
When conducting a search for resources you don’t necessarily have to find resources directly related to Lao-tzu. You can explore Taoism and Christianity, for example, in order to find some correlation or contrast. How would modern American society align with Taoism? What attributes are counter to Taoism
