ESSAY 2: Soapbox Inspired Op-Ed Piece INSTRUCTOR NAME: Alia Stearns COURSE: English 101 CONTEXT FOR ASSIGNMENT:

The headline reads "op-ed" piece, a term referring to the "opposite editorial" page of newspapers, a page traditionally reserved for columnists, letters to the editor, and other guest writers. It operates as a complement to the newspaper's own editorial positions, usually expressed in an unsigned article and offering the official opinion of the newspaper's editorial board. A good op-ed piece is topical, offering a perspective on a current item of interest to the readers of the publication. The writer offers a unique, focused look at the subject, often using both logical and emotional appeals to persuade readers. The writer's tone is balanced and consistent, and his or her voice unique--humorous or cynical, angry or sorrowful, objective or contemplative, but definitely the voice of the writer. Op-ed pieces are the product of an individual, not a committee. Also, while it may seem obvious, it bears repeating: the best op-ed pieces are lively, informative, and good pieces of writing. Your assignment, then, is to write an op-ed piece on a subject, any subject, of your choosing. However, as this is a writing class that must prioritize academic style, some aspects of that will supersede those of journalism. This means that you will still need a brief introduction with a thesis and that you paragraphs must follow the MEAL plan. However, some elements of informality may be overlooked (we will cover this as the week moves on).

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT: Your task is to write an academic paper inspired by the conventions of the op-ed piece. You will use some conventions of op-ed writing and some conventions of academic writing. As we move forward, the class will be looking at academic argument and using David Mitchell Soapboxes and opinion pieces to study the topic. Please read the entire assignment to better understand what is required. AUDIENCE FOR ASSIGNMENT: Your audience for this essay is a regular participant in new media. They will be literate and aware of contemporary topics, but they will not be experts nor will they be particularly patient. PROCESS: Watch many, many David Mitchell Soapboxes Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/davidmitchellsoapbox Guardian channel: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/series/david-mitchell-soap-box Read some op-ed pieces David Mitchell: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/davidmitchell?INTCMP=SRCH Charlie Brooker: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/charliebrooker?INTCMP=SRCH Meghan Daum: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-columnistmdaum,0,3037888.columnist

Maureen Dowd: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/maureendowd/index.ht ml Read the assignment Do research to find a current topic Draft a thesis Using that thesis, create an outline for the paper you will write Revise your outline Use the outline to draft your paper Submit your draft for peer review Use peer commentary to revise Edit for surface errors and mechanics LOGISTICS: Due date: Outline with Thesis: 5/17/2013 Rough Draft: 5/22/2013 Final Draft: 5/28/2013 Length of assignment: 3 pages Point Breakdown: Thesis and Outline 3.75% of overall grade Rough Draft (on time and peer reviewed) 3.75% of overall grade Revised Draft 7.5% of overall grade Format: MLA Citations: MLA Sources: At least one and no more than two GRADING: These are the questions I will ask when assigning you a grade: Specific focus: Are you dealing specifically with the assignment given? Are both the topic and your position on the topic clear? Vivid presentation: Details can make your analysis come to life. Show the reader examples/support with specific, concrete details; help them to experience your material. Strong analysis: Do not just tell stories or give us details for no reason; show the reader how and why these things illustrate/support your main focus. (Constantly ask yourself: so what?) An engaging and informative organizational plan: It should be clear that you have a plan for building your essay that your ideas are in a particular order for a reason and that you are working to use transitions to guide the reader from one idea to the next. Style and conventions: Is the essay free from error? Are the sentences varied and stylistically pleasing Information about op-ed pieces: Know your publication One of the worst things you can do when writing is to write in a manner inconsistent with your target medium. Just as you adopt a different tone in letters asking Mom for money than you

would in a letter asking for a loan, you also must know the conventions of the place where your writing will be read. In this case, you are "publishing" in a newspaper or newsletter, so you should be aware that newspaper articles have very short paragraphs. In general, no more than two or three sentences make up a typical paragraph. The reason is "gray space," the way a long block of text tends to turn gray upon glancing. Also, because newspapers are printed in columns, paragraphs seem longer than they would in a book because the lines are shorter. The most important consideration about shorter paragraphs is that they are easier for readers to read. Long unbroken blocks of text are daunting to most readers. Frequent paragraphs promise a sort of "rest stop" to readers. You, however, will need to keep your paragraphs unified, but avoid being lengthy. This will mean avoiding having more than one example in a paragraph. Another consideration about newspaper writing is that you must grab the reader's attention quickly. Newspapers are meant to be read quickly, and rarely are they ever read again. And if an article is not interesting, readers generally will not bother finishing it. For that reason, it is crucial that you begin with a good lead, an opening sentence that "hooks" readers immediately and makes them want to read on. A good lead tantalizes, informs, and sets the tone for the piece. It can even be creative. For instance, an editorial on gambling in the Wall Street Journal began with a paraphrase of Dr. Seuss: "I do like gambling, Sam-I-Am, I really like it, and I can. For I can do it in a plane, on a boat, at the track, and in the rain. I can do it in a casino, with the lottery, or with Keno." A final consideration for op-ed pieces is that it must be short and concise. Although lengths of op-ed pieces in real newspapers vary--those in the New York Times may be longer than those in smaller papers, for example--you should waste no time in getting to your point. For this assignment, you must end the piece within 3 lines on either side of 3 pages. Know your subject Presumably, since you're writing an opinion piece, you will know something about your subject. However, that doesn't mean your readers know about it, so it is important to present your knowledge sufficiently to your readers. The key is to understand your target audience: try to think like them, anticipate what they may not understand. For example, if you're arguing about tort reform in the legal system, and you're writing for a newspaper, your readers may not know what "tort" means. To define a term, the first place to begin is usually with a dictionary definition, but very often that is insufficient. Other ways of defining terms include stipulation, negation and examples. Stipulation means you're asking readers to accept a definition that may differ from a more conventional one. When a writer says "national security is at an all-time low because of current immigration laws," the term national security is being used in a way that may differ from, say, a military general. In recent years terms such as "family" and "family values" have been the target of much stipulation as writers and politicians offer their opinion on them. Sometimes, stipulations are used to make negative ideas seem more positive, as when a terrorist group uses the word liberation to describe its activities. Negation is also sometimes useful in defining terms. By saying what something is not, readers may get a fuller picture of what something is. Examples also provide a means of defining a term and are among the most useful means by which a writer can illuminate difficult subjects. Justice is a term that is difficult to define in

abstract, but a writer who gives examples of what it means to him gives readers something concrete by which to evaluate his argument. Supporting your argument Regardless of who you're writing for, you need to explain your subject and support your argument in ways that are both informative and persuasive. This is especially true of technical or complex subjects, such as economics or science. One way is to draw comparisons and analogies that the typical reader can relate to. It is no accident that politicians in Washington arguing for a balanced budget compare our nation's spending to a family's financial situation--something most people are familiar with. Other ways to support your argument is to use voices of authority, such as experts and statistics, and to appeal to the needs and values of your readers. Obviously, having experts who agree with you is a boon to your argument. Keep in mind, however, that your readers may not agree who is an acknowledged expert. When Philip Morris issues a scientific report on the harmfulness of tobacco, most people view it skeptically because Philip Morris stands to benefit from a favorable report. If you do use expert opinion, do so wisely, quoting exactly (if you quote) and establishing the credentials of your expert if he or she is unfamiliar to your readers. Often you can do this quite simply in the first attribution, as in "Harvard physicist Joseph Smith, author of The Atoms Family, says ..." By explaining that Smith is a physicist at Harvard and has written a book on atoms, you subtly suggest he is an expert who can be trusted. Statistics, too, can and often are used in writing, but you should exercise the same reservations with them as with expert opinion. You should make sure they come from a reputable source, and you should let readers know the source. Keep in mind that statistics can be skewed. If a glass is described as 25 percent empty, it is also 75 percent full. Statistics about gun-related deaths from the National Rifle Association may be skewed to favor the NRA's views on gun control. Finally, don't over-rely on statistics. Too many numbers tend to convolute an argument. Whenever possible, you should use statistical information alongside appropriate comparisons or analogies that vividly illustrate the relationships. An argument about the number of drunk driving fatalities, for example, could be compared to deaths resulting from other causes, such as cancer or heart disease. Factual evidence from acknowledged authorities may suffice for a factual argument, but when making value or policy claims (see "Know your opinion"), you may require more. In such cases, it is essential to appeal to the readers' needs and values. Of course, to do this effectively, you must understand your audience. In a newsletter, it is often not very difficult to determine your readers' main needs and values. If you are writing for the Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons, for instance, you can safely assume they are keenly interested in Medicare, pension plans, and Social Security. In fact, the AARP has been one of the most vocal supporters of these programs in recent years. If you are writing for a general newspaper audience, it is a bit more difficult to determine your readers' needs and values, but you should still employ such appeals and hope that decent and reasonable people will share many of the needs and values that underlie your claims. "Needs" are simply things important to your target audience. In 1954, psychologist Abraham H. Maslow established a classification of basic needs that you may find useful in writing arguments.

His classification is arranged in a hierarchical order, ranging from the most urgent biological needs to the psychological needs that are related to our roles as members of a society: Physiological needs: basic bodily requirements such as food and drink, health, sex Safety needs: security, freedom from harm, order and stability Belongingness and love needs: love within a family and among friends, roots within a group or community Esteem needs: material success, achievement, power, status and recognition by others Self-actualization needs: fulfillment in realizing one's potential Advertisements regularly cater to such needs, even in ways that may not be obvious at first. McDonald's ads, for instance, appeal to the need for food, of course, but many of their ads also appeal to the need for familial and community togetherness. Another ad, the U.S. Army's "Be all that you can be" slogan, appeals to the need for self-actualization. Needs give rise to values, which can be defined as principles, standards, or qualities which are deemed worthwhile or desirable. Someone whose needs include belonging to a group, for instance, may "value" commitment, sacrifice, and sharing. Values are the principles by which we judge right or wrong, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, worthwhile or undesirable. They have a profound effect on our behavior, so it is not surprising that appealing to values is a key element of argument. In the last presidential election, for example, much of the political discourse centered on "family values." While what is meant by this term is debatable, both sides readily argued in favor of family values because most Americans believe family values are worthwhile and desirable goals. Know your opinion Finally, to write a good op-ed piece, it is crucial to know where you stand on your topic. While this may seem obvious, too often students write argumentative essays that waffle back and forth and end up arguing nothing in particular. First, you should realize that it is an argumentative essay, intended to persuade readers to your point of view. You will offer a "claim" and then attempt to support that claim. In general, there are three types of claims, each of which can be useful in argument: Claims of fact assert that a condition has existed, exists, or will exist and relies on factual information for support. In general, claims of fact are opinions drawn by inference. It is important to distinguish between "fact" and "inference." A fact is a statement that can be verified--the number of students in a class, the law of gravity, the presence of a virus in a blood specimen. An inference, however, is an interpretation, or opinion, reached after informed evaluation of evidence. According to S. I. Hayakawa, author of Language in Thought and Action, an inference is "a statement about the unknown on the basis of the known." Because inferences are often presented in a factual manner, it is easy sometimes to be misled into believing that they are facts. For instance, the statement "Stiffer penalties for drunk driving has led to fewer traffic fatalities" is stated factually but actually is an inference. Although it may be true, it is an interpretation of evidence, in this case, probably a comparison of statistics before and after the stiffer penalties were imposed. Claims of value make a judgment--they express approval or disapproval, attempting to prove that some action, belief or condition is right or wrong, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, worthwhile or undesirable.

Many claims of value simply express tastes, likes and dislikes, or preferences which are not the proper subject of an argumentative essay. "Milk tastes good" is a value claim, but it would be a waste of time to write a persuasive essay on the subject. The two most fertile areas for value claims in argumentative writing--and the two areas in which people most often disagree--are aesthetics and morality. As you might expect, these areas offer the greatest challenge to the writer. Aesthetics, the study of beauty and the fine arts, attempts to gauge the value of works of art--books, paintings, sculpture, architecture, dance, drama, and movies, to name a few. For experts and laypeople alike, difference of opinion over the aesthetic value of works of art usually exists because they disagree on the standards by which such value is determined. Even if they agree on a set of standards, they may disagree about how successfully the art object under discussion has met these standards. Value claims about morality express judgments about the rightness or wrongness of conduct or belief. Here, too, disagreements abound. As with aesthetics, claims about morality often depend upon certain standards or principles held by the arguer. Regardless of what a value claim argues, often they may depend upon claims of fact as support. A value claim that democracy is superior to any other form of government, for instance, might require factual claims that define your terms and establish the standards by which you reach this conclusion. Claims of policy argue that certain conditions should exist. As the name suggests, they advocate adoption of policies or courses of action because problems have arisen that call for solution. The words should or ought to or must are almost always expressed or implied in the claim. As with value claims, claims of policy often require you to build upon fact and value claims. You may need to establish with a claim of fact that there is a problem needing a solution, for instance, and then use a claim of value to argue the rightness of solving the problem. What to write about Remember that this assignment is to write a persuasive essay of a specific type: a newspaper (or newsletter) opinion piece. Therefore, it is to your benefit to read as many newspaper editorial page pieces as you can in order to see real-life models of the kind of essay you are being asked to write. As I mentioned earlier, you have free reign to choose a topic of interest to you, and the essay you write may be intended for a general newspaper or for a specified real or fictional newsletter. The main requirement is that you attempt to argue some topic of potential interest to your readers. Let's go through that step by step. First, you must argue. What I mean by that is that you have to present an essay in which you attempt to persuade readers toward a certain conclusion. Don't be thrown by the more common definition of the word "argue"--this is not inherently a hostile encounter (though it can be). In essence, it is dialogue you carry on with known or unknown persons to convince them to think, believe, or act in a certain way. And whether you realize it or not, it is everywhere. Political oratory, of course, is a form of argument, but so is a religious sermon. Advertisements assault you on a daily basis in their attempt to persuade you to purchase their products. Every time you say you like or dislike a book, a song, a television show, you make a claim of value. If you go on to say why, you are making an argument.

Second, you should choose a topic of potential interest. Since it is your topic and your opinion, it should certainly be of interest to you. Not only does choosing a topic of interest make it easier to write, it also improves you chances of making it interesting to other people, because simply put, students write better essays when they write about things they like. Third, you are writing for readers. Consider your audience carefully throughout the writing process. Try to anticipate objections they may have. In fact, at some point you should try to shoot holes into your argument so that you can "fix" them. Of course, as the old saying goes, there are always two sides to an issue. In fact, I would suggest there are many sides to an issue. Effective argument does not have to be fool-proof, and it is perfectly all right not to have an answer to every problem that can arise. Do not feel bad about making concessions on certain points. Much of this information can be credited to John B. Padgett at OlMiss