Should America outlaw the Death Penalty?
Second Workshop Description 2000 Word Minimum Now that you’ve all told me a story about yourself, you are ready to move onto the main reason you will be writing for the rest of your lives: convincing people of what you want them to believe. For this essay, you will be choosing a strong thesis statement that is not commonly accepted by the general public (i.e., absolutely no one should write an essay about “Why Murder is Bad,” or “Why Being Kind is Cool”). I want you to pick a topic you are passionate about or maybe just interested in knowing more about. You should be able to support your claim with evidence found in research rather than your own experience. The more detailed your thesis is, the better. Any vagueness of your overall intent in the planning stage will only lead to a vague, unfocused essay. An A-quality essay will use the three main elements of persuasive writing: logos, pathos, and ethos. An A-quality essay will have a complex thesis that can be defended/supported. An A-quality essay will address the opposing viewpoints and dismantle them. An A-quality essay will be both well written and well structured. An A-quality essay will be able to blend the formal style with the writer’s personal voice. An A-quality essay will be creative. An A-quality essay will not repeat itself, but expand upon and delve deeper into the subject matter. An A-quality essay will meet the 2000 word minimum and have no formatting issues and almost no spelling/grammatical mistakes. If you want to stick to the typical structure you were taught in high school (Thesis, Point A, Point B, Point C, conclusion) that is fine. If you want to break out of that mold and try to structure your argument in a more dynamic, modern way, then feel free to. Remember: your goal, above all else, is to convince the reader. Know your biases, look out for fallacies, and be as detailed as possible. Here’s some example topics I found online: – American Schools Should Convert to a Year-Round School Calendar – Steroid Users Should Be Allowed in the Baseball Hall of Fame – Should America outlaw the Death Penalty? – Should Children Receive an Allowance from their Parents for Doing Chores? These are just examples. Remember, you will need to write about this topic for around 6 pages. It should be something where you can really push past the surface level, otherwise you will not be able to meet your word limit. I am putting no content restrictions on this essay, so you should be arguing for something you care about. ——————————————————————————- I want to write an essay in favor of whether the legalization of marijuana is a good idea. My first idea is that marijuana is less harmful to the body than legal alcohol and cigarettes. Cannabis does not have the carcinogens and poisonous substances found in cigarettes. In addition, many people die from cancer, liver damage, or alcoholism due to alcoholism, but no cases of marijuana overdose have been recorded. The second is that legalizing cannabis can economically benefit greatly. It can earn a big tax profit by taxing cannabis. And it will be able to secure the cost of arresting people for marijuana possession. Finally, cannabis should be legalized to make safe cannabis products. Illegal marijuana can be dangerous because the seller does not know whether harmful substances have been put in the product. If marijuana is legalized, the government can implement experimental test rules to ensure that the product is free of harmful substances.