Write a non-literary essay about a topic of your choice. The essay should take the form of one of the following: persuasive (try to get the reader to see your perspective), expository (explain a particular topic such as an event, issue, or situation), or argumentative (attempt to prove your theory is correct, or more reasonable than others). There is a bit of overlap between the persuasive and argumentative forms, but the latter is more absolute than the former and specifically argues against another perspective. You must utilize at least two of the rhetorical techniques (logos, pathos and ethos) that we’ve discussed in class.
Your topic can be anything you choose: it can be about something important on a global, national, provincial, municipal, personal or trivial scale, just remember that the angle needs to tell the reader the current significance of your chosen topic. For these essays, the thesis can be explicit, or implied, but the angle must be clear and show the reader the reason why you’re writing about this topic. Show the reader why he or she should care. In these types of essays the angle is equally as important as your thesis.
Also keep in mind that this essay must make a point. You are not writing a report. The goal of your essay should not simply be to inform your reader about a subject. That strategy is only permissible for expository essays if the topic is commonly misunderstood, hidden from the general public, or very recent and relevant. Do not write a report on a topic that your reader could simply learn about on the Internet.
This assignment must conform to MLA standards: if you decide to quote from secondary sources, those quotations should be properly introduced and grammatically correct with proper documentation in a Works Cited page at the end of the essay