ESSAY TWO: Persuasive Writing
In your first assignment, you honed your analytical skills by critically responding to another author’s argument. In this assignment, you will compose your own persuasive essay, responding in four pages to the prompt listed below:
In two of the texts we have read and discussed this semester—Margaret Talbot’s “Brain Gain” and Nicholas Hagar’s “All Too Much: The Widespread Use of Study Drugs on Campus”—the authors address the potential advantages and dangers of using “neuroenhancing” drugs, as well as the ethical questions that arise from such drug use. In this second paper, I’d like you to respond to the following question: Should college students be allowed to use neuroenhancing drugs to improve their academic performance? In developing your answer to this question, please use evidence (i.e., direct quotes) from both Talbot’s and Hagar’s pieces.
Remember to foreground your central claim in your opening paragraph: a strong paper is anchored by a strong thesis.
In writing this paper, you’ll want to follow steps similar to the ones outlined below:
1) Reread the essays, noting key ideas and concepts (either annotating the texts themselves or keeping your own notes).
2) After you have reread the essays, develop your tentative answer to the question posed in the prompt. This is your preliminary thesis.
3) Using your preliminary thesis as a guide, develop an outline for your discussion. What supporting claims or arguments or observations will you be making to back up your thesis? Remember to use sound logic and good reasoning as you formulate your response, and always be willing to engage with those who are likely to disagree with you.
4) With your outline in hand, begin to draft your topic sentences, making sure that each one relates back to/builds on your thesis statement.
5) Once you’ve completed your topic sentences, it’s time to select your evidence. Which quotations will most effectively support your position? Which quotations represent counterarguments you could address? What connections do you see between the quotations you’ve selected?
