ENG 160
Paper 3: Letter to a Politician (20 pts.)
First Draft Due: 11/21
Final Draft Due: 12/1
ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW
In beginning this assignment, consider what you are passionate about and would like to propose for reform. What is something that you really care for and would find fulfillment in cultivating a persuasive and informative proposition? Reflect on how life for you, your loved ones, or others could be improved. Perhaps it is working on animal rights, health care reform, changing the parking situation on campus, promoting an approach to art education, immigration reform, anti-war proposals, or other topics of interest. Think deeply about how society around you operates and what stance you can take to persuade a city official to create a direction for change. Then, begin researching which New York State official best suits your audience. How can they insight change? What is their stance? Knowing their background information, how can you persuade them towards your cause? Once you decide on your audience, begin to research your cause. What statistics, theories, arguments, and resources can you utilize to help support your argument? The following step is to create a detailed outline of how you will go about executing your persuasive letter. Once you begin your drafting process, utilize the rhetorical situation we have discussed to create a persuasive letter that will illustrate the problem you are addressing, describe why the problem is urgent, provide several causal links within your argument, evaluate the dilemma’s ethical, societal, economic, and political components, and ultimately propose a realistic, efficient, and compelling solution to your problem. This assignment should utilize the genre of a letter as a strength in its proposition, making the writing personal, engaging, and coherent.
Covered in this paper: genre of a letter; persuasive writing; rhetorical situation; research; analyzing information; organization; writing as a process
Guidelines for Proposal Letter:
The problem is defined in a clear and meaningful manner. The audience must be able to fully understand what the problem is and why it is a problem.
The problem demonstrates urgency, and the resolution of this problem proves to be significant.
The cause and effect of the dilemma provided is evident. There are a multitude of causal relationships demonstrated between the issue and the given solution.
Sufficient research is conducted. It is cited correctly, is utilized ethically, and is powerful in its effect on your proposal. A total of 3-5 sources should be used.
A proposition is provided that is realistic, efficient, and impactful.
Reasoning from opposition should be explained and countered with a rebuttal.
The genre of a letter is utilized and not merely adapted. The audience is thoughtfully chosen.
Well organized. Whatever strategy you use, make sure that your organization (beginning, development, and conclusion) is effective, engaging, and clear.
Thesis Statement: State the main idea of your letter in your introduction in a Thesis Statement. Then make certain that every supporting paragraph relates to and supports that main idea.
Demonstrate growth and improvement from the first drafts to the final revised draft.
Write a 5-6-page letter, double-spaced, free of grammatical errors. Submit printed.