Essay #3 Directions--Persuasion: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
Your third essay is a persuasive essay in which you will convince the reader of a certain policy, stance, or philosophy. Your argument should rely on the three persuasive
appeals (logos, pathos, ethos). We are going to build the essay in two stages. The first stage will be essay #3—a four-to-five page essay focused entirely on persuasion. You
should deal with potential counter-arguments to your argument and avoid logical fallacies. You should state your thesis in enthymeme format and use the Toulmin model
generally for building the essay. Essay #3 will not necessarily rely heavily on research, but more on pathos, ethos, and logos. Later on, we will revisit the same topic for
essay #4, the research essay, in which you will create a four-to-five page expansion of this essay that will focus more heavily on research.
Due Date: Three copies of a rough draft are due at the beginning of class on
th
Wednesday, October 17 . Your final polished version is due Wednesday, October
24th, by 4:30 p.m. in a two-pocket folder, as discussed in the “final copies” part of the
instructions. (Note I have scooted back the due-dates from the syllabus to spend a
little extra time on logic.)
Length: This major essay is a typed or word-processed essay of four-to-five full
pages of text, not counting any separate Works Cited page. You may choose only
fonts such as Times or Times New Roman at font size 12. Essays slightly below this
page length will be docked a letter grade. Essays that are a half-page or more short of
the length will be given zeros.
Format: Each essay should be typed or word-processed on high quality paper (no
onion-skin paper or semi-transparent bond paper, please). Aim for a professional
appearance. Use Modern Language Association format (MLA). You might find it
useful to peruse Writing at Carson-Newman College for a brief overview. You do not
need a separate title page for this assignment.
In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, please include the following material
double-spaced and flush against the left margin--your name, your teacher's name, the
course including either the meeting time in parentheses or the section letter, and
finally the due date (not necessarily the date you finished the work). Here is a generic
example:
Jane Doe
Professor Wheeler
English 101-A (7:00 a.m.)
24 October 2014
After typing this material in the upper left-hand corner of the first page, you should
double-space and center the title of your composition. Be original. Be memorable.
Make your title count. Note that the title of your own unpublished essay need not be
underlined, italicized, or placed within quotation marks. Follow normal MLA
conventions for capitalization.
The body of your essay should be double-spaced and left-margin justified rather than
fully justified (i.e., your right-side margin will be "ragged" rather than straight).
Maintain one-inch margins all around the essay. On every page including the first,
insert a header with your last name and the page number. By viewing "header" on
most word-processors, you can set up your document to automatically include such a
header on each page.
1. Formality: This essay's level of formality will depend upon the tone appropriate for your
argument. Arguments that rely most heavily on pathos might require a slightly less formal
tone, in which case you might use first-person pronouns like “I” and “me” selectively.
Arguments that rely more heavily on ethos and research might require a more formal and
scholarly tone, in which case you should stick with third-person pronouns. In either case,
avoid second-person pronouns (“you” and “your”), excessive contractions, slang, and
other informalities if they do not enhance the work.
2. Research: Part of ethos is “good sense,” showing the audience that you are knowledgeable and
informed on a topic, but I want you to practice other methods of ethos on essay #3 before
we incorporate research. We will be incorporating significant research into a later version
of this essay for essay #4.
3. Enthymemes: These questions are prompts only to get you started in your thinking. It is your
job to build a specific thesis--an argument your paper will prove. Fashion your thesis in
enthymeme format. You will need two clauses--one that asserts your argument and a
second using a shared assumption, as we will have discussed in class previously.
4. Grammar: Grammar and neatness count. Because faulty grammar can lead to
miscommunication, and sloppiness detracts from the author’s ethos in the paper, grammar
and neatness are in many ways inseparable from content. Proofread essays before
submission. Since you will probably be using a word-processor, remember to use the spellcheck function. Theoretically, your paper should be completely free of spelling errors.
5. Staples: I will not accept papers that are not attached together using paperclips or staples.
Dog-earing copies together is unacceptable.
6. Audience Adaptation: Your mission is to present an argument even hostile audiences might respond to favorably. The most effective arguments treat the opposition respectfully. That means you should not insult those who disagree with you but deal with opposing viewpoints fairly and honestly-­‐-­‐even admit to weaknesses in your own argument and strengths in the opposing argument. If you examine both sides of the issue, and it honestly looks like your arguments are weaker than the arguments for the opposing side, it may be time to change your own stance. Option A: Current Debates About Voting?
Option B: Enforced Medication?
Perusing current news articles, readers will see much recent discussion about
changes in voting laws. In previous decades, eligible citizens could vote if they
could demonstrate they were of voting age and had residence in the local area.
Alternatively, they could vote by absentee ballot if they were serving overseas or
attending college out of state by mailing in ballots back to their home county. A
social security card or certified birth certificate was considered acceptable proof
of one’s identity, as long as the voter’s name appeared listed in the rolls.
Often, various drugs can serve to alleviate mental conditions and learning
disorders. For instance, lithium can alleviate the worst hallucinatory symptoms of
schizophrenia and paranoia, and Ritalin can help those suffering from Attention
Deficit Disorder so they can focus and pay more attention to their surroundings.
Other drugs can help suicidal individuals overcome intense feelings of despair.
Recent changes in the last two years in the voting laws of many states now require
voters to display either a current government-issued photo-ID (the most common
form required being current drivers’ licenses) showing current local residence,
though these proposed laws often would often make an exception for NRA
(National Rifle Association) membership cards, which might not have photo-ID.
The argument is that stricter requirements for ID will help cut down on voter
fraud in narrowly contested elections.
The counter-argument is that voter fraud has been statistically negligible, and this
change will disproportionately affect college students and military personnel
serving abroad who are often living far away from their official “home” address
who cannot take off time to drive or fly back home on election day to use their
local ID. Similarly, it disproportionately affects the elderly or disabled who
cannot drive, the poor, and people in rural areas who find it easier to mail in
ballots than it would be to take a day off work or arrange for transportation to the
voting booth.
The debate typically winds up focused on questions of policy. Is it more
important to ensure that every individual gets a fair chance to vote, given that the
right to vote is arguably the most essential Constitutional right for U.S. citizens?
Or is it more important to prevent voter fraud, since voter fraud strikes at the heart
of democracy?
Your job is to fashion an argument concerning this issue. At what point would
new requirements become unreasonable or burdensome barriers around the voting
booth, unfairly preventing legitimate voters from having their say? At what point
do current requirements prove inadequate at preventing fraud? Are there any
reasonably cheap alternatives ensure honest elections and verify identification
without photographic documentation in this particular form? Or are the current
requirements sufficient?
However, often these drugs can alter personality traits in the one taking them.
Depending on the particular drug, they can have side effects ranging from
lethargy, to changes in libido, to mood swings, to an inability to operate heavy
machinery. Some artists and musicians, for instance, have argued that such drugs
inhibit their creativity. Others say the side effects of such drugs have adversely
affected their marriages, and would prefer not to take them. However, without
such drugs, some sufferers of mental illness may be a danger to themselves or
others, or may end up with behavioral problems that prove troublesome.
What should the law be in such cases? Do you think individuals who are
depressed, suicidal, or paranoid have the right to refuse pharmaceutical treatments
of this nature? Or do you think others with more clear minds should make the
decision for them? If someone else should make that call—who is it? Family
members? Social workers? Therapists? Parole officers? Should the requirement
be different for minors and adults? Why—given that one’s civil rights do not
hinge on age? Does the nature of the drug matter? The nature of the affliction?
What about those who have religious beliefs against medical intervention? Would
a policy requiring drug treatment violate the religious freedom of Jehovah’s
Witnesses, Scientologists, or any Fundamentalists who strictly follow James 5:1415, and thus refuse medical treatment (beyond prayer) on the grounds of religious
freedom?
Which matters more—public safety or individual rights? If public safety is most
important, could a town vote to add a mild tranquilizer to the town water supply
to cut down on violent crime? How would that be different than, say, putting
fluoride in the town water supply to cut down on cavities? If individual rights are
most important, should a violent individual judged to be criminally insane have
the legal right to refuse treatment?
Fashion an argument concerning this issue, narrowing your topic down to perhaps
a particular type of drug, a particular type of patient, or a particular type of
situation.