Argumentative essay

ENG 111 1

Argumentative Essay

Final Essay Due: December 21 (Monday) 2 PM EST (25% of your final grade)

NOTE: See the next page for the topics you can choose.

This assignment asks you to produce an argumentative essay (1000-1250 words) that makes and

supports a claim related to a topic from one of the readings we read for this class. In other

words, unlike the critical response assignment, your job this time is to express an opinion about

the subject matter, not to explain and examine the efficiency of the rhetorical strategies used in

a certain article.

Since this paper focuses on the persuasive nature of writing, during the process of drafting and

revising, you will need to develop a specific thesis statement and support for it based on the

kinds of sources you find. Use at least three outside sources to develop your argument, one of

which must be a scholarly source.1 A part of your job is to discover the kinds of arguments that

are possible to make. Another part of your job is to figure out how to develop a claim that can be

supported with the resources you find. Whenever necessary, you can use direct quotations to

elucidate your point; however, do NOT use block quotations (an indented quotation that is more

than 4 lines) in your essay.

All the outside sources must be documented in MLA style, with in-text citations and a Works

Cited page. The Works Cited page does NOT count toward the word count. All pages should be

numbered and your name should be printed on each page. On the top of the first page, put your

name, my name, the course number (ENG 1100), and the date of submission. Your essay should

be word-processed in 2.0 line spacing and 12-point Times New Roman, with 1" margin.

Please feel free to e-mail me (pclavin@ccm.edu) if you have any questions.

1 Academic sources, also called scholarly sources, are sources which can include books, academic journal articles, and published expert reports. The content in academic sources has usually been peer-reviewed, which means that it's been reviewed by experts on its topic for accuracy and quality before being published.

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Topics You Can Choose for This Assignment

NOTE: These articles can be used as outside sources. These are not scholarly sources.

1) Blue-collar intelligence

➔ The topic is related to Mike Rose’s “Blue-Collar Brilliance”

2) Bilingual education

➔ The topic is related to Maxine Hong Kingston’s “Tongue-Tied, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s

“Decolonizing the Mind,” and Richard Rodriguez’s “Aria”

3) Objectivity in writing (e.g. legal/historical writing, the use of “I”)

➔ The topic is related to Patricia Williams’s “The Death of the Profane”

4) English as the official language of the U.S.

➔ The topic is related to Dennis Baron’s “Lingua Blanka”

5) Linguistic purism in English (i.e. using “plain English”)

➔ The topic is related to George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language”

6) The effects of race, class, and/or gender on language use

➔ The topic is related to Jaswinder Bolina’s “Writing like a White Guy”

7) Digital literacy (e.g. cognitive changes in reading, technology in learning, computer literacy)

➔ The topic is related to Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Judith Newman’s

“To Siri, with Love,” and Tasneem Raja’s “Is Coding the New Literacy?”

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Scholarly Sources and Popular Sources

Scholarly Popular

Authors: Experts such as scientists, scholar, and historians

Generalists, including bloggers, staff writers, and journalists; not always attributed

Examples:

Journal of Education; Multilingual Research Journal; books from university presses such as Oxford University Press and the University of California Press

Wikipedia, CNN.com, About.com; People Magazine, USA Today; bestselling books; books from popular publishers like Penguin and Random House; articles available on general college or university websites

Focus: Specific and in-depth (often previously unpublished)

Broad overviews

Language: Dense; includes academic jargon Easier to read; defines specialized terms

Format: Almost always include abstracts, literature reviews, methodologies, results, and conclusions

Varies

Citations: Include bibliographies, citations, and footnotes that follow a particular academic style guide

No formal citations included; may or may not informally attribute sources in text

Before Publication:

“Peer-reviewed”: evaluated by peers (other scholars)

Edited by in-house editors or not edited at all

Audience: Specialists in the subject area: students, professors and the author's peers

General readers; shouldn't require any special background

Design: Mostly text, with some tables and charts; very little photography; no advertising

Glossy images, attractive design; photo illustrations and advertising are more common

Purpose: Communicating research findings; education

Entertainment; news

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Sample Argumentative Paper 1

C. L.

Dr. Clavin

ENG 1100

November 26, 2018

A Bilingual Education in Secondary School Systems

➔ IMPORTANT! These essays are provided to show you how your classmates respond to the same assignment. They are NOT provided for you to build your essay on.

Keep in mind that building your essay structure (and ideas) on someone else’s essay

counts as plagiarism and will not be tolerated.

➔ For the final paper, you will need a good title. Think about an effective title in advance—if you already have a title for your argumentative paper, you can use the

same title. Make sure to capitalize and lowercase the title properly (See Chapter 45

in Rules for Writers or my Grammar Pointer).

The increase of immigrants, global workforces, and desire to travel the world has put

American people in constant contact with other languages and cultures. The results from

different cultures blending together makes it difficult to communicate with people who speak

different languages. With the increase of contact with speakers of different languages, it is

important to enforce a bilingual education in all secondary school systems. A bilingual education

should be necessary in all of United States’ secondary school systems as it not only allows

people to better communicate with others, but it also enables students to have future job

opportunities, a well-rounded personality, and positive impacts on the brain.

➔ The thesis is clearly stated at the end of the introduction. Note that you are making an argument of your own on one of the given topics this time. In other words, you

are not analyzing the rhetorical strategies of an article; for this reason, you would

not start with an essay in our textbook.

Students attending secondary school are at the age in which they are beginning to think of

future career paths. [<- The student provides three points to support her thesis in the

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beginning. She explains one of those points in this body paragraph. She also uses a topic

sentence effectively here.] A bilingual education should be mandatory in secondary school

systems as it allows students to have a better chance of obtaining their future career, and it

creates future opportunities for students. As companies come into contact with customers or

people of another language, it is important for companies to have employees that are able to

communicate effectively with customers. An article from New American Economy mentions that

“employers increasingly desire workers who speak multiple languages, particularly in industries

that provide services involving a high degree of human interaction.” [<- She mentions the

article title because the article doesn’t have an author. Do NOT mention the article title if

there’s an author; you should only mention the author’s name.] The author also states that

“over the past five years, demand for bilingual workers in the United States more than doubled.

In 2010, there were roughly 240,000 job postings aimed at bilingual workers; by 2015, that

figure had ballooned to approximately 630,000” (“Demand for Bilingual Workers”). [<- The

student puts the shortened title of the article in double quotation marks because the article

does not have any information on its author. There is no page number because it is an

online source.] The demand for future employees who can speak another language shows that

there are more job opportunities for people who have the ability to speak another language.

Hence, a bilingual education in secondary school systems is important so that students can have a

better opportunity of being employed after they graduate high school.

The knowledge of the demand for more employees who can speak another language has

provoked schools to implement dual-language programs. According to “Dual-Language

Learning Programs on the Rise,” Margaret Ramirez explains that a New York City Education

Department decided to create forty dual-language programs for elementary, middle, and high

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school levels. Also, Ramirez writes that “dual-language schools and education programs are on

the rise as a way to better prepare students for jobs in a globalized economy.” The increase of

dual-language programs has become popular because of the increased desire for bilingual people

in the workforce (Ramirez). As more companies are in demand for bilingual employees, schools

are preparing their students for future employment. Schools are beginning to enforce language

courses in order for students to obtain knowledge of a second language in hopes of becoming

bilingual. Schools hope that providing their students with a bilingual education will help their

chances of obtaining a job in the future.

Not only does a bilingual education provide more career opportunities, but it also

positively impacts students’ personalities as it makes them more well-rounded. The author of

“List of Pros and Cons of Bilingual Education” mentions that “studies prove that learning a

second language enhances the mind and provides the student with a much brighter future,

making it easier for them to understand and relate to other cultures throughout the world.” [<-

Use the present tense even if the article was published in the past (e.g. “The article

mentions that…”). Using the present tense is the convention in the field of English.] In

addition, the author also explains that students who can speak a second language are “more likely

to be cultured and worldly” and have “positive interactions with other races, which lead to

personal growth and more rapid development of other important social skills” (“List of Pros and

Cons”). [<- It is a good practice to support your idea with evidence, but make sure not to

use direct quotations (quotations that use double quotation marks) too much. Avoid using

direct quotations by paraphrasing. However, note that you must provide in-text citation

information even when you paraphrase.] Therefore, a bilingual education should be

mandatory as it can strengthen the overall characters and personalities of students. The

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knowledge of a second language allows students to become more open minded, enabling them to

be more willing to learn and accept people of other cultures and ethnicities.

➔ While the student effectively incorporates all direct quotations, the quotations are a bit too much. If you must cite a source that is longer than four lines in a paragraph,

consider using indirect quotations (paraphrasing). When you paraphrase, make

sure to change the entire sentence structure as we practiced in class.

Additionally, studies have shown that monolingual speakers have language based social

biases, and they prefer to be with people who speak their language. For instance, Heinlein Krista

Byers writes that an experiment was done involving monolinguals and bilinguals. Among each

other, the monolinguals and bilinguals in the experiment had to choose whom they wanted to be

friends with. The experiment shows that “monolingual children from a monolingual or bilingual

community preferred to affiliate with a monolingual speaker over a bilingual speaker, while the

bilingual children did not show a preference for monolingual versus bilingual speakers” (Byers).

This experiment shows that bilingual people are more willing to associate with other people who

may not speak their native language, while monolingual people would rather not associate with

people of another culture or nationality. This shows that the ability to speak another language

helps in developing important social skills. Bilingualism allows students to be more ethno-

relative, and bilingualism makes students open-minded about communicating and being friendly

with someone that is culturally different.

Moreover, all secondary schools should mandate a bilingual education because it has

profound cognitive effects. Gaia Vince explains that bilingualism can prevent dementia. He cites

a study conducted by Ellen Bialystok, who compares “an aging population of monolinguals and

bilinguals.” After her research Bialystok states that “the bilinguals showed symptoms of

Alzheimer’s some four to five years after monolinguals with the same disease pathology” (qtd. in

Vince). [<- “qtd. in” is used when you cite an indirect source. That is, Bialystok is quoted in

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Vince’s article, and the student has read Vince’s article, not Bialystok’s original article.

Note that MLA citation rules will be even more important than before, so make sure to cite

all sources accurately; if you’re not sure how to cite a source, ask me in advance.] This

research shows being bilingual can prevent dementia from occurring early on in a person’s life.

The ability to speak another language gives people more time before experiencing the

devastating effects of dementia, allowing them to live longer and healthier lives.

In addition, a bilingual education would also enhance a student’s cognitive effects related

to learning. In “Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual,” Marian and Shook explain that being

bilingual can improve learning. The author mentions that “the improvements in cognitive and

sensory processing driven by bilingual experience may help a person to better process

information, leading to a clearer signal for learning.” The author also explains that being

bilingual can lead to acquiring “larger gains in vocabulary” since bilingual people have the

ability to process and handle more information than a monolingual individual (Marian and

Shook). Bilingualism contributes to strengthening cognitive function; therefore, a bilingual

education should be mandatory in all secondary schools to enhance students’ cognitive abilities.

Although a bilingual education may positively impact students, people believe that a

bilingual education can actually harm students. For example, in “Aria,” Richard Rodriguez

explains that being forced to learn English when his native language was Spanish hurt him.

Rodriguez writes that being forced to learn a second language caused a lack of “closeness at

home.” In addition, he describes his situation in which he was at a loss for the “desperate, urgent,

intense feeling of being at home among those with whom [he] felt intimate. [His] family

remained a loving family, but one greatly changed. [They] were no longer so close, no longer

bound tightly together by the knowledge of [their] separateness from los gringos” (Rodriguez

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468). The experience that Rodriguez had while learning a second language negatively affected

his childhood. Rodriguez blames the mandatory English education for ruining his culture and

environment at home, which he possessed from his native language. He no longer felt as close to

his Hispanic culture and self because of the enforcement of learning a second language.

➔ Using one of the articles we read in class, the student provides a counterargument. Putting a counterargument to consider “the other side” of your opinion is an

effective writing strategy. Remember, however, that you should refute the

counterargument effectively in the next paragraph; additionally, carefully decide

where you should put the counterargument.

However, the enforcement of a bilingual education in secondary school systems would

not be handled the way it was for Rodriguez. Rodriguez was completely stripped of his native

language as he was forced to speak English in all of his classes. Today, the enforcement of a

bilingual education would be handled differently. Secondary school systems can provide

numerous language classes, such as Spanish, Italian, French, Chinese, German, or any other

language. While school systems should make language classes mandatory for students, these

students would not be forced to speak their newly learned language in any of their other classes,

such as their Math, Science, or History class. A bilingual education would be enforced in a way

that students would be required to take a language class, but they would not be forced to use the

new language outside of their language class. This method will allow students to learn a

language and acquire all of the benefits from learning it without affecting a student's native

language and culture.

➔ The student refutes the counterargument she has provided above.

The increase of language barriers and inadequate communication with those from

different cultures and backgrounds make communicating difficult. If students are provided a

bilingual education in school, students would be able to overcome these barriers in the future and

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also gain other valuable benefits. [<- The student puts a summary statement to indicate that

this is the conclusion.] Although there is a criticism that forcing a bilingual education can affect

a student’s native culture, the enforcement of language classes will be handled in an efficient

way to allow students to learn a new language without compromising their cultural and ethnic

identity. A bilingual education in secondary school systems should be mandatory as a bilingual

education provides students with future job opportunities, an improved character, and a healthy

and actively engaged mind.

➔ The sentence-level skills are rather plain, but this is a solid paper (the student received an A-). It has a clear thesis, well-developed supporting points (that support

the thesis), and a firm essay structure. Note that these elements are more important

than sophisticated sentences—that is, “fancy” words—with poorly developed ideas.

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Works Cited

Byers, Heinlein Krista, et al. “Monolingual and Bilingual Children’s Social Preferences for

Monolingual and Bilingual Speakers.” Developmental Science, vol. 20, no. 4, July 2017,

n.p. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/desc.12392. Accessed 29 Nov. 2018.

➔ This is a scholarly source. The topic of a scholarly source is very focused (“children’s” “social preferences” “monolingual and bilingual speakers”), and it

usually has a volume number and an issue number (“vol. 20, no. 4”).

➔ Indent the bibliographic information and your annotation so that the author’s last name is the only text that is flush left. Here’s how to indent: select the paragraph ->

right click and choose “Paragraph” -> go to “Indentation” in the middle of “Indents

and Spring” (first section) -> choose “Hanging” in “Special.” If you’re using Google

Docs, follow the instructions on this page: https://docs.google.com/document/d/

1QGAEu5JjHNHZMzmwtnXstgYOuZnjCQRFoCnwp7M_OsA/edit

“Demand for Bilingual Workers More than Doubled in 5 Years.” New American Economy, Mar.

2017, newamericaneconomy.org/press-release/demand-for-bilingual-workers-more-than-

doubled-in-5-years-new-report-shows. Accessed 8 Nov. 2018.

“List of Pros and Cons of Bilingual Education.” Occupy Theory, Jan. 2015, occupytheory.

org/list-of-pros-and-cons-of-bilingual-education/. Accessed 8 Nov. 2018.

➔ All entries should be organized in alphabetical order. Do not number the sources.

➔ If no author information is available, start the reference entry with the title of the article.

Marian, Victoria, and Anthony Shook. “Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual.” Future Learn,

2012, futurelearn.com/courses/multilingual-practices/0/steps/22658. Accessed 8 Nov.

2018.

Ramirez, Margaret. “Dual-Language Learning Programs on the Rise.” Education Digest, vol. 81,

no. 8, Apr. 2016, pp. 26–31. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct

=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,cpid&custid=s8865286&db=fth&AN=114073708&site=eho

st-live. Accessed 29 Nov. 2018.

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➔ Although this article has a volume number and an issue number, this is not a scholarly source. The general title (Education Digest) indicates that it’s not an

academic periodical. If you’re not sure about a source, again, ask me first.

Vince, Gaia. “Why Being Bilingual Works Wonders for Your Brain.” The Guardian, Aug.

2016, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/aug/07/being-bilingual-good-for-brain-

mental-health. Accessed 8 Nov. 2018.

➔ There is a mistake: the student forgot to cite Rodriguez (reason for point deduction).

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Sample Argumentative Paper 2

Sandra B.

Dr. Clavin

English 1100

25 November 2018

A Message to Silicon Valley

When a student gets a job that can be classified as “service work” or “blue-collar”, such

as a barista or cook, the job is only considered temporary, as if it was only a placeholder for a

career with more respect. Would people be able to brew a perfect cup of coffee every day before

work? Would they understand exactly why their car’s heating system was not working? Could

they be able to build their own homes if they could not find one? Most of these situations seem

trivial, or even outlandish, for people to think about. After all, they live in a world where most of

the materials that they use are not made by them at all; everything is just displayed to them like

pastel-colored boxes of treats, waiting to be taken. Beautiful houses spring up out of nowhere,

and if something is wrong, people give it to somebody else in order to fix it. They pay wads of

cash to anybody that claims to make them look lovely. Many rarely have the time to come make

a good, healthy meal every morning, so somebody does it for them. Such is America, where the

people doing the real work are frowned upon for choosing not to pursue a higher education.

Likewise, people that say that blue-collar workers are misguided are misguided themselves.

Workers make up more than half of America’s workforce and they are scorned for it, cast aside

like something lesser, because they choose jobs that do not provide high pay or good social

status. This stereotype of blue-collars worker fuels the discouragement of second-class work in

the education system, which tends to support white-collar jobs.

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➔ All sample papers have received at least an A-. As you might have noticed, however, all papers include a number of sentence-level—especially punctuation—issues.

Although punctuation is still important, note that a thorough and thoughtful

examination of your ideas and outside sources counts more (and that punctuation

rules are not easy to master in one semester).

➔ This is the same student who wrote her rhetorical analysis on Mike Rose’s “Blue- Collar Brilliance.” Read the sample rhetorical analysis paper again (entitled “Blue-

Collar Breakdown”) and compare it with this argumentative paper. Doing so will

help you see the differences between the two assignments.

➔ Make sure to put your introduction in one page. The argumentative paper is still a short paper, and your introduction should not exceed one page.

In a nutshell, blue-collar work is an umbrella term that describes a wide variety of service

and labor jobs. These jobs can be divided into five subsequent categories: self-employed, craft,

marginally employed, core sector, and periphery sector (Adams and Canak). [<- Note the

student is not following the typical Point 1, Point 2, Point 3 body paragraphs. Instead, she

provides detailed background information on blue-collar work to establish her points.]

There are also multiple subdivisions, all dependent on the type of industry, organization of labor,

and the economic strength of the employing company. Within those divisions of blue-collar work

lies a rigid structure of labor work all based on the concept of upward mobility. For example, the

more somebody works, the more chances that worker’s work will be appreciated, and he or she

will advance and get a tidier sum for their hours. However, since the 1990s, blue-collar work has

been under attack (Adams and Canak). There are multiple factors as to why, the most well-

known being changes in global marketing and advancements in technology that decrease the

value of a skilled workforce. There is also the social aspect, which touches more on the change

of stereotype: race, class, gender, and the media. Education, however, rarely comes to mind as

the tying reason.

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Nearly every child in the United States has heard the constant ramble of the importance

of a college education. [<- She introduces the problem of the society’s devaluing of blue-

collar work to establish her points more clearly.] Every parent’s dream for his or her children

is for them to become a part of the country’s intellectual elite. The change starts to occur in

middle school, when jobs like firefighter and policeman become careers like engineer and

lawyer. There is a reason for that: the education system favors white-collar jobs. Compared to

blue-collar laborers, white-collar workers have higher standards of living, pay, and status in

society. It is wonderful that the human race as a whole can solve problems to help humanity and

the environment thanks to scientists and intellectuals. The potential to become the next Steve

Jobs is in everybody, should students choose to pursue it. However, what if they choose not to?

What if their families do not have the time or money to send their children to university? What

life will their children have? According to America’s ever-changing culture, those children will

have no life at all. The media’s portrayal of the working class has reinforced this ideology by

showing burly, scarred redneck mechanics, teenage Latinas taking over supermarkets, and

African-Americans working at fast food chains. Ads run on TV that show laborers covered in

dirt, grease, and grime; and characters in sitcoms lament about insufferable hours and measly pay

at their waitressing jobs in the local eatery. It definitely sounds racist and classist, but people

cannot help looking over those workers. With this kind of representation in American society, it

is no wonder that workers are treated the way they are.

The education system uses this stereotype (a combination of the impoverished,

uneducated minority) to further distance blue-collar work as an alternative option to traditional

four-year, higher education. In addition, complex classwork, temporary jobs, and student debt

prevent students from finding out about more practical ways to make a living. Surprisingly, labor

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jobs are becoming higher in demand, but most young people become jaded after hearing how

much work labor needs. As one airplane manufacturer explains it, “Today’s young people,

moreover, tend to regard craft work—plumbing, masonry, and carpentry, for instance—as

unfashionable and dead-end, no doubt because they’ve been instructed to aspire to college”

(Kotkin).There is an obvious difference between the brick-and-mortar construction site and the

futuristic hippie paradise that is Silicon Valley, and there is no mistake as to which one college

students prefer. Fortunately, thanks to new, outreaching programs in certain schools, those

students may want to rethink their career decisions.

One such pioneer school is the Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College

(EWVCTC), which is striving to create a new educational experience for students of all ages and

genders through their welding course. With an immersive curriculum and apprentice partnerships

with local trade unions, the program’s purpose is to show students that blue-collar work is a

reliable alternative to a costly college education:

The stigma (about blue-collar work) has done all the skill trades a disservice. But young

folks that are joining the trades are creating a wonderful life in clean jobs that pay well.

It’s all about getting the word out there, fighting stereotypes and promoting good, high-

paying jobs here at home. (Guth 22)

➔ This is a block quotation. In MLA, you separate your quote as a block quotation when the quote is more than 4 lines. Here is how to create a block quotation on

Microsoft Word: select the paragraph -> right click and choose “Paragraph” -> go

to “Indentation” in the middle of “Indents and Spring” (first section) -> change

“Left” to 0.5’.” If you are using Google Docs, follow the link to see how to create a block quote: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/smart-quotes-google-docs

➔ IMPORTANT: When you use a block quote, you must explain the quote and comment on it (almost as much as the length of the quote) in your own words. Do not

just place a block quote and move on. Keep the next paragraph flush left (i.e. up

against the left margin; see where the next paragraph starts below) to indicate that

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you are providing a commentary on the quote.

In order to inspire prospective enrollers, the school uses the local media to their benefit to

promote the program in a refreshingly untraditional way: by showing bright, clean, safe

workplaces with workers using the latest technology to enhance their productivity. In addition,

officials like Betty Lavorgna are in charge of connecting students with employers so they can

enjoy success as soon as they finish training. According to Lavorgna, even though the students

start out at an average wage, “between $12 to $28,” they quickly rise through the ranks and can

even apply their skills to other trade industries, such as construction or plumbing. The success of

courses like the one in EWVCTC have inspired other schools across the country to create trade

programs of similar style to pump some last life into overlooked blue-collar industries. Such

implements into the education system are only the first step, however. Simply installing

apprenticeship programs into community colleges will not fix everything; the social stigma of

blue-collar work in America must be addressed as well. Blue-collar work should get more

appreciation because it requires rough experience, social intelligence, and sensory knowledge.

Even though technology is encroaching on the jobs of factory workers in coastal cities,

many companies still need an honest labor workforce. A laborer, such as the humble plumber,

can earn more than $75,000 for a good year’s work. The payoff comes at a price: the worker

learns on his feet instead of behind a desk. While labor laws do protect workers from serious

injuries, the amount of skill is usually the first line of accident prevention. Gaining this skill is a

daily process, as Sherry Linkon explains: “Whether it’s building cars, cleaning toilets, or even

ringing up sales at a grocery store cash register, working-class jobs require resilience, physical

strength, and endurance” (Linkon). In a service or blue-collar job, there is little time for reading a

work manual or asking people how to do things; one has to figure that out on their own, no

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matter the consequences, whether it be a sore or a sprain. Workers’ constitution to push and do

when others will not is something to be admired in the world of today.

In addition, a large part of holding any service job requires something incredibly

important: talking to and reasonably working with people. This is sometimes a very difficult

thing to master, especially if a worker is dealing with somebody standoffish. Workers put up

with different kinds of people daily. On top of that, they also have to effectively communicate

with their fellow coworkers. Mike Rose, a known researcher and advocate for the working class,

observes how important social interaction is in the workplace at solving problems: “Much of

physical work is social and interactive…Words, gestures, and sometimes a quick pencil sketch

are involved” (Rose 452). [<- The student uses an ellipsis and a period together to indicate

that she has cut out more than a sentence in the middle of the quote.] [<- The student is also

using an article in the textbook. As the topics are related to the articles in our textbook, you

are encouraged to use the articles we read as outside sources.] He then goes on to explain just

what kinds of soft skills a worker can expect in a day, from understanding expression and

behavior to taking on other perspectives to correctly responding to various social situations

(Rose 453). [<- Use the author’s full name (Mike Rose) when you first mention it in your

paper. Then, refer to the author by his last name only (Rose) for the rest of your paper.] To

most people, this may sound like normal social interaction—which it is—with the added

complexity of various tasks that combine into product and paycheck by the end of the week.

Salespeople who can talk to people effortlessly and persuade them to buy their items are paid

more than the sellers who bite their tongues. A few simple questions can be the defining line for

a good mechanic. To be a communicator of ideas and demands to others while constantly

working is the intricate social artwork of the worker.

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The muscle of the American blue-collar worker is so constantly praised that it has

become the laborious stereotype: “Too often though, ‘working class’ is a derogatory term. In a

country where everyone is supposed to have an equal opportunity to get ahead, calling someone

working class can feel like a put down” (Linkon). Compared to places like Silicon Valley, and

compared to the great scientific innovators of today, many working-class families can be

considered as nothing but another failure of the American Dream. People need to reconsider the

importance of blue-collar work because it requires qualities that most Americans cannot use all

at once: the use of sensing, soft skills, and experience in the workplace. Combined with the usual

hard work, these qualities are the definition of the American worker, not the hard hat or the

waitress apron. A message needs to be sent to the grassroots pioneers who believe service jobs

are for the underachievers: Get off your high horse, pour your cold-brew coffee and designer

soda down the drain, and think about the people that make your lifestyle possible. [<- NEVER

use the second person (“you”) or the first-person plural (“we”) without asking me in

advance. This is an exceptional context because she is addressing white-collar workers to

send a particular message. In most cases, however, you must keep a formal tone.]

➔ Make sure to explain the ideas in introduction and conclusion in your own words— that is, avoid using direct quotations in introduction and conclusion. This is your

paper, and you should have control over your own paper. The student used a direct

quotation possibly to create an impact, but it is always better not to use any

quotations in introduction and conclusion; if you must quote something, use indirect

quotations (paraphrasing).

ENG 111 20

Works Cited

Greenhaus, Jeffrey H. and Callanan, Gerard A. "Blue-Collar Workers." Encyclopedia of Career

Development, vol. 1, SAGE Reference, 2006, pp. 43-44. Gale Virtual Reference Library,

Accessed 28 Nov. 2018.

Guth, Douglas J. “Sparking Interest.” Community College Journal, vol. 88, no. 3, 2017-2018, pp.

20-25.

Kotkin, Joel. “Wanted: Blue-Collar Workers.” City Journal, Manhattan Institute, 27 Jan. 2016,

city-journal.org/html/wanted-blue-collar-workers-13423.html. Accessed 23 Nov. 2018.

Linkon, Sherry. “Stereotyping the Working Class.” Working-Class Perspectives, Georgetown

University, 18 Aug .2009, workingclassstudies.wordpress.com 2008/09/08/stereotyping-

the-working-class/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2018.

Rose, Mike. “Blue-Collar Brilliance.” The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction, edited by

Melissa A. Goldthwaite et al., 14th ed., W. W. Norton, 2017, pp.449-56.

➔ List the bibliographic entries in alphabetical order. Do not number the entries.

➔ Make sure to put the Works Cited page as accurate as possible. This is your final paper, and you must show some improvement. Remember that you can receive the

penalty of one full grade down due to inaccurate MLA citation.