Essay and outline

ENG101 Essay 2 Assignment

REQUIRED SOURCES TO REFERENCE IN THIS ESSAY:

· “In Defense of Technology” by Andrew O’Hagan

· “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era” by Richard Restak

Write an ARGUMENT ESSAY in which you take a position on the following BIG QUESTION:

After reading the two articles assigned for Essay 2, do you think that the benefits of digital technology for people’s lives outweigh the drawbacks, or do the drawbacks

outweigh the benefits?

In Essay 2, enter into a “conversation” with Andrew O’Hagan and Richard Restak about this issue. Agree or disagree with the authors and use quotations from their articles to either support your position or offer a counter-argument to your position. THE INDEX OF TEMPLATES can help.

Study the Argument Essay power point and Section W-7 in The Little Seagull to learn about how to write an argument essay, including how to structure it.

WRITING PROCESS

DISCOVER YOUR POSITION (your answer to the Big Question). Write down your own ideas about this issue, but also what the two articles say. There are several ways you could do this.

1. Create a Digital Technology PROS and CONS list in your notebook. This is probably the best approach for this essay.

2. Do the same thing using a cluster.

3. Free-write ideas about how to answer the BIG QUESTION.

CONNECT YOUR POSITION TO EVIDENCE FROM THE ARTICLES: in this essay, you need to use evidence from both articles to support your position – or to state a counter-argument to your position. The ESSAY 2 LOG can help you do this.

CREATE AN OUTLINE: Section W-7 in The Little Seagull, the Argument Essay power point, and the Argument Essay Format in the Writing Resources Folder on Blackboard all offer guidance on how to structure an argument essay.

WRITE A FIRST DRAFT based on your outline and the Essay 2 Log.

TUTORING: Some of you need to get extra help with writing the essays in ENG101. You may need help with: understanding the assignment; finding evidence in the articles; composing the outline; writing the first draft; or with English grammar.

· The Writing Center is the place to go for help with the essay assignment and any aspect of writing the essay. http://mccc.edu/student_services_tutoring.shtml#wc

· The West Windsor Learning Center is the place to go if you only need help with proofreading your draft to correct English language and grammar mistakes. http://mccc.edu/student_services_tutoring.shtml#wwlc

Get the tutoring help you need BEFORE you turn in this essay so that you do not have to revise it later in the semester when you will be very busy with final projects and studying for exams.

FINAL DRAFT due on Monday, March 25. Turn it in on paper in class. Turn in the final draft on email.

When you turn in Essay 2, include the following materials:

· Essay Vocabulary Sheet

· Brainstorming (lists, clusters, or free-writing)

· Outline

· First Draft

· Final Draft