Critical Thinking

Letter of Complaint instructions

This assignment is about claiming your own power. This assignment will take the simple form of writing an effective argument in a short letter of complaint. In this letter, you will only need to describe what you consider to be an injustice and then communicate clearly what you want.

NOTE: This letter is to deal with an actual situation, not a fabrication.

The Steps

1. Address the letter to a specific individual by name, for example: a friend, a parent, an elected official, a landlady, or a newspaper editor. In short, address it to someone who has some power to do something about the situation that concerns you. It may take some research to determine who this person is, but that is a key part of the assignment.

2. As you outline your letter, use neutral, descriptive, and non-blaming language to explain:

a. What the situation is.

b. What is unfair about it.

c. What you want from the other person now.

Your final paragraph should serve to keep the two of you connected by asking for reactions, a call, and appointment, or an agreement within a time frame that you suggest. (For instance, you might conclude by saying “I would like very much to hear what you have to say in response; I would welcome hearing from you by phone or letter. If I have not heard from you within a week, then I will call you.”)

3. Use reasoning and evidence to support your case. Make your conclusions straightforward and simple. Be clear about what you want but also courteous and respectful.

4. The body of your letter should be a minimum of 250 words; use a business letter format.

In choosing your topic, select a situation that feels genuinely unjust and unfinished to you, one that you have not been able to handle in a way that you would like. (In other words, a situation about which you feel passionate and one with which you have attempted to deal previously.)

In spite of the desire to express yourself with highly emotional language, you need to remember to use neutral descriptive language. Remain respectful and do not make demands or ultimatums, but make requests that the other party can meet.

Below is the scoring for this assignment:

Letter of Complaint pages 182-184 (9thed.)

Your paper has been evaluated as follows:

_____ 1. Letter is addressed to a specific person who has the power to do something about the situation. +10pts.

_____ 2. Organization is simple and clearly describes the situation and the complaint, and is requesting a specific action. +10pts.

_____ 3. Request made that is clear and possible to fulfill. +10pts.

_____ 4. Conclusion is clear; sufficient and adequate reasons are given. +10pts

._____ 5. Topic chosen involves challenge of self-control. (Describes previous attempts to deal with this issue and the results.) +20pts.

_____ 6. Language does not blame, make guilty, or cause defensiveness. +10pts.

_____ 7. A final connecting statement is made, requesting, but not demanding, a response within a stated period of time. +10pts.

_____ 8. No distracting errors of punctuation, sentence structure, spelling. Minimum 250 words. Business style format. +20pts.