English claim argument essay
Hedgehog18
MP4TopicsTextsandIntroClaim1.pptxMP4: Claim-Driven Argument
create an academic argument (with a narrow, original, arguable, important claim) that addresses one of the language issues / topics we’ve discussed
bring together at least three (3) course texts
appropriately integrate at least five (5) direct quotes from any of the readings you use
MP4 Prewriting
Part I
General Topic #1: Language myths, judgments, assumptions
Narrowed Topic #1: How the myth that language reflects intelligence is used to exclude and oppress cultures and communities who do not conform to Standard American English.
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Major Paper Four: Claim-Driven Argument
create an academic argument (with a narrow, original, arguable, important claim) that addresses one of the language issues / topics we’ve discussed
bring together at least three (3) course texts
appropriately integrate at least five (5) direct quotes from any of the readings you use
Course Readings for Narrowed Topic #1:
Tan: use Tan’s mother as example—she understands English better than people realize; she has a stockbroker and has raised Amy Tan (a successful author); she is successful and not unintelligent
Anzaldúa: provides example of how language is used to judge her and her culture / people, her education and her ability to be a teacher; how language is judged negatively on both sides
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MP4: Claim-Driven Argument
create an academic argument (with a narrow, original, arguable, important claim) that addresses one of the issues / topics we’ve discussed
bring together at least three (3) course texts
appropriately integrate at least five (5) direct quotes from any of the readings you use
What is a claim?
is the main argument of an essay
defines your paper’s goals, direction, scope, and significance
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Claims must be
original (not obvious)
narrow (not general / overly broad)
arguable (not simply descriptive)
important (must answer the “so what” question)
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Descriptive thesis:
Alexie’s narrative recounts how he learned to love reading and the importance of reading to his community.
Descriptive Essay:
Retells Alexie’s story focusing on the moments in the text that illustrate how he learned to love reading and the importance of reading to his community.
Results in …
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A Descriptive Essay only:
provides an overview of someone’s work and text. It resembles a biography or book report NOT an academic argument. Academic argument requires that you advance an original and meaningful idea and address the “so what? who cares?” questions.
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In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Gloria Anzaldua shares a personal example in which she and her fellow Chicano scholars were required to take speech classes meant to rid them of their Chicano accent. This requirement was not about speaking the English language fluently. It was focused exclusively on forcing Chicanos to speak a particular brand of English, namely Standard American English.
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In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Gloria Anzaldua shares a personal example in which she and her fellow Chicano scholars were required to take speech classes meant to rid them of their Chicano accent. This requirement was not about speaking the English language fluently. It was focused exclusively on forcing Chicanos to speak a particular brand of English, namely Standard American English.
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This requirement was not about speaking the English language fluently. It was focused exclusively on forcing Chicanos to speak a particular brand of English, namely Standard American English. Efforts to make people adopt this singular accent, not just learn the dominant language, is unfair and un-American. The United States is a country of great diversity and that diversity should extend to its languages and how those languages are used.
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This requirement was not about speaking the English language fluently. It was focused exclusively on forcing Chicanos to speak a particular brand of English, namely Standard American English. Efforts to make people adopt this singular accent, not just learn the dominant language, is unfair and un-American. The United States is a country of great diversity and that diversity should extend to its languages and how those languages are used.
And so what? What are you saying about this situation?
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This requirement was not about speaking the English language fluently. It was focused exclusively on forcing Chicanos to speak a particular brand of English, namely Standard American English. Efforts to make people adopt this singular accent, not just learn the dominant language, is unfair and un-American. The United States is a country of great diversity and that diversity should extend to its languages and how those languages are used.
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In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Gloria Anzaldua shares a personal example in which she and her fellow Chicano scholars were required to take speech classes meant to rid them of their Chicano accent. This requirement was not about speaking the English language fluently. It was focused exclusively on forcing Chicanos to speak a particular brand of English, namely Standard American English. Efforts to make people adopt this singular accent, not just learn the dominant language, is unfair and un-American. The United States is a country of great diversity and that diversity should extend to its languages and how those languages are used.
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