Question 1
Explain the importance of considering English as a Second Language when considering your audience for an essay.
It is very important to put into consideration your audience when writing about a given topic, and this is because you have to be specific to the group of people you want to educate. Your audience determines the content of your writing. Techniques are chosen in writing depending on the content, usually directed at a specific audience. Using English as a first language will mean using terms not familiar with the audience who uses English as a second language, they will not understand the common terminologies when used in bringing out a point in the essay. Second language English users understand common words and will not be able to understand points expressed through a first language. The point of expressing ideas and points on a topic is to make sure that all the audience understand and can relate to the daily events.
Considering English as a second language persuades the writer to ensure clarity, keeping in mind that there are very many exceptions in grammar, spellings, and words. There are words which have a similar meaning and are often difficult to differentiate by second-language speakers. Considering English as a second language makes you the writer understand the difficulty in getting phrases that correct and makes you accept that to understand the new language is a continuous process and that slangs can be replaced by other words to be understood by the different groups of people.
Question 2
Explain what makes the development of an argument essay different from other essays. Explain the main strategies for developing an argument essay.
Argumentative essays involve long and thorough research, and it includes using facts that have valid reasoning with support to express a point on a given topic. It requires the student to participate in an investigation to retrieve all the essential information on a specific topic. This kinds of essay do not use brainstorming or assumptions to bring out a conclusion on a topic. This types of essays contain statistics from research mixed with the author’s ideas and reasoning, and this means pre-planning and researching is the most important step when writing an argumentative essay (Ferretti & Graham, 2019). This essays must always state a clear thesis, and the writing must follow sound reasoning.
When developing an argumentative essay, it is vital to follow the following strategies;
- select an arguable topic- first, we have to identify a puzzling or an appealing topic
- Take a position – the second step is to choose a position that will help you come up with a suitable thesis statement, something that will direct you towards writing down the ideas and supporting evidence in the paper.
- Considering your audience- this part will be important so that it can identify the kind of language to use, as well as the content to be put in the paper to educate the audience. Knowing your audience will help in ensuring you choose the right method of delivering information to the audience.
- Presenting clear evidence- the aim of this is to convince the audience with reason and evidence on why you choose a given position about a specific topic.
- Conclusion- the student or writer should be able to provide a summary on the topic, and he stands he takes into consideration of the thesis statement. Also, the writer must make sure that there are no logical fallacies and that the essay answers the objectives and appeals to the audience.
Question 3
Refer to “Writing Assignment #1” beginning on page 384 of the textbook. Write an argumentation essay, as outlined in the assignment.
Maine effectively legalizes assisted suicide
By Eli Watkins, CNN
Updated 1235 GMT (2035 HKT) June 13, 2019
The experience of death is going to get more and more painful, contrary to what many people believe. Assisted suicide will make it rather less painful because it emphasizes a personal decision; it feels responsible for getting rid of a relative’s intolerable presence (Emanuel, Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Urwin & Cohen, 2016). Some conditions beg for euthanasia, and this is a situation whereby a patient undergoes a terminal illness and assisted suicide will put him or her out of his mystery. I agree with the legalization of assisted suicide in Maine State. Assisted suicide refers to the action steps that are used to end a life and put an end to their suffering. Other people opposing this move by the state believe that assisted suicide is similar to taking God’s word into action, something that should be illegal and equated to murder.
I agree with the legalization of assisted suicide; the steps undertaken ensures that an individual does not suffer during their unwanted condition. It puts them out of misery, and sometimes medications may not work in treating a patient and therefore continue to suffer pain due to their terminal illness. Given the patient, a chance to decide if they will live through, it permits them an opportunity to decide their death and end their misery.
Besides, when an individual does not have control or independence chooses a physician-assisted suicide. A person does not want to live in that bad condition, and I believe legalizing this activity eliminates cases of stress and depression associated with disability that results from a medical condition.
Another reason why I agree with the legalization of assisted suicide is that it gives an individual opportunity to end the possibility of a future suffering. When you are constantly going through the same medical condition that is painful and makes you lose the ability to participate in meaningful and enjoyable activities it is better when there is a way out (Emanuel, Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Urwin & Cohen, 2016). There is no reason to go through the same pattern, which is killing you, yet there are ways that you can end the trauma.
In summary, legalization of assisted suicide gives people with a terminal illness and those with undesirable living conditions to make decisions that will result in a much better outcome. It eliminates misery that an individual could go through and still end up dying. The advantage here is to end pain and put an end to psychological torture that the victim is going through.
Editorial
By Eli Watkins, CNN
Updated 1235 GMT (2035 HKT) June 13, 2019
Washington (CNN) Some terminally ill patients in Maine will have the legal option to pursue medically-assisted suicide after Democratic Gov. Janet Mills approved a bill on Wednesday permitting it.
Once the new law takes effect, Maine will join seven other states and the District of Columbia in allowing medical aid in dying.
The legislation says mentally competent patients over age 18 with terminal diseases that, “within reasonable medical judgment, produce death within 6 months” can request life-ending medication. It requires those patients to make two verbal and one written request for the medication with waiting periods between the requests and receiving the prescription for lethal medication. The legislation says it applies only to residents of Maine. It states that actions taken under the act should not be considered “suicide, assisted suicide, mercy killing or homicide under the law.” However, the process outlined in the measure would effectively allow medically-assisted suicide.
Mills said on Wednesday that alongside signing the Death with Dignity Act into law, she had issued an executive order mandating the state track use of the law.
“Some argue that enactment of (this bill) equates to the government authorizing taking life, or ‘playing God’ with the lives of our citizens,” Mills said, according to her office. “It is not up to the government to decide who may die and who may live, when they shall die or how long they shall live. It is our duty to provide the most comprehensive end of life care possible, a task we have only recently begun to recognize.”
The bill passed both houses of Maine’s Democratic-controlled legislature by a narrow margin earlier this month, and a spokeswoman for Mills said shortly after its passage that the governor had not yet taken a position on the bill.
New Jersey approved similar legislation earlier this year, joining California, Colorado, DC, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont and Washington as places where the process is allowed, according to the Death with Dignity National Center.
CNN’s Devan Cole contributed to this report.
Question 4
Read the student essays beginning on page 351 and then answer the questions starting on page 354 of the textbook.
- paragraph 4
- Mall managers have obviously …..
- The best way to learn about musicians…..
- Couples find fun of another sort….
- Paragraph 5
-
- “Hearing the music of the antique carousel housed there, Jenny begs to ride her favourite pony with it’s shining golden mane.” Hearing and sight
- “Shouting, ‘I’m starving!” Fred Jr. drags the family toward the food court, where he detects the seductive odour of pizza.” Smell
- “Mom walks through a fabric store, running her hand over the soft velvets and slippery silks.” Touch
- First…then…finally
- Not all Netflix users want to watch romantic movies; some want to spend their time watching more thoughtful; and educational films…..
- Broad, general statement narrowing to a thesis
- Summary
References
Eli Watkins, CNN. (2019, June 13). Maine effectively legalizes assisted suicide. CNN.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/13/politics/maine-assisted-suicide-janet-mills/index.html
Emanuel, E. J., Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B. D., Urwin, J. W., & Cohen, J. (2016). Attitudes and practices of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Jama, 316(1), 79-90.
Ferretti, R. P., & Graham, S. (2019). Argumentative writing: theory, assessment, and instruction. Reading and Writing, 32(6), 1345-1357.