EWRT 2: Class 18

AGENDA

End of quarter planGroup Discussions: Perspectives

and A Game of Thrones Evaluations: 11:50-12:10 Introduce Essay #5 In-class writing: Generating

prompts

End of Quarter Plan

Today: Discussion:

Perspectives and A Game of Thrones.

Introduce Essay #5

Tuesday, Nov 26 In class essay #4

Thursday, Nov 28: Thanksgiving

Tuesday, Dec. 3: Make-up Exam Self Assessment

Thursday, Dec 5: No Class Meetings by appointment in my

office. Friday, Dec 6

Self-Assessment due before noon Revised Essay due before noon

Thursday, Dec 12: Essay #5 due before noon

Final date: 25 participation points Game of Thrones Episode Final discussion 8:30 class meets Wed. Dec 11

7-9am 11:00 class meets Fri Dec. 13

9:15-11:15

Group Discussions: Perspective and A Game of Thrones

Get into your teams to consider the application of Woolf and Plato to A Game of Thrones. Make sure to find textual evidence to support your claims.

WoolfPlato

Get out of the cave!

Women!

Perspectives and A Game of Thrones

“The Allegory of the Cave”“Shakespeare’s Sister”

Discussion Slide

Discussion Slide

Essay 5: The Final Project

Essay #5: Over the course of the quarter, we have read the ideas of six philosophers and discussed many notions and objectives presented by them. We have also applied their ideas about governments, rulers, and citizens; wisdom, justice, and equality; and perspectives, privileges, and rights to our primary text, A Game of Thrones. Because of the breadth of our inquiries, I offer you several ways to proceed with this final essay. Your paper, however, must include the following:

Essay #5

Your paper, however, must include the following:

It must be 5-6 pages long (not including the works cited page). You must use at least four credible sources, and those sources

must be listed on your Works Cited page. At least two of these must be sources we did not cover in class.

Your essay must adhere to MLA formatting rules. You must submit it electronically to palmorekim@fhda.edu

before Thursday, December 12th at noon. Your essay must include an intersection between one or more

of the philosophies we read together and A Game of Thrones. You may choose a topic from the essay #5 prompt list, or you

may use one of your own. (Please see me (or email me) about using your own essay topic before you begin.)

Step One

Choose your topic

Define or explain the assertion/claim being offered. Or, explain the essence of the argument.

Produce a clear, arguable thesis statement that asserts your opinion.

Step Two: Gather Evidence

Use evidence to support your position: be specific and accurate—named and factually correct  Here is a brief overview of the kinds of support/evidence

you could include to bolster your argument:

— recognition of the opposition— examples— anecdotes— contrast and comparison— cause and effect— appeal to authority

— facts/statistics— details— quotations— dialogue— definitions

Sources to Avoid

Avoid using movies and other more informal aspects of society as evidence (pop culture) 

Stay away from blogging sites, Wikipedia, and other sites that lack authority or credibility.

Avoid evidence that everybody will cite  (To avoid this, reject first thoughts and keep digging until you find ideas that are complex and interesting.)

Step Three- Organize your essayThe Introduction:

1. Write a meaningful opening sentence or two that makes a personal observation about the focus of the question that reveals your thinking.   Do not write flowery, general beginnings.  Get right to the point.  Use the first sentence or two to begin to define the meaning of the assertion. If you need to include directed summary to provide context for your essay, do so here.

Consider whether you need to qualify your thesis 2. Qualify your stance if there is a common or strong argument for a different perspective. Try an “although” thesis (Example: “Although grass is generally green, it can also be other colors.” Then your first page will be about green grass. Acknowledge that you are familiar with this stance; In the next pages, you will discuss/argue for the existence of the other colors. Then will come your counterargument (rebuttal or concession) and then the conclusion. Be careful not to contradict yourself.

Or, do you need to Agree or Disagree? If the prompt requires an agree or

disagree stance, be sure to demonstrate an understanding of argumentation by acknowledging both sides of the argument.  This is usually done by writing a con-pro paragraph immediately after the introduction and the remainder of the essay becomes  different paragraphs which confirm or amplify your agreement or disagreement with the assertion.

Defend, Challenge, or Qualify If the question requires a defend, challenge, or

qualify stance on a political or philosophical assertion, be sure to address all the issues raised by the claim/assertion.  Your evidence would be specifically named examples that support the claim you make in your topic sentence.  Examples from multiple sources that support the same conclusion make your claim more valid. Each paragraph then would end with an interpretation of the similar conclusion that can be reached after examining differing types of evidence.

Note:

You may use your posts and earlier essays as fodder to help support your arguments; as such, you might consider writing that you have done that you want to explore further. To use your work effectively, you may want to write your own prompt. Please see me with your idea so we can make sure your prompt will generate 5-6 pages.

Generating your own prompt

Criteria for the essay prompt

The question must prompt an argument.

The question must refer to at least one of the essays we read in class.

The question must include reference to A Game of Thrones.

The question may ask the writer to include references to other texts, historical events, or contemporary issues.

Pick a character or two (or a family) from A Game of Thrones that expresses the Machiavellian philosophy of “the end justifies the means.”

Elaborate on how they justify the acquisition & consolidation of their power.

Make an argument that upholds or rejects this approach to gaining and holding power.

Finally, extend that argument to contemporary America. Does the end justify the means for us today? Use specific examples to support your final assertion.

Brainstorming Essay Prompts: Example Brainstorming Essay Prompts: Example: Machiavelli

Example: Plato

Choose a character from A Game of Thrones that you see as dynamic, that is, one that has grown during the novel.

Argue for or against the philosophy of Plato concerning the process of enlightenment. Does the character follow the steps of the unchained prisoner? Does he or she become a philosopher king/queen because of the enlightenment? Or does he or she remain materialistic and greedy, as Plato says of the less enlightened leaders? Or is there another reason for incompletion of the steps? Use specific, step-by-step examples. Substantiate that your character irrefutably did see the light.

Then, consider America today: Do we follow the same steps to enlightenment? Are our leaders philosopher-kings? Should they be?

Example: Woolf

In “Shakespeare’s Sister,” Virginia Woolf uses a cool and controlled tone, a rhetorical strategy that allows her to manipulate male audience members into listening to her arguments about the plight of women (and working class and poor men) throughout history.

Do marginalized characters in A Game of Thrones use these kinds of rhetorical strategies to increase their own power base? Make an argument for one or more characters that achieve power based on the ability to control rhetoric. Make sure to provide specific examples. Explain how the character’s rhetoric influences others’ thinking and ultimately wins him or her opportunity, power, or freedom.

Is rhetoric still such a powerful tool in contemporary society? Use specific examples to support your argument.

Refining Questions

Remember, these need to be argument prompts. They also need to generate 5-6 pages of writing. Be sure to provide sub-questions to the primary question. Write questions you can answer!

Generating Prompts

1. Using at least one philosophical perspective and A Game of Thrones, write one or two good questions that you might consider answering for your final paper.

.

Remember to pose your questions so as to prompt an essay that can be argued.

Homework

Post #33: Post at least one essay prompt that you wrote for essay #5.

Post #34 Pick and post two potential essay questions for essay #5. You can use the one you wrote and one from the formal prompts, or you can use two from the list that I provided. Write a one or two sentence answer to the prompt. (a rough thesis)

Prepare for in-class essay