Summary of Persuasive Essay

My thesis statement for my persuasive essay is as follows: Christy Lleras, a professor of Human and Community Development, says that "Extracurricular activities foster 'soft skills', such as sociability, punctuality, conscientiousness, and the ability to get along with others." With this said, it leads us to believe that participation in extracurricular activities is crucial to the overall well-being of a child.

I believe that my thesis is bold and the rest of my paper feeds off of this one sentence. My main arguments include the definition of an extracurricular activity and how they can come in many forms beyond sports. Another point I make is that they are crucial to the mindset you have as an adult and the skills you obtain that you can apply in the workforce. I focus on sports because I think you can get the most benefits out of a sport, whether it is team or individual. My counter arguments are that you can be involved in other extracurriculars such as theater and music that also foster important skills.

Research

Fujita, Kimiko. "Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences."
           Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society - Human Sciences. URC. Web. 20 Oct. 2011.
           <http://www.kon.org/urc/v5/fujita.html>.

"The Human Brain - Exercise." Resources for Science Learning. The Franklin Institute, 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/exercise.html#physicalexercise>.

Macomber, Jennifer Ehrle, and Kristen Anderson Moore. "Children's Environment and Behavior: Participation in Extracurricular Activities." The Urban Institute | Research of Record. The Urban Institute, 1 Jan. 1999. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.urban.org/publications/900869.html>.

"Social Skills, Extracurricular Activities In High School Pay Off Later In Life." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. Science Daily, 25 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325132536.htm#>.

Effective Argument - "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"

Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is an extremely powerful and effective argument.  Technically he is addressing the clergymen, but more importantly this was published all over, so he in fact was reaching people all over the world.  Simply put, he is addressing the issues of racism and segregation.  There are several examples throughout the letter that depicts certain incidents where blacks and whites were distinctly treated differently.  Throughout the whole letter he talks about how he is considering himself the voice of the people whom have been treated unfairly.  There are a lot of very powerful arguments throughout the letter. One of my favorite points was, “Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.  We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”  He is showing why he feels like he needs to finally speak out.  He goes on to explain that in order to get recognized he must break the law, which is what he did. 
 

Martin Luther King Jr. was so tired of hearing the word “wait” that he couldn’t stand the thought of waiting any longer.  He argued that nothing was going to change if someone didn’t speak out and make the problems with society known. Because of this he was considered an extremist.  He argued that there were all kinds of people in history that did the same things, just viewed in a different light.  How was what he was doing any different?

The either-or logical fallacies were the most common throughout the letter.  Most of the time he was saying either we make this change, or everything around us will stay the same.  I spotted a hasty generalization in the first paragraph on pg. 162, and also name calling in the bottom sentence on pg. 157.  More commonly they were seen in the form of begging the question.  He is asking why his brother and sisters aren’t granted the necessary freedom that everyone is supposed to share.

Logical Fallacies.

I can drink beer even though I am underage because everyone else under twenty one is doing it.

This is an example of a bandwagon appeal because this person is assuming that everyone else out there is drinking underage, therefore it is okay if they do it too.  In reality, not everyone underage in the world is actually drinking beer; it might just be the case that everyone they hang around or come in contact too on the weekends is partaking in these events.  Just because this is the case, doesn’t mean it is the truth, it just makes the idea more appealing.

I would have finished cleaning the house if the weather wasn’t so nice outside.

This is an example of a rationalization.  This is a very weak explanation as to why the house didn’t get cleaned.  Regardless of whether it was nice outside or not, the house would have just as good of a chance to get cleaned. It didn’t just because of the simple fact that you wanted to spend more time outdoors.

We have had extreme weather the past few years. This is a sure sign of global warming.

This is a hasty generalization.  This is a very broad statement, when in reality; there could be numerous other reasons as to why the weather is behaving the way it is.  It would take a very, very long time to be able to track the trends of the weather patterns.  A simple generalization would not do the trick.

Topic.

The topic I have selected is “Why dogs make the best pets”.  There are many different avenues I could take while writing this paper. Some examples include: research saying that having a pet (dog in particular) is healthier for a child growing up, they can teach you lessons about life, they can be your best friend, they can keep you in shape, they make you a more loving person, you learn how to take care of something other than yourself, there plain fun, etc.  I think that with this topic, there is research you can collect, but also their leaves a wide variety of opinion to persuade.

When Your Opinion Matters.

There was a time when I had to make a very important decision, which led into me making a case and my opinion was very important, because it was a decision that would essential change my life.  I played very competitive volleyball throughout my whole life up until my senior year in high school.  I decided to quit playing competitively going into my senior year in high school.  I was burnt out by this time, and I just wasn’t enjoying it anymore.  I felt like I didn’t have the time, I didn’t have enough desire, and spending time doing other social activities had become more important to me.  When I told my coach this for the first time, he honestly thought I was joking around with him. This made my case even harder to justify.  I had my reasons that I just described above and he argued back with me saying that it would be beneficial to continue especially since I was a senior and recruiters would be doing their final looks.  This again wasn’t what I wanted; I wasn’t interested in the recruiters, or playing volleyball at the college level period.  He finally gave in and accepted my decision.  It was hard and I do miss it every once in a while, but knowing that I made the right decision comforts me.  I just keep telling myself if I played one more year I would not only ruin the experience for myself, but also for my teammates because I wouldn’t be putting all my attention and effort into the game.  There are times when I look back and think, “I should have said something different,” but this was not one of those times.  I knew I was ready to quit playing and knew my reasoning.  Usually the times I wish I would have said something different are over very minor issues, that I realize later were dumb to get upset over.

Muddiest Point.

The guidelines for what’s required for the persuasive paper are very clear, just as any other assignment for this class.  The assignment sheets are always detailed, and I know what is being asked, and when it’s due.  Also the guidelines for writing this particular type of essay are pretty thorough, as to what should be expected in each paragraph.

 My “muddiest point” in this essay is probably the idea of picking a topic.  With the guidelines requiring a paper at least five pages in length, it is clear that a topic must be chose with a hefty amount of research available, in order to fill the five pages with a legitimate argument.  The blog post on topics was fairly helpful as too topics that are absolutely unacceptable, for example, don’t pick a topic that is only two-sided. Keeping in mind that research is required, seems to narrow down a range of topics available, because when one comes to mind and you realize you can’t find a sufficient amount of research on the issue, then that is automatically out the window.

I think that maybe a sample essay might be beneficial, just to get the ideas and brainstorming flowing in the right direction.  Seeing an example usually comforts me, knowing that I am heading in the right direction with the assignment.