Eighth Writing Assignment
Write a five-paragraph essay based on a newspaper editorial.
Writing Assignment 8
You have made it! For your final writing assignment, you will reflect on the write a five-paragraph essay response to one of the themes in this course.
In both Elie Wiesels Nobel Lecture and the Gettysburg Address, Wiesel and Lincoln remind us that we must remember the past so that we honor those who have sacrificed and so that we do not repeat the past.
I think most people would agree that we must understand the events of history so that we as nations and societies attempt to learn from the past. Elie Wiesel said, Mankind must remember that peace is not Gods gift to his creatures, it is our gift to each other. We give this gift of peace by remembering those who have gone before and doing all we can to make sure their sacrifices were not in vain.
What about in our own individual lives? Do you think memory is just as important? Do you wish you could forget the difficult times and trials in your life or do you believe they are just as important as Wiesel believes memory to be?
There are several Holocaust survivors who were unable to cope with their memories as Wiesel has. Elie Wiesel believes his memory is the source of his hope, but there are several Holocaust survivors who committed suicide rather than live with their memories of the past.
I asked my husband if he would choose to forget the difficult moments in his life if he could. Some of them, he replied.
Why? I asked.
I think that there are one or two moments that have made me more anxious and fearful of what could happen. Instead of strengthening me, I wonder if the memory of those moments has weakened my confidence in a way.
I asked my mother the same question. I talked to her about Hope, Despair, and Memory, and the Gettysburg Address, and I asked her if her memories have made her stronger.
Most of them have, she replied, but if I could wipe out my two most difficult memories, I think I would. I dont think they help me at all.
As I look back on the most difficult moments in my life, I disagree. I dont think I would choose to forget any of the memories because I believe they have made me who I am and have taught me that I am strong enough to overcome difficult times.
What about you? For this writing assignment, you are going to think and answer the following question:
Consider the views of Lincoln and Wiesel on the importance of memory and apply those ideas to your own life. If you could completely erase one or two of your most difficult memories, would you choose to do so? Do your memories provide you with hope as Wiesel said or do you find that they make life more difficult?
You will interview at least two other people about this question. Talk to them about the themes in the Gettysburg Address and Hope, Despair, and Memory. Do they agree that memory provides hope or would they choose to erase a memory if they could?
You will incorporate your opinion, the opinions of those you interviewed, and at least three quotes from the documents you read in this lesson into a five-paragraph essay.
Before we talk about writing your essay, there are a few terms that I want to make sure you understand.
ClaimYour basic belief about a specific topic or issue
CounterclaimA reasonable argument that disagrees with your claim
SupportUsing specific facts or evidence to support your claim
RefuteTo argue or prove that a specific position is wrong or incorrect
RebuttalA response to a counterclaim. In a rebuttal, you take into account the ideas of a counterclaim and explain why you disagree
All of the above terms will be important in our discussion of your five-paragraph essay.
Learning how to write a five-paragraph essay is important because this format is often required in answers to essay questions and essay prompts in other high school or college courses.
A five paragraph essay usually follows the following format:
Paragraph 1: Introduce the topic (remember the discussion material about introducing a topic that we discussed in Lesson 6) and end your first paragraph with a strong thesis statement. Remember that your thesis statement needs to tell your reader what the point of your essay is. In this case, you are responding to a question. In your thesis you should clearly make a claim or state your opinion about the topic so that your reader knows that the rest of the essay will be used to support your claim.
Paragraph 2: Begin your essay with your strongest argument that supports the claim you made in your thesis statement. Specifically for your essay, this first paragraph of the body of your essay should include your personal opinion. Use personal examples and insights to explain to your reader why you believe as you do. If there are quotes from one of the documents you read in this lesson that support your claim, this is a perfect place to include one or two of them.
Paragraph 3: Paragraphs 3 and 4 will vary depending on the views you heard from those you interviewed. In these two paragraphs, you must discuss both claims that support your thesis statement and counterclaims that differ from your thesis statement. If one or both of the individuals you interviewed agreed with you, include that support here. If they did not agree with you, discuss their counterclaims fairly and clearly.
For example, although I disagreed with both my husband and my mothers views, in my essay I would present their opinions clearly. Then, I would say, Although I understand why my mother and husband would wish to erase certain memories that they believe make them weaker, I believe that Elie Wiesels statement the source ofhope was memory reminds us that although we may not like some of our memories, they strengthen us and provide us with hope for better things to come.
Notice how I took the counterclaim, presented it clearly and respectfully, and then used my own insights and quotes from the readings to once again support the claim I made in my thesis statement. The Purdue Online Writing Lab teaches the following about using counterclaims in your writing:
Dont avoid the opposing side of an argument. Instead, include the opposing side as a counterclaim. Find out what the other side is saying and respond to it within your own argument. This is important so that the audience is not swayed by weak, but unrefuted, arguments. Including counterclaims allows you to find common ground with more of your readers. It also makes you look more credible because you appear to be knowledgeable about the entirety of the debate rather than just being biased or uniformed. You may want to include several counterclaims to show that you have thoroughly researched the topic.
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/03/)
Paragraph 4: Remember that paragraphs 3 and 4 should be comprised of support for your claim and/or counterclaims and rebuttals. These supports and counterclaims may come from your interviews and/or the text. Once again, please remember that you must include quotes from at least two people whom you interviewed and three quotes taken from text you read in this lesson. You must include a discussion of at least one counterclaim in your essay.)
If both the interviews and the text support your claim and do not provide you with a counterclaim, you may present a generic counterclaim. For example, you could write Some people might choose to believe that erasing specific memories would actually make them stronger and less fearful of the future because Remember to include a rebuttal with this generic counterclaim just as you would include a rebuttal to a counterclaim from your interview or from the text.
Paragraph 5: Your final paragraph is your conclusion. In your conclusion, you should restate your thesis. Then tie everything in your essay together and leave your reader with a final thought to consider. You may want to include thoughts about how what you discussed in your essay can relate to the world or life in general. Basically, an introductory paragraph begins with a general idea and ends with a specific thesis statement while a concluding paragraph begins with a specific thesis statement and becomes a bit more general.
The Writing Assignment
Write a five-paragraph essay that either agrees or disagrees with the author.
Consider the following prompt prior to beginning your essay:
Consider the views of Lincoln and Wiesel on the importance of memory and apply those ideas to your own life. If you could completely erase one or two of your most difficult memories, would you choose to do so? Do your memories provide you with hope as Wiesel said or do you find that they make life more difficult?
Interview at least two other people about this question. (You may interview more if you wish.) Talk to them about the themes in the Gettysburg Address and Hope, Despair, and Memory. Do they agree that memory provides hope or would they choose to erase a memory if they could? Include quotes from the two individuals you interviewed. Analyze their insights and discuss how they are similar to or differ from your own insights. Remember to place quotation marks around their words.
You need to express your opinion. Therefore, using first-person point of view is acceptable for this writing assignment.
Your paper needs to be five paragraphs in length.
Introductory paragraph
First body paragraph
Second body paragraph
Third body paragraph
Concluding paragraph
The introductory paragraph must contain your thesis, which clearly states your claim.
The first paragraph of the body of your essay should include your own opinions, insights, and examples that support your claim. You may include direct quotes from any of the documents that you read in this lesson to support your claim in this paragraph.
You must include at least one counterclaim in your essay and you must have a rebuttal to that counterclaim.
Organization: Make sure your essay follows your thesis. Use transitions to lead the reader from one idea to another. Dont jump from one idea to another without making connections back to your thesis. You might want to make a brief outline before writing so that you can clump similar ideas together.
Other things to remember:
Your essay needs to be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman print, and 12-point font.
Remember to be aware of your writing conventions.
Always read your work out loud and have another individual look over it.
You need to submit your rough draft, containing corrections made by another individual, along with your final copy
An Example
I have provided two five-paragraph essays to help you. The topic of the essay and the assignment instructions were a bit different for both of these essays, so make sure you are clear on what is required for your specific assignment. However, there are certain things in each of these essays that I want to point out to you to help you as you write your own essay.
An article, entitled Corporal Punishment in Our Schools: Is It a Wise Choice? was used as the catalyst for the first essay. This essay does not contain a counterclaim and rebuttal, but it is an excellent example of using supporting evidence and quotes to support a claim. There are also excellent transitions from one paragraph to the next. Notice how these transitions strengthen the organization of the essay. This example was written by a tenth-grade student.
Click here to read an example of a five-paragraph essay.
The second example is an essay that was a response to an editorial called Women and Children Wave Bye-Bye to Daddy, which questions whether or not the chivalrous practice of women and children go first is still applicable in our modern society. Once again, although your essay will differ in topic and content, the formatting and structure of this essay should help you. Pay attention to the comment boxes in the margin of this essay as you did in the first example. I have used these boxes to point out specific elements of the essay that apply to the essay you will write.
Example Essay 1
Example Essay: Protecting the Lives of Women and Children First Is Still the Right Thing to Do
Writing Your Five-Paragraph Essay
Now it is your turn. Follow the instructions given to you on how to get started.
Make sure your essay fulfills the format and structure described in the assignment instructions. You must also submit a revised rough draft (include corrections made by your reviewer) with your final draft.
If you wish, you may use this Writing Assignment 8 document to help you complete this assignment.
