War Synthesis Essay
Essay due: Monday, April 4, 2011 (one week after we return from break)
Write a paper that synthesizes classroom sources and your own knowledge, experiences, and research to answer the question “Is there such a thing as a just war?” Remember that a synthesis paragraph begins with your own opinion/topic sentence, which is supported by quotations from two different sources. Not all of your body paragraphs need to be synthesis paragraphs.
Minimums:
1) Three synthesis paragraphs.
2) Three sources from the classroom.
- “The Declaration of Independence,” by Thomas Jefferson (from 50 Essays, 2nd Edition)
- Octavian Nothing, by M.T. Anderson (you can find the necessary bibliographical info for your Works Cited on Wikipedia)
- “The Gettysburg Address,” by Abraham Lincoln (from 50 Essays, 1st Edition)
- Henry V, Part I, by William Shakespeare (http://www.bartleby.com/70/2931.html)
- “The Prince,” by Niccolo Machiavelli (from 50 Essays, 1st Edition)
- Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo
- Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech (you've got the link)
- Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech (you've got the link)
- A wide variety of interesting songs presented by your classmates
3) Additional sources from your own research. You do not need to use Gale, but be sure your internet sources are reliable. You will need to work hard to establish these sources. You may consider:
- Historical conflicts, large and small
- Contemporary conflicts, such as wars in Africa and the Middle East
- Contemporary and classical literature
- Readings from Everything’s an Argument
- Modern films
- Personal experience
- Something interesting that I haven’t thought of yet
4) An element of visual rhetoric. This could be an editorial cartoon or an image. You should explain how this image helps you argue that there is or isn’t a just war. Be sure to cite the source of your image.
5) Evidence against your thesis, soundly refuted by your laser sharp logic
6) A properly formatted Works Cited page. If your internet sources aren’t from Gale, you’ll need to include the link. For your convenience, I’ve googled “How to Cite a Song” for you:
Songwriter's last name, first name. "Title of Song." Lyrics. Title of Album. Name of Publishing Company, Year Recorded.
De Sela, Lhasa. "La Frontera." Lyrics. The Living Road. Netwerk, 2004.
If the song is being sung by someone other than the songwriter, here is how that would look:
Dylan, Bob. "Like a Rolling Stone." Lyrics. Perf. The Drive-By Truckers. Highway 61 Revisited. Uncut/Ignite!, 2005.
So, can we use President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize speech? It wasn't listed but, I wanted to make sure. And would it be ok to have a visual somewhere in the middle of our essay?
ReplyDeleteWhen you say to refute ourselves, do we need to do so in a certain paragraph or should it just be done in our synthesis paragraphs? For example, say we quoted something about the justification of war. Then the next quote and analysis is about how it isn't true that there is a just war.
ReplyDeleteOops! I've added Obama.
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways to refute opposing arguments. Sometimes, you can do it within a single paragraph (While Ehrenreich argues we need a stronger safety net, Eighner shows that the homeless are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves without our help or pity.). Sometimes, it will take a full paragraph (or two, or three) to show that people who disagree with you are wrong. The point is this: for every argument for a just war, there is an equally powerful argument against it; for every argument against a just war, there is an equally powerful argument for it. Your job is to acknowledge the opposing argument while making yours sound better.
Have fun! ;)
Can we qualify the question?
ReplyDeleteExample: There is no such thing as a just war. Although there is such a thing as a necessary war.
Uh. It has "how to cite a song" but a song isn't a requirement. I'm confused.
ReplyDeleteOf course you can qualify the question.
ReplyDeleteSongs are one of the resources you could use. After to listening to 29 songs about war, odds are that one of you will need to know how to cite a song.
By the way, anything interesting happening in Libya lately?
Nope
ReplyDelete**likes anonymous's comment**
ReplyDeleteAm I required a title for my essay?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely.
ReplyDeleteHow many times should I refute my opposition?
ReplyDeleteAnd how many outside sources do I need?
ReplyDeleteYou should refute your opposition until you've proven your thesis.
ReplyDeleteThe minimum number of outside sources is one. The maximum number is as many as you need.
Is it fine to use Obama as a source twice?
ReplyDeleteMy essay outline (a very specific one) is nearing 10 paragraphs...is this fine?
Would Calvin and Hobbes be a good source since it represents popular culture?
ReplyDeleteDo you have any advice for how to build ethos for the song artists?
ReplyDeleteTwo replies at once: any source is credible, so long as it makes you seem credible. Oddly enough, the argumentative timed write from Thursday ought to help you establish Calvin and Hobbes.
ReplyDeleteSong artists are a little trickier. Not all musicians are credible (sorry, Justin ...). Popularity *may* help, if the artist speaks for the people of a given time. Critical acclaim *may* help, if the critical acclaim reflects the musician's intellect and not his/her musical gifts.
With both comics (and comedians, for that matter) and musicians, it's up to you - the author - to introduce them to your reader in a way that makes you look thoughtful.
By the by, names are nice in comments. Thanks.
How do you make an in-text citation for a picture?
ReplyDeleteExcellent question, Lauren. The answer: you don't. Be sure to introduce the source as you establish the image. Example: Pulitzer Prize winning Will Ohman's editorial cartoon clearly shows ...
ReplyDeleteDo we put the image in our essay?
ReplyDeleteYes. Color is not necessary, but the image is.
ReplyDeleteFrom my e-mail:
ReplyDeleteThe question:
For the visual rhetoric, since this is a graphic topic, it okay for a photo to be graphic? Or would you rather I choose a less graphic photo?
The answer:
Graphic photos elicit powerful emotions, which doesn't always help your argument. I *might* be sympathetic to arguments from PETA, but much of their rhetoric simply repulses me. The result is that I am driven away from their arguments rather than convinced to join their cause.
You'll need to evaluate the effect of your image and choose the best one.
I have an image i really want to use but i dont know who the author is...
ReplyDeleteIs it best to have an entire paragraph devoted to our image? Or will a few sentences suffice?
ReplyDeleteAs with any source where you can't identify the author / artist, you would establish the publisher of the source. If you found it on the web, make sure it's a credible site.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of paragraph development, your image is like any other source. You could devote an entire paragraph to your image or you could use it as one half of a synthesis paragraph.
Can we use Obama's speech in each synthesis paragraph?
ReplyDelete-Katie Stagl
Yes, but ...
ReplyDeleteYou run the risk of turning your essay into an essay about Obama's speech instead of an essay about war. Make sure your topic sentences are all about war, and Obama is simply a support (or a refutation).