Just a War Essay

Essay due: Monday, April 23, 2018

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 definition is an important element of argument. 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. Four to seven pages. MLA format.

Minimums:

1) Two synthesis paragraphs.

2) Five sources. You may choose (but are not required) to use our classroom sources:

-       The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume I, by M.T. Anderson

-       “The Gettysburg Address,” by Abraham Lincoln (from The Language of Composition)

-       Henry V, Part I, by William Shakespeare (http://www.bartleby.com/70/2931.html)

-       “Remarks by the President at the Acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize,” by Barack Obama

-       Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo

    Additional sources will come from your own research. Be sure your internet sources are reliable and college level. 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

-       Modern films

-       Popular songs

-       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 or a graph or a chart. Your image should be included in the body of the paper. 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.

Motivational Speech 2018

Your task is to deliver a motivational speech in which you encourage your classmates to do (or stop doing) something. This is a formal speech, so you will need to stand on your own two feet and deliver your speech from note cards. The purpose of the note cards is to remind you of your organization. You should not write your entire speech on your note cards.
Your target length should be between two and four minutes, though the length of your speech will be determined by the content. You need to include each of the following rhetorical strategies in your presentation:

_____ A series of analogies

_____ One or more allusions

_____ Personification

_____ An appeal to “national” pride

_____ An appeal to personal pride

_____ Alliteration

_____ Anaphora

_____ Epistrophe

_____ Antithesis

_____ Allusion

Furthermore, your speech must be:

_____ Well prepared

_____ Well delivered

_____ An effective argument

Agenda, March 22

• Late: A new document that has 10 sentences from your Lit Mag essay and a revision for each of those sentences.
• Due Now: "The Declaration of Independence," by Thomas Jefferson, from 50 Essays, 1st Edition. Add it to your Bib.
• Due Now: Updated Bibliography. You should have 38 sources. Please don't plagiarize, accidentally or intentionally. 
• Due Monday, April 2: Bring a hard copy of an image about war (black and white is fine). This could be a photograph, a piece of artwork, or a political cartoon. 
• Due Tuesday, April 3: Excerpts from Octavian Nothing. Bibliographical info is on the handout.
• Due Thursday, April 5: Motivational Speeches. We'll sign up on 4/2.   

Today's Agenda:

1. Motivational Speech Scoring Guide
2. Notes on Octavian
3. Argument o' the Week
4. "Declaration" Discussion

Agenda, March 21

• Due Now: Obama Nobel.
• Due Now: A new document that has 10 sentences from your Lit Mag essay and a revision for each of those sentences.
• Due Now: Two speeches from Henry V. Add 'em to your Bib. Underline and label as many rhetorical strategies as you can. 
• Due Thursday: "The Declaration of Independence," by Thomas Jefferson, from 50 Essays, 1st Edition. Add it to your Bib.
• Due Thursday: Updated Bibliography. You should have 38 sources. Please don't plagiarize, accidentally or intentionally. 
• Due Monday, April 2: Bring a hard copy of an image about war (black and white is fine). This could be a photograph, a piece of artwork, or a political cartoon.  

Today's Agenda:

1. Motivational Brainstorm
2. Search and Destroy in Henry V
3. Whose purpose? Whose rhetoric?

Agenda, March 20

• Due Now: Obama Nobel. Add it to your Bib. It is highly likely that I'll collect your Bib before Spring Break.
• Due Wednesday: A new document that has 10 sentences from your Lit Mag essay and a revision for each of those sentences. Typed, of course, but handwritten is better than nothing.
• Due Wednesday: Two speeches from Henry V. Add 'em to your Bib. Underline and label as many rhetorical strategies as you can. 
• Due Thursday: "The Declaration of Independence," by Thomas Jefferson, from 50 Essays, 1st Edition. Add it to your Bib.
• Due Thursday: Updated Bibliography. You should have 37 sources. Please don't plagiarize, accidentally or intentionally.  

Today's Agenda:

1. A longer list of who's signed up
2. A pair of paragraphs
3. Some Shakespeare Tips
4. Obama Disco

Bibliographical Info for Henry V

Click here for Act III, sc. 1

Click here for Act IV, sc. 3

These pages should have all the info you need. It would unnecessarily complicate your lives if you clicked on the "Bibliographic Record" tab on the page. They haven't updated their MLA in quite some time.

Agenda, March 19

• Do Now: Bring a clean copy of your Lit Mag essay 
• Due Monday: Obama Nobel. Add it to your Bib. It is highly likely that I'll collect your Bib before Spring Break.
• Due Wednesday: A new document that has 10 sentences from your Lit Mag essay and a revision for each of those sentences. Typed, of course, but handwritten is better than nothing.
• Due Wednesday: Two speeches from Henry V. Stayed tuned for bibliographical details. 

Today's Agenda:

1. A short list of who's signed up
2. Tighten your belt
3. Obama's structure

Agenda, National Pi Day

• Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters i - xx.
• Do Monday: Bring a clean copy of your Lit Mag essay 
• Due Monday: Obama Nobel. Add it to your Bib. It is highly likely that I'll collect your Bib before Spring Break. 

Today's Agenda:

1. Write like the wind

Agenda, March 13

• Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters i - xx.
• Do Monday: Bring a clean copy of your Lit Mag essay 
• Due Monday: Obama Nobel. Add it to your Bib. It is highly likely that I'll collect your Bib before Spring Break. 

Today's Agenda:

1. What does a timed write look like? What's your goal?
2. Nominate one whole class question
3. Small groups, 15 min
4. Another small group, 15 min
5. And another small group

Agenda, March 12

• Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters i - xx.
• Do Monday: Bring a clean copy of your Lit Mag essay 
• Due Monday: Obama Nobel. Add it to your Bib. It is highly likely that I'll collect your Bib before Spring Break. 

Today's Agenda:

1. First two minutes of class: Lazarus and Goliath, or Stages of Literary Analysis
2. . _ _  ....  . _  _  
3. _..  ..  _.. 
4. .... .
5. . _ _  . _  _ . _?
6. Urgent questions and important observations
7. What have we left behind?
8. Whole class discussion questions

Agenda, March 9

• Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters xvii & xviii.
• Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters i - xx.
• Do Friday: Go see Whack. It's free! 
• Due Now (even if you're on the choir field trip - deliver a hard copy to me before you leave): Develop one of your outlines into a full essay.

Today's Agenda:

1. The ceremonial sharing of the titles
2. . _ _  ....  . _  _  
3. _ ..
4. .. ..  ..  .. _
5. . _ _  . _  _ . _?
6. Urgent questions and important observations
7. Last two minutes of class: Lazarus and Goliath

Agenda, March 8

• Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters xv & xvi.
• Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters xvii & xviii.
• Do Friday: Go see Whack. It's free! 
• Due Friday (even if you're on the choir field trip - deliver a hard copy to me before you leave): Develop one of your outlines into a full essay (with at least 4 body paragraphs and a multi-paragraph intro). Your audience is the editors of the OCHS Lit Mag and the student body of OCHS. MLA. 750-1000 words. Put your word count under the date in the header.

Today's Agenda:

1. Can I? Should I? Do I have to?
2. Urgent questions and important observations
3. The man who figures ...
4. Long time, no purpose
5. Rhetorical devices in Chapter xv 

Agenda, March 7

• Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters xiii & xiv.
• Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters xv & xvi.
• Do Friday: Go see Whack. It's free! 
• Due Friday: Develop one of your outlines into a full essay (with at least 4 body paragraphs and a multi-paragraph intro). Your audience is the editors of the OCHS Lit Mag and the student body of OCHS. MLA. 750-1000 words. Put your word count under the date in the header.

Today's Agenda:

1. Can I? Should I? Do I have to?
2. AP Paperwork
3. Dalton Trumbo, Allusionist
4. Urgent questions and important observations
5. Open Disco 

Agenda, March 6

• Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters xi & xii.
• Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters xiii & xiv. Keep your eyes open for allusions.
• Do Friday: Go see Whack. It's free! 
• Due Now: Revise or add one synthesis paragraph to your Poor Synthesis Essay.
• Due Friday: Develop one of your outlines into a full essay (with at least 4 body paragraphs and a multi-paragraph intro). Your audience is the editors of the OCHS Lit Mag and the student body of OCHS. MLA. 750-1000 words. Put your word count under the date in the header.

Today's Agenda:

1. Can I? Should I? Do I have to?
2. AP Paperwork
3. Urgent questions and important observations
4. Dalton Trumbo, Allusionist

Agenda, March 5

• Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters ix & x.
• Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters xi & xii. Keep your eyes open for allusions.
• Do Friday: Go see Whack. It's free! 
• Due Tomorrow (NOT OPTIONAL): Revise or add one synthesis paragraph to your Poor Synthesis Essay. If you did not turn in a Poor Synthesis Essay, write a synthesis paragraph that you would have used. Attach this to your previous draft. If you would like to do a more thorough revision, see me.
• Due Friday: Develop one of your outlines into a full essay (with at least 4 body paragraphs). Your audience is the editors of the OCHS Lit Mag and the student body of OCHS. MLA. 750-1000 words. 

Today's Agenda:

1. Can I? Should I? Do I have to?
2. Chapters i - ix, open field
3. Chapter x in two columns and small groups

Agenda, March 2

• Due Now: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters vii & viii.
• Due Tomorrow: Johnny Got His Gun, Chapters ix & x.
• Due Now: Optional but highly recommended revision of your Works Cited page. Staple your revised WC to your previous WC.
• Do Friday and Saturday: Go see Lost in Yonkers. All tickets are $8. Doors open at 6:45. Get there early.
• Due Tuesday, 3/6 (NOT OPTIONAL): Revise or add one synthesis paragraph to your Poor Synthesis Essay. If you did not turn in a Poor Synthesis Essay, write a synthesis paragraph that you would have used. Attach this to your previous draft. If you would like to do a more thorough revision, see me.
• Due Friday, 3/9: Develop one of your outlines into a full essay (with at least 4 body paragraphs). Your audience is the editors of the OCHS Lit Mag and the student body of OCHS. MLA. 750-1000 words. 

Today's Agenda:

1. Can I? Should I? Do I have to?
2. Establishing Sources
3. Urgent Questions? Important Notices?
4. Rhetorical Devices in Ch. vii
5. Open Discussion