Writing Homework Help

Henry David Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience”

Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

Final Draft Due Date: Tuesday – 25 May 2021

Format: 5-7 pages double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font

8 ½ x 11inch paper

MLA guidelines (see Gilbaldi’s MLA Handbook)

All working/rough drafts and Writing Center reviews/edits (with Writing Center slip attached) must be attached to the final draft. Papers without the aforementioned will not be accepted.

NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED.

Evaluative Criteria:

A successful essay will…

Have a clear objective that directly addresses the assignment.

Effectively introduce the focus of the paper while providing the reader with a sense of the appropriate context of the paper.

Provide a smooth and efficient flow of information, making logical transitions from one idea to the next.

Use appropriate textual evidence.

Demonstrate stylistically mature writing that is free from repetitively simplistic sentences, inappropriate word choice/language use, ineffective repetition of words, and abrupt transitions.

Follow the conventions of grammar, spelling, and punctuation and be reasonably free of mechanical errors.

Use MLA documentation properly.

Paper Prompt:

Choose one of the following:

King cites conscience as a guide to obeying just laws and defying unjust laws. How close is his position to that of Thoreau? Do you think he had read Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” as an important document regarding justice and injustice? Compare and contrast the positions of these two writers.

In many ways, King’s letter is a historical document, more than forty years old. In other ways, the problems of inequality have accompanied us into the twenty-first century. Draft a letter in response to King’s, one that argues that racial equality is much closer, somewhat closer, or not much closer than it was when he was alive. Address your letter to King. Be sure to employ the rhetorical appeals as you write

an introduction, thesis statement, supporting argument, response to opposing views, and conclusion.