Writing Homework Help

Assignment Description: For this first essay, you will demonstrate your ability to evaluate a piece of writing through understanding its basic content and analyzing specific rhetorical components. Your understanding of “A Wandering Mind is an Unhappy Mind,” by Killingsworth and Gilbert (pgs. 343-48 in So What?), will be reflected first in a summary, after which you will then evaluate a particular aspect of the article that you deem effective/ineffective for the authors’ purpose. You will support that evaluation with specific material from the article (paraphrased and quoted), connecting it back to specific rhetorical components. To effectively compose this essay, the following requirements must be met.

1)2-4 pages, typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in 12-point Times New Roman font, in black ink on white paper. Each page has a standard heading with last name and page number. The first page has a standard MLA heading as displayed in class and the handout, and a centered, original title indicating the subject matter and purpose for writing.

2)The essay begins with a concise introduction, clearly establishing the subject matter and purpose of the essay, along with a forecast of how the body of the essay will be organized to achieve that purpose.

3)The body of the essay begins with a summary of the article, no more than half a page, one paragraph. The author then transitions to evaluation of the article in the next paragraph. 

4)The evaluative portion of the essay narrows concentration to just one rhetorical component, drawing evidence both paraphrased and quoted to develop a claim of it being effective/ineffective in achieving the authors’ purpose for writing. The essay ends with some concluding statements on how that particular component affects the rest of the writing. To fulfill these requirements, choose from one of the following prompts for your evaluation:

As a member of the extended audience, how effective do you find the authors in imparting their message to you? As you develop your answer, what could be potential differences between yourself and the original intended audience, and how might those differences determine the effectiveness of the article to you?

How effective do you think this article would be to the original intended audience? As you develop your answer, think of the different characteristics that could be attributed to that audience, and how those are reflected in the way the authors present their message.

Do you find the article trustworthy? As you develop your answer, don’t just think of the authors, publisher, and their listed credentials. Think also about the way the article is organized and formatted (the genre through which it is presented), and the incorporation of the three kinds of rhetorical appeals (ethos/logos/pathos).