Category: English

Headings for Reflection Essay:
Introduction
In your introduction, address the readings you chose and why you selected them.
Challenges of the Readings
Under this heading, explain two or more challenges that you had while reading. These challenges can be anything from finding yourself distracted or finding a need to re-read passages. Include how you might face these challenges when you read additional essays later in the class.
Highlight of Readings
Under this heading, explain two or more highlights of the readings. What did you learn, like or discover, and what surprised you? Were there any assumptions you held before you read the essays? If so, did these assumptions change after reading them? Please elaborate.
Ask the Author
Imagine that you have an opportunity to follow up with one of these authors and ask them to tell you more. What would you ask and why?  
E.B. White, “Once More to the Lake MLA format

English III Final Essay 
one page essay on the book “Just Mercy by Bryan Mercy”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Mercy_(book)

Pick two poems from the poetry section of class and develop a thesis based on a comparison and/or contrast that you see in laying the poems side by side. Remember the comparison or contrast is not enough – let that be a jumping off point for you to talk about a bigger theme and the authorial intent of the writers. This paper will be 1000 words.
The poem links are below
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53965/an-american-poem
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/148751/appalachian-elegy-1-6
https://poets.org/poem/zombie-blues-villanelle
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47536/one-art
https://poets.org/poem/even-rain
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/jul/03/featuresreviews.guardianreview27
https://brooklynrail.org/2019/04/criticspage/The-Purloined-Lyric
https://brooklynrail.org/2019/04/criticspage/The-Purloined-Lyric

n Sula most of the men are conspicuously weak, impassive, or deeply wounded. Is Sula a critique of the condition of the African-American male? 
By deep diving into the personalities of each male character, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex lives of black masculinity.
What does it mean to be a black male in America? 
What are some of their responsibilities / lack thereof? The author plays on theme of trauma. 

For this assignment, you may choose any of the essays you have earned a grade for in this class, including in-class essays, and you will revise it and enhance it. Please make note that this is NOT a re-write; this is an entirely different assignment with different requirements and a different grade. With that in mind, I suggest that you use your best essay as opposed to your worst.
Requirements:
You will need to make the addition of 2 external academic sources and use at least 1 quote from each source
The page requirement for this essay is a minimum of 6 (full) pages, max 8
Your thesis should be enhanced to accommodate the additions of the academic sources
All grammar, mechanical, and structure errors that were present in the original essay must be fixed
Your portfolio must include all of the following items in this order:
____ The first item of your portfolio must be the original prompt of the essay  
____ After the prompt, have your completed revised essay that includes a new Works Cited
Grading Rubric
I have included a grading rubric to this assignment sheet. In order to ensure a passing grade, please be sure to go through your essay and make sure it meets all of the listed requirements.
No prompt = 5% deduction
Improper in-text citation = 10% deduction
No Works Cited = 10% deduction
If the page requirement is not met = 10% deduction 
No additional 2 sources = 10%

Annotated Bibliography
5 Credible sources, The minimum word count of 750, with 150 words per source annotation.

The writing prompt is “Entertainment as a Form of Control”. The core question that needs to be answered is “Have we as a society become a trivial culture preoccupied with entertainment?”. The essay needs to be at least 5 paragraphs long and quotes need to be used from the quote bank I listed down below. The quotes are from the book “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley.

Essay Topic:
Rules restricting when students can use phones are on the rise.  Write a 5-6 page research essay that argues your position or viewpoint on a recently implemented Florida statewide policy, signed into law in May 2023, that prohibits students’ use of cellphones during instructional time.  Proponents say the smartphone crackdowns reduce classroom distractions and improve students’ social-emotional and mental well-being.  Critics believe the bans could limit students’ opportunities to develop personal responsibility and warn that enforcing restrictions could increase harsh disciplinary measures like school suspensions.  What do you think?
In the body of your essay, you must include a separate and fully developed paragraph for each: two supporting arguments, an opposing argument, and a rebuttal argument.  In these paragraphs, integrate relevant research material from a minimum of FIVE sources (which MUST include the two provided articles by Lauraine Langreo, “Cellphone Bans Can Ease Students’ Stress and Anxiety, Educators Say” and Jeremy Engle, “Should Schools Ban Cellphones?: Student Opinion” in addition to your own research sources). 
Instructions:
1. The introduction paragraph should always begin with an opening hook, introduce the topic and its relevance, provide  brief background information, and then state your thesis.  For an argument essay, the thesis should clearly state the issue’s controversy and your viewpoint/position.  Write your essay intended for a general audience that may have very limited knowledge or awareness of the topic. 
2. Begin each body paragraph with a clearly focused topic sentence (identifies the main point that you will be discussing) and then provide as well as analyze the supporting evidence you have selected from your research sources.  In the body, address the following required elements:  (one paragraph) one supporting argument, (one paragraph) another supporting argument, (one paragraph) one opposing argument, and (one paragraph) a rebuttal argument.
3. When including research, work on fully integrating or “sandwiching” the quotes or paraphrases by providing a lead-in (author’s name and the general subject/context of the quote) and analysis/explanation/commentary after (to clarify the quote’s meaning, indicate what point it helps to prove/support, and explain why/how).  Also, cite sources to give proper credit in MLA format (including both in-text citations and a Works Cited) and avoid plagiarism.
4. Be sure you use FIVE (5) or more research sources, which MUST include the two provided articles by Langreo and Engle as well.  Other additional research sources should include websites (or web articles)
5. Conclude with a rephrasing of your thesis and a strong commentary (e.g., the wider implications of the issue, speculation about future impact, call to action).  You may also end with a relevant quotation, a response to an earlier question, etc..
6.  Ensure that all borrowed quotes/ideas in the essay are cited and complete source information provided on a Works Cited page.  Your complete essay and Works Cited page should be at least 5-6 pages total.  Lastly, add an original essay title of your own.  Re-read, revise, and edit your essay for best results.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0YuvwwO39nAVX9kBi…
Link to watch Her Links to an external site.
With listening to the Very Bad Wizards podcast and watching the film Her we might be able to understand why philosopher Neil Sinhababu believes that we can have a meaningful loving relationship with a girl in another possible world. Possible worlds are a metaphysical concept that philosophers use to think about strange things. We have the laws of nature, logic, and technology that can hold us into thinking that things can never possibly happen in our world. Metaphysically possible suggests that we just have to conceive of its possibility on some possible world and we can then examine the claims meaningfully (this is why a lot of metaphysicians write sci-fi on the side). With that being said, we also see Theodore Twombly falling in love with this personalized A.I. do you think that this can meaningfully happen? It seems possible in another world we can see ourselves intertwined with the most high-tech artificial intelligence in a way that is satisfying emotionally (and probably physically) for us. Do you think that artificial intelligence has the possibility of actually having a meaningful loving relationship with us, in this world? What are the similarities and differences between Sinhababu’s work and Her? Remember to respond to 2-3 of your peers and discuss where you agree and disagree.

Purpose 
The purpose of this assignment is for you to demonstrate how you have harnessed the writing skills we’ve been learning including summary, quoting, analysis, and synthesis. Specifically, you will gain the following knowledge and skills that are essential to your future career as a critical thinker and communicator in any fields. 
Knowledge You Will Gain
Current and past conversations on biodiversity and sustainability, with a focus on trees.
Skills You Will Gain
Summarizing, quoting, analyzing, and advanced synthesizing skills.
Critically selecting texts (of all modes) to form an intellectual conversation and to craft your own argument.
Task
This assignment asks you to write an advanced synthesis essay using skills of summarizing, quoting, analyzing, and synthesizing on the TEDxTalk “How Trees Talk to Each Other” by Suzanne Simard and selected chapters  Download selected chapters from Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees.  You can find below for the structure of a synthesis essay:
1. Introduction: The foundational ideas of your essay are expressed in the introductory paragraph. You will address the general landscape of ideas around your topic, introducing some of your sources. You will also introduce the argument to be made through a thesis statement–advanced synthesis, which succinctly states your primary argument in a sentence or two. The thesis statement typically comes at the very end of your introductory paragraph. [Checklist: Strategic summaries of both texts; connection between the texts; an advanced synthesis based on your analysis of the connection between the texts]
2. Body: The body of your synthesis essay is usually about three-five paragraphs long. Expand your synthesis into a few different focuses/perspectives you gain analyzing the two texts together. You should have each paragraph expressing a focus/perspective using an effective topic sentence, support the focus with relevant quotes from the texts, analyze the quotes in detail and in depth, and conclude the paragraph by explaining how the focus/perspective contributes to/connects to your advanced synthesis. Repeat this paragraph structure–MEAL (Main idea, Evidence, Analysis, Link) 3-5 times with different perspective/quotes/analyses relevant to the synthesis.  [Checklist: Selected perspectives/key ideas from both texts; selected quotes to illustrate the selected perspectives/key ideas; detailed and in-depth analyses; concluding statements reiterating the main focus/perspective of the paragraph and connecting to the synthesis]
3. Conclusion: The conclusion of your synthesis essay reiterates the argument that you’ve made throughout your essay. It may emphasize how each of the points you made and the texts you’ve cited substantiate your point. You can restate the why your synthesis is important (“So What?” and “Who Cares?”) in a particular context (state the context). You can also provide a prospect to suggest how your reader can continue to explore the topic in different ways or with different texts. [Checklist: Reiteration of the synthesis and main points; the implications of your synthesis in a bigger picture (“So What?); your main target audience and what you want them to take away (“Who Cares?”); concluding sentences on the significance of your topic and a prospect (if any)]
4. A separate Works Cited page: Check Purdue OWL website for the MLA Works Cited page guide to learn how to cite the genres of texts you choose and cite both of the texts in the MLA style on this page. 
Criteria for Success
Use this checklist to make sure your completed work is successful.
You can use what you’ve written for the Synthesis Assignment as part of this essay. 
Use and demonstrate your learned skills of summarizing, quoting, analyzing, and synthesizing effectively and successfully on the targeted texts (see above).
Use MEAL plan structure for every paragraph in your essay. (Main idea/focus/perspective, Evidence (quotes supporting the main idea), Analysis (I Say–> your explanation and viewpoints on the quotes), Link (connect your analysis to explain how it contributes to your advanced synthesis).
Formatting requirement: 12pt font size, Times New Roman font, double-spaced, 1-inch margin all around
Length: 4 (full)-5 pages, excluding the Works Cited page. The header and the title are part of the first page.
Save your essay in a Word/PDF doc and title the file as ” (Name)_Major Essay #2″ before submitting the assignment.
To earn 2.0 for this class, your Major Essays need to earn an average of 6.5 points. You will be able to revise your Major Essays in your portfolio to update your grades.
Generative AI Statements:
In this course, students shall give credit to AI tools whenever used, even if only to generate ideas rather than usable text or illustrations. When using AI tools on assignments, add an appendix showing (a) the entire exchange, highlighting the most relevant sections; (b) a description of precisely which AI tools were used (e.g. ChatGPT private subscription version or DALL-E free version), (c) an explanation of how the AI tools were used (e.g. to generate ideas, turns of phrase, elements of text, long stretches of text, lines of argument, pieces of evidence, maps of the conceptual territory, illustrations of key concepts, etc.); (d) an account of why AI tools were used (e.g. to save time, to surmount writer’s block, to stimulate thinking, to handle mounting stress, to clarify prose, to translate text, to experiment for fun, etc.). Students shall not use AI tools when composing major essays unless explicitly permitted and instructed. Overall, AI tools should be used wisely and reflectively with an aim to deepen understanding of subject matter.
It is a violation of the College’s Academic Integrity policy to misrepresent work that you submit or exchange with your instructor by characterizing it as your own, such as submitting responses to assignments that do not acknowledge the use of generative AI tools. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have about the use of generative AI tools before submitting any content that has been substantially informed by these tools.
Make sure you have a header on the top of the first page as shown below:
Your Full Name
ENGL&101 Spring 2024
Instructor: Dr. Hsinmei Lin
Major Essay #2
5/27/2024
(A title that serves as a metacommentary of your essay)
Link of the ted talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_simard_how_trees_talk_to_each_other?language=en