Compose a 3-page persuasive essay on one of the topics presented below. Your essay must include a definitive thesis statement, references to primary texts, and a Works Cited. (Read these prompts carefully–many students fail to understand properly respond to these questions. Get further clarification if necessary.)
Evaluate Drinking Coffee Elsewhere as reflection of contemporary America. Is ZZ Packer’s description of contemporary America representative and accurate or does she present a narrow, distorted picture?
Determine what role social engineering (Links to an external site.) should play in contemporary America given the themes of The Lathe of Heaven and other works. Should we “play God” or should we take a “hands off” approach?
Assess the effectiveness of Arundhati Roy’s “When the Saints Go Marching Out” (Links to an external site.) using rhetorical analysis. Is Roy’s essay factual and inspiring or is it mere polemic?