Now, in Essay 2, you are faced with that same audience, but with one important
difference: Several members of this group continue to believe one of the two "bad ideas
about writing" identified below. Your purpose for writing Essay 2 is to convince these
instructors that this "bad idea about writing" is, in fact, a bad idea and not helpful to their
future writing students. So, while your purpose in Essay 1 was to inform, your purpose
in Essay 2 is to persuade. To do so, your argument will draw support from three
essays. I've suggested thematic groupings and natural pairings of articles below, but
you may select articles from other sections of Bad Ideas about Writing if you'd like, and
you may consider other "bad ideas" discussed in your text but not listed below.
Group 2: Bad Idea 2: Standard English is essential to good writing.
"There is One Correct Way of Writing and Speaking" - Anjali Pattanayak
"African American English is Not Good English" - Jennifer M. Cunningham
"Official American English Is Best" - Steven Alvarez
Introduction: Your introduction should begin with a hook to gain your reader’s attention, and then transition to your essay’s focus. The introduction should culminate in a thesis statement that presents your argument about the myth that these three writers want to dispel.
Body Paragraphs: Each body paragraph should present one key point in support of your thesis; this key point should be presented at the start of the body paragraph, in the topic sentence. Each body paragraph must incorporate evidence (in the form of summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation) from at least two of the three sources as well as analysis.
Do not organize your paragraphs so that you have one paragraph per source. The goal of this essay is to bring these authors into conversation with one another (and with you!), not to relegate each author to his/her own separate paragraph.
Conclusion: Your conclusion should summarize your main points and restate your thesis. Your expanded thought can take many forms: You might advise your audience on how they can apply this lesson to their teaching, or you might remind them of the ways in which doing so will impact their students’ approaches to writing.
Works Cited List: This essay will include a Works Cited list. This Works Cited list should follow MLA format and should appear on a separate page at the end of the essay.
Each article should have its own entry, and the entry should be double-spaced with hanging indents. Entries should be alphabetized by the author’s last name.
Author (Last name, first name). "Title of Essay." Title of Book. Publishing info (if available). Page Numbers (if available and stable). Title of Database or Website where Book was Found. URL or DOI
Highlighted the hook and thesis statement
