Writing Discursive Essays

Discursive essay (1): a balanced argument

Key success factors being able to construct an argument being able to link points together in a logical sequence using appropriate discourse markers to connect, contrast, and balance points

ANALYSING A MODEL TEXT

Text–messaging is an important ifI– advance in communication – or is it?

a You have been asked to write the following essay:

'Just think of it as if you 're reading a long text–message:

Text–messaging is an important advance in communication – or is it? With a partner, discuss three reasons you thinktext messaging represents an important advance in communication and three reasons why it

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3 To sum up, although text messages are a cheap and useful way of communicating, they have arguably led to young people being less able to express themselves correctly in writing. On balance, I believe that text messaging does not represent an advance in communication.

~MultiROM WRITING

Introductions and conclusions

In an essay it is important that the introduction engages the reader 's attention. It should introduce the topic, but should not include the specific points that you are going to mention in the body of the text.

A good introductory paragraph describes the present situation and gives supporting evidence. It should refer to the statement or question you have been asked to discuss.

This can often be done in the form of a question to the reader which the subsequent paragraphs should answer. The conclusion should briefly sum up the arguments you have made, and can include your personal opinion. The opinion you express should follow logically from the arguments you have presented.

USEFUL LANGUAGE

d Complete the missing words. Some (but not all) are in the model essay. Expressing the main points in an argument

texting allows us to

1 The greatest b is that communicate instantly

2 First and most im '_ with other people.

people to use texts as an excuse to get out of

"The picture he had of the city was reduced to what she said of it, and finally it was her speech alone that could call up and protect that picture. 
He 
came 
to 
the
 conclusion that, 
once
 abandoned 
by
 words, 
the 
city
 would 
fall 
into
 ruins."

– Abdekelkebir 
Khatibi, 
Love
 in 
Two
 Languages

Words are very powerful things, they are not simply just letters written on a sheet of paper; they can inspire, motivate, and evoke certain emotions. Think of your favorite songs and realize that the lyrics can bring joy, happiness, sadness, depression, loneliness, longing, or any emotion imaginable to others based on their own personal experiences. Dave Matthews' song lyrics for "Funny The Way It Is" are able to capture this...show more content...

To "carry the fire" was the boys main concern and those words meant a world of difference (McCarthy np). It gave the man and his son the strength and encouragement to just keep going. Khaled Hossieni's novel The Kite Runner used the repetition of the saying "for you a thousand times over" to induce an overwhelming response in the reader's emotions through the use of irony (Hosseini np). The huge power of words in literature, speeches, songs, and sermons are seen over and over again. The use of such powerful words can evoke emotions, motivations, and encouragement to the listeners because they are not just characters put together...there is emotion behind each single word. Cain and Abelis a story found from within the Bible about two brothers who are to give god a sacrifice to show how sorry they were for their sins. Cain the older brother is a farmer and decides to burn up some of his leftover hay while his brother, Abel, who tended after the sheep, picked the biggest and best one to sacrifice. When Abel's burned brighter Cain knew that God had rejected his gift and became livid with his brother ("The Story..." 1). Cain struck him and killed him, when God found this out he exiled him to the lands east of Eden and uttered "Timshel." This story is similar to the one of Charles and Adam Trask and almost repeats itself again with Cal and Aron. All three of these stories are filled with sin and manipulation, finally turning into guilt and redemption. What Get more content

The Power of Language Essay examples

The Power of Language Language plays an important role in communication by bringing people together and enriching their relationships. Language can also alienate those who do not speak it properly, or at all, from those who do. The essays, Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan, best known for her book, The Joy Luck Club, and Se Habla Espanol, by Tanya Barrientos, delve into the many powers that language holds. These essays reflect how by not speaking a language in proper form and by not speaking a language at all, affects the lives of the subjects of the stories. People who can speak a certain language, but only in 'broken' form, are generally looked down upon by native language speakers. In her writing, Mother Tongue, Amy Tan writes about her...show more content...

However, many Hispanic families were and in some cases, still are viewed as lower–class citizens. According to Barrientos, "To me, speaking Spanish translated into being poor. It meant waiting tables and cleaning hotel rooms. It meant being left off the cheerleading squad and receiving a condescending smile from the guidance counselor when you said you planned on becoming a lawyer or a doctor" (561). They are not respected in a lot of communities, they live dirty, and they have bad jobs. These stereotypes are reasons why Barrientos did not want to be called Mexican and never wanted to learn Spanish. If diversity had been celebrated when Barrientos was a child, as it is celebrated and honored now, she would have grown up speaking Spanish and being proud of her heritage. Children are very impressionable and tend to take on others' opinions as their own, but as they grow older, they develop a greater understanding and perspective of the way things are and the way they should be. As adults, both Tan and Barrientos learned to accept and embrace the languages that previously embarrassed them. Barrientos immersed herself in her Mexican heritage and enrolled in many Spanish classes. With each enrollment, she faced yet another stereotype that came with being of Mexican ethnicity; her instructors thought she should already know Spanish since she was Latina. Barrientos is now determined to learn her native language. Tan has learned to love the way in

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