Option A: Personal Narrative Essay - The Purpose-Inspired Life
"This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, being a force of nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy." ~ George Bernard Shaw
For this essay, you will write a 1000-1500 word statement of your purpose in life. You will begin by narrating the story of a profound event in your life that left you feeling helpless and vulnerable, or strong and resolute. You will continue your narrative with what transpired after the event, who it affected besides yourself and what you and they did to deal with it, including any research you conducted. Then you will develop your essay along the lines of what resolution you reached... i.e. what you decided to do and how. You will continue with a discussion about whether this decision played any role in your career choice, and also, how you expect your career choice to blend with your purpose in life. You will conclude on what you ultimately expect to achieve, and how will your efforts benefit someone besides yourself and your loved ones. For reference, I strongly urge you to read and listen to a few more of the essays form the "This I
Believe" website.
Option B: Scholarly Essay: Analysis of the persuasive strategies found in the Declaration of Independence
Classic rhetoric considers that a speaker or writer has three types of appeals at his or her disposal: to ethos (the standing of the writer or speaker), to pathos (emotion), and to logos (reason), which could be further subdivided into deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning.
In your essay, you will discuss in 1000-1500 words how all three strategies are deployed in the Declaration of Independence (found in your textbook and readily available for download off the Internet). You will also discuss whether or not the weight of each kind of appeal has remained the same throughout history or has cultural/historical context changed what about the document we find valuable. You will conclude your essay by conducting some research on the global impact the document, and writing about how the document has been used as a template by other states/nations/peoples to declare their own independence.
A word of caution
There is a lot of material easily available online on these and any other topics related to the Declaration of Independence. And you are already familiar with the website that hosts the "This I Believe" essays. While it is tempting to copy/imitate/mimic other people's work, I'll expressly urge you not to do so, and remind you again of our plagiarism policy: Plagiarism and cheating, whether intentional or unintentional, are absolutely unacceptable and will result in immediate failure of the assignment. If you are unsure about citation procedures, see me. Plagiarism and cheating not only jeopardize your grade, but also your future at the university. You are expected to adhere to all standards of the Portland State University Code of Conduct (https://www.pdx.edu/dos/psu-student-code-conduct)
Note that all essays will be checked to make sure that your work does not replicate anybody else's prior work on these topics.
Remember to take advantage of the PSU Writing Center (https://www.writingcenter.pdx.edu/) if you are stuck writing your essay. It is located at Cramer 188. Writing resources, such as a stepby-step guided tour to writing papers, are available online, as is the opportunity to schedule an appointment to meet in person with an instructor who can help with your writing. While I do not require you to attend sessions at the Writing Center, I strongly recommend you visit them if you need help.