Essay #2:  Persuasion (English 120W)

Using one of the following topics as a starting point, write a three page essay that targets a clear point of view through a series of proofs to a well-defined audience.  Your essays are due on [date], at the beginning of class.

1) In your first essay, you contextualized a current political/social issue, defined the various positions taken by others, and clearly stated your own position.  Building upon your outline of available arguments or proofs, complete the essay.  That is, write a paper that supports the claim that you made in the invention exercise.  When the two papers have been joined together, your essay should be five pages in length.

2) Write a three page essay containing at least three periodic sentences (underline them) in which you argue what you feel the function of government should be.  You may first want to establish what you think Jefferson's view of it is, then compare or contrast it with your own.

3) Assume that you have been hired as an advertising consultant for a major corporation to develop a television commercial designed to promote a particular product (the corporation and the product are up to you to select).  Having defined your objective, identified your audience, and chosen the appropriate time slot for airing the commercial, you must write the script and indicate the special effects that will be required.   The corporation has a big budget and is counting on you to produce an effective advertisement for promoting its product.  Your staff, moreover, is willing to carry out your instructions to the letter.  Therefore, your "essay" should read like a proposal or script that your staff can follow easily.

Your commercial should have the following components:  1) a title, 2) a clear objective, 3) an anticipated audience, 4) a cast of characters/celebrities, 5) a script (including stage directions, if necessary), and 6) an estimated length of air time (in minutes).  Remember, this commercial could make you or break you in the advertising business:  the bottom line is whether or not the product will be desirable to the consumer.  Good luck!