Posted: May 6th, 2015

marijuana;

marijuana;

he was arrested and held in jail for the possession of an ounce of marijuana. For Essay #2, the student argued that the laws concerning the possession of medicinal marijuana in the United States are unjust. For Essay #3, Student C wrote a proposal argument for the decriminalization of marijuana for medicinal use.
Your proposal argument should use the following structure:
Introduction with your claim:
?    Grab the reader’s attention with a strong lead-in. Be clear about who your audience is. For example, begin with an anecdote, a personal experience, a vivid description, dialogue, a quote, or a startling statistic to appeal to the readers.
?    Identify the problem at hand.
?    Make your claim: a thesis that clearly states who or what should do whatabout the problem. Important: proposeONE solution, not several.
Body:
reasons + evidence
in support of your claim
?    Provide necessary background information and fully explain the problem.
?    Present your solution to the problem. For example, how will it work? How will it help solve the problem? What are the goals?
?    Show that you’ve considered other solutions and explain why your solution is best. For example, what else has been proposed or tried and why won’t other solutions work as well as yours? What are the positive consequences of implementing your solution?
?    Show that your solution is feasible. For example, is it practical? Is it affordable? Could it be implemented given current social or political circumstances? How would you address any obstacles?
?    Address the opposition. Show that you’ve thoroughly considered the strongest opposing viewpoints to your proposed solution by providing rebuttal.
***If you’re feeling unsure about how to organize the body of this paper, structure your paper so that it follows the bullet points above. Begin by explaining the problem, present the solution, show that you’ve considered other solutions, describe why yours is the best, show that your solution is feasible, and address an opposing view to your proposed solution.
Conclusion:    ?    End with a call to arms, an anecdote, a phrase, or a quote to urge the reader into action. You may even want to state exactly what the reader needs to do.

Strong essays will use a combination of logos, pathos, and ethos. Remember that acknowledging and addressing opposing views and incorporating evidence from credible sources help establish your trustworthiness (ethos). Tip: To incorporate pathos, consider what examples (from personal experience or from your research) you could use to appeal to our emotions—to show us what’s at stake, show why change is needed, help us identify with the plight of those affected by the problem, or urge us to take action.
Crafting Your Argument: You do not need to state “in my opinion” or “I think” in this assignment. It will be clear from your introduction that the essay is your opinion. Avoid using “I” unless talking about personal experience.
Professionalism: Your paper should follow MLA style guidelines and should be carefully proofread. Remember that your paper should meet the following MLA specifications:
?    Typed and double-spaced
?    1″ margins: top, bottom, left, and right
?    Name, instructor’s name, course title, and date in upper left-hand corner
?    Last name and page number in the upper right-hand corner of each page
?    Font size: Times New Roman, 12 point
See Chapter 20 of Good Reasons for information about how to properly cite your sources in MLA format and for a sample student paper (276-282). Be sure to fulfill the following research and citation requirements:
?    Use in-text citations for information summarized, paraphrased, or quoted.
?    Use evidence from a minimum of four credible sources in your paper and cite them both in-text and in a Works Cited page at the end of your paper.
?    Do not use Wikipedia other than to get ideas.
A Reminder About Quotes: It can be helpful to use quotes in your writing; however, use them sparingly. For example, one or two brief quotes per page is sufficient. The proposal argument should be your own writing and not a list of quotes strung together. When you use quotes, make sure to properly introduce them (avoid simply making a quotation into its own sentence with no introduction or context) and follow quotations by stating how they illustrate, exemplify, or apply to your argument. Instead of quoting long, mundane paragraphs of writing and getting downgraded for it, liven up the information by putting it into your own words and commentary. Just be sure to cite all information found in secondary sources, even if you summarize or paraphrase those sources!
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to teach you how to craft a successful proposal argument using the elements of persuasion learned in the class. You will propose a solution to the problem you addressed in your evaluation essay. You will incorporate the use of ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade your audience. You will also conduct further research on your topic and use proper MLA documentation to cite your sources in your work.