Description
English 124 Evaluation Essay 2 Prompt
For your second paper you will be required to write an essay at least
5 pages long
Using evaluation to write a persuasive argument. Choose a topic and use an evaluation approach to
organize and create an argument about that topic. Review the Toulmin methods of organizing
arguments of value for guidance on how to structure your own essay.
How can we judge your topic based on specific criteria? What criteria should we use to judge its
value?
Where does the value criterion come from? A key element of evaluation is
convincing readers to understand and accept your method of judging your subject.
How does your judgment of the subject help up to better understand the subject as a whole?
Create your own criteria for judging your subject, and argue in your essay if your
subject either completely, partially, or doesn’t meet the standards you use.
Your essay needs to be clear and unified under your thesis. Make sure to include specific
evidence from the article you read, to show how and why you analyzed the article the way you
did in your essay.
Make sure to review the section in your textbook on proper MLA citation for
any quotes or paraphrases you use from your outside source.
- What is the writer’s thesis? Quote it. Does it state the article they’ll analyze, evaluation determination if the article was fully, partially, or not persuasive and why?
- Does their introduction identify the criteria that they used to analyze the article? What are they?
- Does the writer explain what the most persuasive evidence was from the article and why?
- Are any quotes used to support the argument? Are they all properly cited?
- Which quote was most effective to support their argument? Why?
- Does the writer explain how the organization of the article makes it more persuasive or less so and why?
- Were you convinced of their argument overall? What was the strongest and weakest area of their argument? Why?
Grading Criteria
Successful papers will have:
1. A developed introductory paragraph, with a clear thesis. State your topic and your
judgement of it. (10 points)
2. Well-supported, unified body paragraphs with specific examples that reinforce your
thesis.
What is your evaluation system, where does it come from, and
how does your topic rate using this system? Include your original
points on how your evidence supports your argument.
(90 points)
3. Smoothly integrated quotes from an outside source. (15 points)
4. A conclusion that summarizes your main point, and offers a final thought about the value
of your argument. (5 points)
5. Your paper will also be thoroughly edited for sentence-level errors. If you have any
questions on sentence structure or grammar, visit the Writing Center, or see me in my
office. (5 points)
Total points: 125
ARTICLE:
Romantic comedies make us 'unrealistic about relationships', claim scientists
Watching romantic comedies could ruin love lives because they create unrealistic expectations of relationships, scientists claim.
Photo: COLUMBIA PICTURES
By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
4:53PM GMT 15 Dec 2008
Unlikely happy endings, improbable plots and faux philosophy are to blame, they say.
Researchers believe that the influence of Hollywood films is instilling a warped sense of the "perfect" relationship within society and providing unrealistic expectations about romance.
They are also oversimplifying the process of falling in love and wrongly giving the impression that it could and should be achieved without any effort, it is claimed.
The team at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh studied 40 top box office films released between 1995 and 2005, to establish common themes.
They then asked hundreds of people to fill out a questionnaire to describe their beliefs and expectations when it came to relationships.
The psychologists found that fans of films such as You've Got Mail, The Wedding Planner and While You Were Sleeping, often fail to communicate with their partners effectively, with many holding the view that if someone is meant to be with you, then they should know what you want without you needing to tell them.
Dr Bjarne Holmes, a psychologist who led the research, said: "Marriage counsellors often see couples who believe that sex should always be perfect, and if someone is meant to be with you then they will know what you want without you needing to communicate it.
"We now have some emerging evidence that suggests popular media play a role in perpetuating these ideas in people's minds.
"The problem is that while most of us know that the idea of a perfect relationship is unrealistic, some of us are still more influenced by media portrayals than we realise."
Dr Holmes said that the team had spent a year "thoroughly analysing" and discovered a number of common themes that were unrealistic.
They included the idea of "the one" soul mate who we were all pre-destined to meet and that they should know us instinctively so well they can "almost read out minds".
"We all want to be successful in our relationships," said Dr Holmes. "We want to be the special one and meet the special one. Unfortunately people tend to believe the Hollywood idea of a perfect relationship.
"That is just unrealistic. People feel if their relationship is not like a Hollywood film then it is not any good.
Dr Holmes said you have to invest time and energy into a relationship. "Investing time and energy are not themes that are popular in Hollywood films," he added
Kimberly Johnson, who worked on the study, added: "Films do capture the excitement of new relationships but they also wrongly suggest that trust and committed love exist from the moment people meet, whereas these are qualities that normally take years to develop."
In order to find out more the researchers have launched a much larger, international study on the effects of the media on relationships.
They are asking people to participate by answering questions about personality, relationships, and media consumption habits.
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Romantic Comedies’ Influence on Relationships – Outline
Thesis statement. Even though romantic comedies can teach valuable lessons to humans such
as reciprocation of love and finding love when one least expect it, it generates unrealistic
expectations from lovers through oversimplification of the process of finding love, creates a
concept of romance among adolescents, and depicts poor values and unethical behaviors as
less problematic thus damaging the real-life relationships.
I. Introduction
II. Alleyne’s article on romantic comedies’ influence on relationship
A. Instilling a sense of perfectionism
B. Oversimplification of the process of falling in love
III. Romantic comedies’ negative influence of relationships
A. Creation of a level of expectation
B. Creation of a concept of romance among adolescents
C. Depicting poor values and unethical behaviors as less problematic
D. Creation of a template of obtaining and maintaining relationships
(i)
Social cognitive theory
(ii)
Cultivation theory
IV. Positive influence of romantic comedies
A. Teaching valuable lessons
B. Finding love when one least expect it
V. Conclusion
Surname 1
Name
Professor
Subject
Date
Romantic Comedies’ Influence on Relationships
The ways of the media, along with the meaning of love, have changed over time. A
few years ago, people considered the media, particularly television and radio, as the primary
tools that transmitted information to the public. However, recent years have witnessed the
changes in the media with it serving as a means of informing, entertaining, and
communicating with others. In the same way, love has changed from the one of the past that
involved people understanding love as one of two couples who understand their mutual
feelings to one of the presents that people consider it as a game for young people. Even
though romantic comedies can teach valuable lessons to humans such as reciprocation of love
and finding love when one least expect it, it generates unrealistic expectations from lovers
through oversimplification of the process of finding love, creates a concept of romance
among adolescents, and depicts poor values and unethical behaviors as less problematic thus
damaging the real-life relationships.
In his article, "Ro...