Dialectical Essay

 English 1C Essay 1: Dialectic ArgumentPreview the document (100 points) Background: We have been thinking, reading, and writing about the importance of “listening” to other writers and recognizing and summarizing their main claims (“They Say”) as a way to frame our own ideas (I Say”). In other words, we have studied dialectic: reasoning by dialogue as a method of intellectual investigation. Dialectic also is a method for effectively presenting our own arguments and ideas to others. Task: Write an essay responding to one of the essays we have read this week (“Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted,” “In Defense of Distraction,” or “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”) in which you draw on your own experience as a user of social media or the Internet and framing your argument as a response to something specific the author argues for. Your grade will be based on the following: Creating a title with an “argumentative edge” (review chapter 4 of WLTC) that orients reader towards your issue and thesis. Being explicit about the question(s) at issue in the writer’s essay and in your own essay. (In other words, what is the main issue or problem, and why does it matter?) Have a clear thesis that is stated in relation to something important your writer is claiming. For example, “Gladwell is arguing that XXXX, and I agree/disagree/somewhat agree/etc. because ________________________. Keep what “they say” (writer’s points) in view at strategic points throughout your essay and include what “I Say” (your reaction) in connection with those claims. Include at least 3 relevant, helpful quotes from the text. (Don’t be a “hit-and-run” quoter!) Summarize and paraphrase your author fairly and accurately.