The paper must be a commentary essay (intro, explain the current issue mines is a school shooting that happened at Sante Fe High School in Texas,2 paragraphs on support for your argument which is stricter gun laws, better security and counselors, clarification of your argument, and conclusion) , with academic scholarly journals to support in stricter gun laws, better security at schools, and hiring counselors for unstable students.
• An introduction that catches the reader’s attention, provides an overview of the topic, and presents a new or unique angle on a current event
• A thesis that transitions from the introduction to the body and clearly provides the writer’s position on the topic; the thesis should be debatable, meaning others may disagree or have a different perspective
• Discussion of background and other perspectives within the larger conversation, represented through integration of research
• Body paragraphs that explain, support, and answer the promise of the thesis statement
• Effective use of author tags, direct quotes, summary, and paraphrases
• Proper APA style for in-text citation and an end References page
Additional Requirements
• Three complete body pages (double-spaced), plus title page and References page
• Essay typed and submitted as a Microsoft Word 2010 document (.docx), with 12-point font and APA formatting for margins, title page, running heads, and page numbers; please be sure to review the formatting in the APA paper and title page tutorial below on formatting an APA paper and title page.
• Integration of a minimum of one credible source
ENGL 117 Topic Selection Prewriting with Perspective Summary
Week 5
This week’s goal is to begin collecting information and planning for the final Commentary essay by reading, thinking, and engaging with your topic. As you determine your topic, you’ll want to be sure it’s viable by understanding the perspectives within it and determining what unique angle you can offer to the conversation. Under each prompt or question below, provide detailed information that shares information about your topic.
1. What is your chosen topic, and how did you come across it? Why is it interesting to you? What do you personally hope to gain or accomplish by writing about this topic? In this section, define your topic and explain where you first heard about it (i.e. local newspaper, website, etc.). Reflect on how or why your own background, motivations, needs, or interest sparked your interest on this topic and relate to your overall goals for writing.
My chosen topic is the recent shootings at high schools. I came across this topic through the news channels. School shootings are interesting to me because it has been a common issue going on throughout the United States. Many students are losing their lives while trying to get an education. It also seems as though there hasn’t been a solution to it. I’m writing about this topic to hopefully get stricter gun laws and for schools to get better security.
2. Provide a brief summary of the topic. Explain the current issues surrounding the topic and share a researched position on the topic. As this is a summary, this section should be written in your own words; however, you must first conduct research to complete this section. Find a source that offers a unique perspective on this topic and summarize his or her point of view. In your summary, also explain who the author or publishing organization is and how he, she, or it relates to the topic. Although we will be learning more about APA style next week, use Chapter 28 in your textbook and our APA class tutorials to provide a full reference for the source.
According to the article, at 7:30 am Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, went to his high school, Sante Fe High School and committed murder. He was armed with a shotgun and a .38 revolver. Two explosives devices were also discovered later by police officers. He first shot a Houston police officer, who was stationed at the school. Upon entering the school, Dimitrios, entered the art class, yelling “surprise”. He then opens fire. He killed 10 people and wounded several others on May 18th. One student Paige Curry was asked by KTRK-TV if she’d ever thought this couldn’t possibly happen at her school. “No. It’s been happening everywhere,” she replied. “I’ve always felt it would eventually happen here, too” (Arciga, et. al., 2018).
The author argues on the other practical solutions to combat illegal trading of firearms, such as law governing the reporting of lost or stolen guns and limitations on the number of guns purchased at one time. Dewitt also feels there needs to be a proposal on gun laws in U.S. (Dewitt, 2014). According to Dewitt (2014), until we invest in ourselves in such a way, and legislate common-sense standards to keep guns out of the hands of the people who must not have them, we can only expect more of the sad same, where nobody is surprised to read the news of the latest unconscionable tragedy.
What specific issue will you write about within the larger topic, and what unique angle will you provide?
With the growing number of school shootings, it can be argued that the requirements to obtain a gun in the United States are not strict enough. If the guns are the problem, then shouldn’t the United States have stricter gun laws and more security at schools.
3. Define your audience. Who are they, and what are their needs, motivations, and influences? In what ways will you need to structure your writing to appeal to them? Analyze the groups and individuals who are reading and writing on your chosen topic. Work to define who they are and how their backgrounds will dictate your writing approach.
My targeted audience would be the parents who have lost their children in the latest gun shootings at schools, parents with children, and the government. I would express to the parents how precious the lives of their children are. There should be no reason their child was killed at a place where they should feel safe. The parents who have lost a loved one, during school shooting can write letters to the President explaining how their sons and daughters were killed. They can request for stricter gun laws and more security at the schools. The government can provide schools with the best security systems and more police officers to patrol.
The purpose of this essay is to persuade the President in finding a solution to this problem. School shootings have become a common issue. The President can either put laws in place for stricter gun laws or provide schools with the necessary security to protect the students. The parents and students can have their voices heard by taking action. By them taking action, would put pressure on the government to step up and take matters into their hands.
Reference
DeWitt, D. (2016, January 14). A shooting enthusiast who supports strict gun sales laws. Athens News. p. 4.
Miller, J., Briquelet, K., & Arciga, J. (2018, May 18). 10 Killed in Texas School Shooting, Deadliest
Since Parkland: A student reportedly burst into art class and opened fire early Friday morning and planted bombs. Daily Beast (New York). p. 1