Paper details
-Citations must be scholarly articles only
-interact with arguments that support and refute your own.
-The audience is comprised of a professor and classmates who have read and discussed the assigned
Bedford essay of “Live Free and Starve” but are unfamiliar with your other secondary sources.
-How would you characterize your viewpoint? Has it changed during your research process? What can you
add to the conversation? What have your sources not said?
-Develop an arguable thesis statement that conveys your viewpoint. (Remember: you will refine this thesis
statement as your draft evolves. Writing is an act of discovery.)
-What are the main points of your thesis statement? Organize your entire draft around these points.
-What ideas from the sources are you engaging? Which sources support your viewpoint? Which sources
refute it? Cite your sources (paraphrases and direct quotes; see Hacker for reminders on strategy). Explain
why the ideas of your sources are good, bad, or otherwise. Add something of your own so that you are not
simply supporting or refuting but also adding your own insights.
-Develop a conclusion that speaks to the larger significance of the issue.
-Scan over the Allyn & Bacon writing strategies for pointers on writing introductions, tension-filled thesis
statements, tight paragraphs with points as well as particulars, and thoughtful conclusions.