Rebuttal Essay

Prompt:

For your second essay, you are being asked to prepare a response to an essay we’ve read in class.  Your response can either be an argument against the stated position of the original author, or it can be an extension of the existing argument.  If you choose to argue against the original argument, you must address at least one specific point made by the original author.  Your other points can be developed through your own understanding of the issue.  On the other hand, if you agree with the original argument, you must add specific points to it in an attempt to improve its effectiveness.  In either case, your essay will still have an original thesis and developed paragraphs that argue your own points.

Developing Ideas:

Read through the Fresh Voices essays assigned these next couple weeks, and select one that resonates with you.  Once you do that, you’ll have to evaluate the argument.  Reverse outline the essay, making sure you understand the main points and then critique each one.  Try to find points that aren’t fully explained or explained poorly, and either work to improve those points or argue against them.

Use of Sources:

In this essay, you will use passages from the original essay that you are addressing.  The passages you choose should be meaningful to both the original argument and your new argument, and they should be placed in the “example” section of your paragraphs.