Have you ever watched two politicians debate on television? Which candidate made the more favorable impression? At the end of the debate, did you find the candidates’ arguments credible? Strong arguments require supportive evidence. Politicians on the cam

Have you ever watched two politicians debate on television? Which candidate made the more favorable impression? At the end of the debate, did you find the candidates’ arguments credible? Strong arguments require supportive evidence. Politicians on the campaign trail are judged on their ability to make convincing arguments. In this situation, their credibility rests on their ability to support their positions effectively.

In this Application Assignment, you use supportive evidence to reinforce your position on a decision made under pressure.

Questions about this Assignment? Post them in the Contact the Instructor area. That way, everyone in the class will see and benefit from the Instructor’s response.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review the following in The Longman Writer: Rhetoric, Reader, Research Guide, and Handbook:
  • Chapter 4, “Supporting the Thesis with Evidence” (pp. 41–46)
  • Chapter 5, “Organizing the Evidence” (pp. 51–54)
  • Chapter 11 selection, “Shooting a Elephant” by George Orwell (pp.183–188)
  • Part VI, “A Concise Handbook”
    • “Fragments” (pp. 602-607)
    • “Faulty Parallelism” (pp. 610–611)
• Consider how Orwell writes of his experience shooting an elephant. What factors influenced his decision to shoot the elephant?
• Find supportive evidence within the readings from The Longman Writer and outside sources regarding consequences of making decisions under pressure.

The Assignment:

Write a 1- to 2-page essay explaining whether Orwell’s decision was justified.  Use supportive evidence to reinforce your position. Be sure to include the following:

• Explain Orwell’s decision to shoot the elephant and include at least one citation from Orwell to support your position.
• Cite at least two examples from the reading or outside sources (e.g., books, journal articles, web articles) in support of your position. Note: Wikipedia will not be accepted as an outside resource.
• Check for and correct fragments and faulty parallelisms in your writing.

Formatting Expectations:

• Indent the first sentence of each paragraph. Block paragraphs are not acceptable for this Assignment.