Write a 750-1000 word illustrative essay. Select one aspect of a topic to argue in detail, using specific examples to illustrate your side of the argument.
Your essay should avoid opinion and focus on persuading your audience with detailed explanations and factual evidence from at least two reliable sources. Begin your argument by stating a generalization about the topic. Then support that generalization by choosing to write a single-example illustration essay or a multiple-example illustration essay (see Unit V, Lesson 2). The essay should be written in the style and form described within Unit V.
Sample Topic Choices:
Lebron James is the greatest basketball player of all time.
Kenny Rogers is a country music icon.
Major League Baseball should eliminate the use of designated hitters.
Dark chocolate is superior to all other chocolates.
Purpose: Throughout Unit V, we have discussed the conventions of the illustration essay. The purpose of this assignment is to measure your mastery of those conventions by putting your knowledge to practice. In a larger context, the purpose of writing an illustration essay is to convey an idea to the reader by providing illustrations (examples) that will provide readers with a clear picture of your stand on a specific topic.
Process: For the illustration essay, you will complete the following steps:
Choose a topic: See the methods for developing a topic and the suggested list of topics in Unit V, Lesson 3.
Decide if you want to write a single-example or multiple-example essay: See Unit V, Lesson 2, for more instruction on the differences between single-example and multiple-example essays.
Collect illustrations: See Unit V, Lesson 1, for more information about different kinds of illustrations. See Unit V, Lesson 4, for more information about how to gather illustrations.
Craft your thesis statement: See Unit V, Lesson 5, for more information on how to write a thesis. Note that you want to craft your thesis according to whether you choose to write a single-example or a multiple-example essay.
Draft the essay: For each section of the essay, see the following: Unit V, Lesson 6, for the introduction; Unit V, Lesson 7, for the body paragraphs; and Unit V, Lesson 8, for the conclusion.
Stylistic details: All essays must meet the following requirements:
