Island Civilizaiton

This is the link to the slide show>>Island Civilization

This is the writing prompt. Ms. Avila will give you a hard copy on Thursday.

Assignment:  Letter to the Author

The purpose of this assignment is for you to interact -- through writing -- with the author of this presentation, acknowledging that he is a real person from a university right up the road from here -- a university that some of you may end up attending in the fall of 2018.

In your letter, you must mind your tone.  You must be respectful, and acknowledge that whether you agree with him or not, Roderick Nash is an expert in his field.  He states early in his presentation -- (in paragraph 2) -- that his purpose for writing is “to put forward for discussion a strategy for occupation of this planet that will work in the very long run and for all the natural world...If you disagree with some or all of my vision, create your own.  Particularly, if you think staying the present course is the way to go, put forward your evidence and reasoning.”

So in your letter, you should summarize and acknowledge Nash’s major points.  Then you should respond to him, taking one of these stands: support his view, challenge his ideas, or present your own thoughts on the topic.  

The audience for these letters will be your teacher, your classmates, and (an imaginary) Roderick Nash.  Your purpose as a writer is to write persuasively enough to convince Nash that you have thoughtfully engaged with his ideas and that you have the ability to present your own opinions on this topic.

As you consider the assignment described above, jot down answers to these questions.  They will help you consider how to craft your letter.

• To whom will you be directing your writing?
• Do you agree with Nash, or do you want to challenge him?
• What is your thesis or main point?
• What is your rhetorical aim? Do you intend to be combative (not recommended), logical, persuasive, or affirming?
• What kind of evidence do you need to gather? For example, will you be quoting directly? If so, you should choose quotes and be able to explain why you are choosing them.  If you are summarizing and paraphrasing, you should be clear on what passages you need to work with.
• How will your annotated text help you with this letter?  

This is an assignment designed for the end of the junior year.  It’s tough, but doable.  You should be readable, logical, concise, and persuasive; you have lots of time to finish it.  Good luck!