The purpose of this research guide is to help students with beginning their argumentative papers on themes in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks . This guide will cover the basics of argumentative & informative essays, how to develop and narrow a topic, finding articles and books for the assignment, citation, and how to get help if you get stuck.
One of the most common college assignments is the argumentative essay. An argumentative essay is an essay on a debatable topic where you make a claim and then use reliable evidence and reasoning to back up your claim. Your goal is to persuade your audience to see the validity of your argument and to agree with you.
Essays that are the most successful in arguing their side of the issue have the following:
Evidence for your Henrietta Lacks assignments will come from your 7-10 peer reviewed sources as well as any additional sources you choose to use (i.e. books, newspaper articles, statistics, educational and documentary videos) and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
For more information, visit the OWL at Purdue or talk to Mrs. Sanwo.
As you read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, you'll be looking for debatable topics that are either brought up in the book or are related to topics broached by the book. Pick something that you're interested in because then you'll want to do your research.
Then you will need to select 7-10 scholarly/peer-reviewed sources representing the different viewpoints of your topic. You will use these articles for the following assignments:
Argue your viewpoint, supporting your argument (thesis) with what you've learned from your 7-10 scholarly/peer-reviewed sources. Address your opposition by acknowledging, accommodating, and refuting their viewpoint. Use your ethos and logos to lend your argument more credibility.
This essay will be written in stages with multiple pre-writing activities. This essay should be between 2000-2500 words.
If you select option 2 for Essay 3, you'll be writing an informative essay. An informative or exploratory essay allows the writer to investigate a topic more thoroughly, gather information, and share that information with your audience (your teacher and other students). This essay doesn't ask you to take a stance and defend your position. Rather, this essay presents an objective view of a topic that is meant to educate rather than influence.
Good informative essays:
For more information, visit the OWL at Purdue or talk to Mrs. Sanwo.