College Writing

College Writing Study Guide

Chapter 5: The Proposal

Learning Objectives This chapter will discuss the �irst of the two essay questions on the test. You’ll learn: 1. The parts of the proposal 2. The kinds of writing you’ll need 3. Rhetorical appeals and rhetorical devices The �irst of the two essay questions on the test is a proposal. You will be presented with a scenario, and you will have to argue for a particular outcome. First, let’s go over the kinds of writing skills that you’ll need in order to be successful with this assignment. 5.1 The Kinds of Writing You’ll Need You may need to incorporate two kinds of writing in your response to the proposal assignment: ar- gumentative writing and narrative writing. Argumentative writing features a clear point of view, supported by compelling reasons and evidence. In an argumentative piece, your thesis is a claim about what should happen, compelling the audience to do or believe something. In the case of the proposal, you will be given a scenario and an audience, and you must convince them to act how you want them to act. Also, as we discussed in the organizational structure for the Five- Part Essay, telling stories in a spe- ci�ic way and with a speci�ic angle is an effective argumentative tactic, and narrative writing helps you do this. Narrative writing can set the scene using vivid descriptions of people and places. In the proposal example discussed in class, you must argue that a planning committee should devote funds to renovate a building and subsequently solve a social ill. Narrative writing could be uniquely important in describing that social ill, as stories about people affected by any societal problem help to ground the issue in humans’ lived experience. The fundamental aspect of the proposal is an argument, and no matter which kind of writing you choose – straight argumentative or narrative – you’ll need to use rhetoric. 5.2 Rhetoric – An Introduction to Getting What You Want The word “ rhetoric ” has multiple scholarly de�initions, but for our purposes, rhetoric is the “art of using words.” Every day tha t you communicate with another person, you’re using rhetoric because in each case, your interaction is de�ined by either wanting something from another person or another person wanting something from you. Rhetoric is what animates our relationships with each other.

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