Advocacy assignment
Advocacy Essay
Points: 100
Please prepare a 3-4 page assignment advocating for an issue or idea. Perhaps we want a bill passed, more money for the education budget, or to stop the oppression of a group of people. The writers we have been reading all used writing to gain support for their causes. They came from specific circumstances, but spoke to universal truths, and this balance between the specific and the universal makes writing powerful.
Begin by thinking about a cause that matters to you: civil rights, income inequality, poverty, domestic violence, money in politics, free speech, the environment, disease prevention, and so on. This kind of essay requires background knowledge of the topic, so while this is a great opportunity to learn more about an issue you care about, the issue should be familiar enough that you’ve thought about it deeply and can discuss it for at least one minute in detail—ideally it should be an issue you feel most people don’t understand completely.
Until now, your audience has been at once a “general audience” and me. This essay requires a more pointed understanding of your audience: a specific leader, a particular company, a distinct readership. As a result, this paper often follows the upside-down pyramid structure. A strong thesis statement is critical and generally appears very early—often the first sentence—so that your audience can immediately understand your point of view. Likewise, your introductory paragraph must introduce the issue, explain why it matters, and present some personal information describing why you are advocating for this cause. Besides understanding audience, the key to this essay is balancing emotional with logical appeals, giving your reader multiple reasons to support your idea.
