Learning Goal: I’m working on a english writing question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.

Essay 4 Page Length and Point Value

Page Requirements

3 – 4 pages

Point Value

100

Percentage of Final Grade

10 %

Essay Purpose

In our Essay 4 module, students will learn how to write a thesis-driven essay that analyzes ethos, logos, and pathos as modes of persuasion in texts on the impact of mindfulness practices on extreme sport athletes in competition.

Required Texts Needed to Write This Essay

• Happiness Lab Season 1, Episode 3 podcast “A Silver Lining” (Links to an external site.) (audio) with Dr. Laurie Santos or “A Silver Lining” Transcript.Actions
• Tutorial on how todownload podcasts to an Iphone or Ipad (Links to an external site.)for convenient listening on the go.
• How to download podcasts to an Android device. (Links to an external site.)
• Read the transcript or listen to Hidden Brain podcast: “Would You Rather Win Silver Or Bronze? (Be Careful What You Wish For)” (Links to an external site.) (August 3, 2012)
• “Mindfulness Meditation for Athletes: Get in the Zone” (Links to an external site.) on the benefits of self-awareness without self-judgement in sports. Athletes often struggle with performing well under the stress of competition; mindfulness meditation technique are shown to improve performance by drawing all the athlete’s attention on the present moment and thus silencing the voice of self-criticism and self-comparisons to others.
• Kris Heap’s “The Day Michael Phelps Went Blind” (Links to an external site.) on an Olympic swimmer’s ability to win gold even when blind because of his daily meditation practices he calls mental “videotapes.”
• Read Model Student Essay Four for a nice example of what you should aim for in your own essay.

MLA Style Formatting

Use this English 104 MLA Template to help you format your essay properly.

Instructions

INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH (3/4 PAGE)

• Start with a hook that grabs the reader’s interest and introduces the essay topic.
• Summarize the main ideas in Dr. Laurie Santos’s podcast episode ““A Silver Lining” (Links to an external site.). In your summary, make sure to credit her (by her full author name and podcast title).
• Define “ethos,” “pathos,” and “logos.” Helpful resources:
• Farnam Street article “Ethos, Logos, and Pathos: The Structure of a Great Speech” (Links to an external site.)
• Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: Definition and Examples (Links to an external site.)
• End with your introduction paragraph with a 1 sentence thesis statement that is specific, concise, clear, and arguable.

THESIS (ONE SENTENCE)

Thesis Question: Discuss specific examples of how our readings about athletic competition for this Essay 4 module use 2 of the following 3 modes of persuasion– ethos, pathos, or logos–to argue that strengthening the mind is the most important way to succeed at athletic competition.

• Examples of strengthening the mind can include mindfulness, visualization and other meditation practices, positive reframing of past events, selecting beneficial points of reference etc..

THESIS PROBLEMS TO AVOID:

Ethos / logos / pathos are not states of mind that athletes have; for instance, ethos is not when athletes in the readings talk about their emotions.

Ethos / logos / pathos are modes of persuasion that writers use to make their arguments more convincing. Pathos is when a writer says things that are meant to trigger the reader’s emotions in such a way the reader agrees with the text. So if you are arguing that a text uses pathos, what does the author say to make the reader feel emotions that make them side with the author?

When you talk about Logos, explain what the writer’s logical arguments are to support her or his arguments. Not that athletes think logically. Look at the way the texts make their arguments convincing by being logical.

Make sure your thesis and topic sentences clearly say which modes of persuasion you’ve chosen to provide examples for: ethos / logos / pathos. Limit each body paragraph to talking about only one mode of persuasion.

BODY PARAGRAPHS

• Very Important Requirement: Provide specific examplesfrom the stories of at least 2 athletes featured in assigned readings for this Essay 4 module.
• Required: provide supporting quotations from at least 3 of our Essay 4 readings.
• No other outside sources besides those assigned for this unit should be cited in your essay.

CONCLUSION

• Restate your thesis using new wording and phrasing so you are not simply cutting and pasting.
• End with some interesting reflections on the topic that go beyond merely repeating what you said earlier.

Organization Tips

• Thesis formation: The thesis should subdivide into the same number of points as your total number of body paragraphs. If you have two body paragraphs, your thesis would subdivide into two points. Thesis needs to be the last sentence of your introduction. The thesis should fully answer the essay question. It should also be specific, concise, and arguable.
• Body Paragraph Organization and Unity: Each body paragraph should discussion one idea that supports the thesis; in other words, body paragraphs should not repeat ideas from previous paragraphs and should not contain more than one main idea.
• Topic Sentences: Each body paragraph must begin with a topic sentence that tells the reader which thesis idea that paragraph will be about.
• Concluding Sentences: Each body paragraph should end with a concluding sentence that restates topic sentence main ideas and adds supportive reasoning. The goal is to summarize the main examples you covered in that body paragraph.
• Quotations: You will need to support any assertions you make with a discussion of quotations from the texts assigned. All quotations should have an introductory phrase and should use the following MLA format: Westwick and Neushul write, “XX” (24).
• Quotation Analysis: All quotations should be followed by 4-5 or more sentences that provide a detailed explanation of how the quotation supports your body paragraph’s main idea.
• Title: Divided into two parts separated by a colon. Centered. Double-spaced like your heading and the rest of your paper. Capitalize all key words. Should be a fragment. Not underlined or in boldface. No period at the end of the title. Your title should not just copy the title of this essay prompt or the title of the readings. Example:

  Myth Topic: Your Two Thesis Ideas

• Conclusion: A place for you to summarize your thesis and add any last reflections on your topic. Should be no longer than half of a page.
• Essay formatting: Use MLA format. For help, see Purdue University OWL website and click on the MLA section.
• Number of Paragraphs: In order to pass, your essay must have an introduction that ends in a thesis statement, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion.