Friendly Letter

TOPIC: Write a letter to an actual friend or family member persuading them to read the Odyssey. Focus on 3-4 main qualities (Ex. themes, characters, style, etc.). This is designed to be a well-written and well-argued paper. It does not have to be a full essay, but it needs to have a strong thesis as well as well-organized and developed body paragraphs.  You need as many paragraphs as it takes to fully answer the question and give a detailed analysis of your prompt. However, you need a minimum of 3 paragraphs!  You can have many more than that. In other words, you need to write and turn in a paper worthy of your time and effort.  Important Guidelines & Criteria for Critical Thinking Log Grades   1. Strong critical thinking that reflects your close reading of the text and your engaged commitment to your topic   2. A clear argument/thesis statement at the very beginning. (No introduction paragraph is needed.)   3. Focused, topic-centered paragraphs that support your argument (one main point per paragraph, taken from your thesis).    4. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence that announces the topic of that paragraph (Follow main ideas, in the same order as in your thesis). Don’t begin your paragraphs with evidence.    5. Wrap up each body paragraph with a concluding sentence that ties back to your thesis. (Don’t end with evidence.)    6. Use of (short) quotes that are (i) introduced (explain textual context for the quote: who said it, to whom, why, when, where, etc.), smoothly (ii) integrated into your text in support of the points you are making, (iii) analyzed, and (iv) cited. (See Canvas Resources on Quote Sandwich & in-text citation). Don’t drop your quotes. Remember: they are babies that cannot stand by themselves.    7. A satisfying wrap-up sentence or a short conclusion paragraph at the end   8. College-level proofreading for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.    9. Attention to MLA guidelines, including Times New Roman, size 12 fonts, paper formatting, page citations for quotes, in-text citations, and Works Cited page (for research only)   (Please see MLA resources on Canvas for further details.)    10. Write your chosen prompt at the top of your paper.    11. Write Total Word Count at the end of your paper. (500 words minimum) Please Remember to: **formulate a specific and concise argumentative thesis statement (one sentence) based on any one of the questions. This means that 1) not everyone may agree with your stance 2) you will support your position with textual/credible evidence