If you want to write on a freedom of speech issue, you could write about whether or not businesses should have the right not to serve homosexual couples (or whether people like that woman who refused to sign a marriage certificate for a gay couple should be allowed to keep their jobs). I wouldn't write necessarily on supporting homosexual couples in general because that is rather broad and moot since the supreme court ruling is likely not to be overturned. Another free speech issue you could write about is perhaps whether you believe that the right to peaceful protest should be limited or defined more given the recent violence surrounding protests.
The topic is gay marriage and freedom of speech.
Constructing Your Writing Notes
The questions below will ask you to consider how the following critical elements relate to your topic:
- argument
- key points
- audience
- goal
- potential resources
- evidence
This process will allow you to develop a potential structure for effectively persuading readers to agree with your argument. This plan will be helpful in keeping your thought process on track when you begin writing and revising your essay. Each response should be one fully developed paragraph in length (5-8 sentences).
1. Your argument is the main point that you are trying to make in your essay. It should clearly state your opinion on your topic. Describe the argument to be addressed in your persuasive essay and include how the argument is derived from your major, the major you are considering pursuing, or your field of work.
2. Key points are pieces of evidence that support an author's main argument. What are three possible key points for your selected topic? How do they support your main argument?
3. Your audience is the people you are addressing in your essay. Who is the audience that will be reading your essay? What potential challenges will you have supporting your argument with this demographic?
4. Your goal is the end result that you wish to achieve in writing this essay. What goal do you hope to accomplish with this essay? What will this essay need to be successful?
5. Potential resources are pieces of evidence that could be used to support your argument. List potential resources that could be used as supporting evidence for your argument, and provide a brief description of each and how they will reinforce your argument.
6. Using the resources, you identified above, align specific key points of your argument with your supporting resources to begin to establish an effective essay structure.
7. Based on your argument, determine strategic places where integrating evidence would be most effective and provide rationale for each.