Argue Issue

In this section of your nonfiction portfolio, you will write a documented argumentative essay based on an issue in *Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

. You MUST conduct research for this assignment.

Once you choose and research your issue, you will determine the focus of your essay.

Your argument may focus on:

• the causes of your issue
• the solutions to your issue
• the long-term and/or short-term effects of your issue
• your opinion of how the issue has been handled
• any other aspect of the issue that strikes you as significant

Once you have your focus, create your thesis statement and organize your ideas and research.

What will this look like?

Let’s pretend you read a nonfiction book called Fast Food Nation. You might be interested in researching diet in America. This may lead you to a discussion of vegetarianism in our country. Once you have a focused issue, you will form a thesis. A sample thesis for this book could be:

“Many of America’s health issues would dissipate if American citizens reduced their meat intake.”

In this example, the essay will focus on a solution (reducing meat intake) to the problem presented in the book. You will use a problem-solution plan to organize your ideas.