Week 3 Discussion: Introductions with Peer ReviewDiscussion Weight: 5%
Learning Objectives: 1, 3, 5

Review the Week 3 Discussion Rubric here

MAIN POSTFirst, complete the following reading:The Norton Field Guide

• Chapter 35 (pp. 373-385)
• Cengage’s handout entitled ” 15 Ways to Start an Introduction”  
• The Writing Center @ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Introductions
• Twenty-One Commonly Committed Fallacies

For this discussion, review the resources above, then compose two Introductions for your Researched Argumentative Essay. The introductions should demonstrate different approaches, using different words and phrasing. Only the thesis statement will remain similar. Then, in a third paragraph, share your thoughts about which introduction you are most likely to use and why.A few reminders:

• Paragraph 1 will  be your first possible introduction.
• Paragraph 2 will be your second possible introduction.
• Paragraph 3 will be your commentary on both introductions.
• Write only in 3rd person point of view (No direct address – “You would be shocked at the waste of edible foods!”).
• Do not announce the topic (Example: This paper will discuss the importance of donkey farming to nomad societies in Northern Africa; In this essay, or, In this essay, I will…).

PEER REPLIES (2)Respond to two peers’ main posts with replies of 150 -200 words each by answering each of the following questions.

1. What two approaches of introductions were used? 
2. Which of the introductions is more effective? Why?
3. Does the introduction provide enough information about the topic and direction of the essay?
4. Is the position the writer is taking clear?
5. Is the thesis statement complete, clear, and well-composed?
6. What do you like most about the introduction?
7. Offer a suggestion to make the introduction stronger.

Be sure to take a moment to check into your own thread. Reply to your instructor and some peers who offer insights into your writing.REQUIREMENTS

• If you use a source in your introduction, such as for a statistic, you should cite it and reference the material.
• You must create your own thread first before you will be able to see others’ threads.
• You are encouraged to submit your initial post (minimum 2 paragraphs, 250+ words) by Wednesday at 11:59 PM Eastern.
• You must reply to at least two peers’ main threads. In addition to replying to two peers’ threads, to earn full credit, you should also respond to comments within your thread.
• You must participate on three separate days to earn full credit.

As you read the following sample introductions, note that most combine more than
one technique. Also, note that the information gets narrower and narrower until it con-
nects to the thesis. Your goal is to introduce your thesis in a manner that is meaningful,
engaging, and appropriate to your audience and purpose.

1. Analogy
Artists are to their studios as scientists are to their labs. Artists experiment with

color, texture, and medium to discern the different effects these elements have on the
eye and mind. Sometimes their experiments are fantastic successes; sometimes they
fail terribly, just as scientists might. Rather than thinking of artists as visionaries driven
by pain and inspiration, we should think of them as hardworking risk takers, willing to
experiment until they solve the aesthetic problems they have set themselves to examine.

(Adapted from the Virgil Undergraduate Writing Center Web site)

2. Anecdote
On seeing another child fall and hurt himself, Hope, just 9 months old, stared,

tears welling up in her eyes, and crawled to her mother to be comforted—as though
she had been hurt and not her friend. When 15-month-old Michael saw his friend
Paul crying, Michael fetched his own teddy bear and offered it to Paul; when that
didn’t stop Paul’s tears, Michael brought Paul’s security blanket from another
room. Such small acts of sympathy and caring, observed in scientifi c studies, are
leading researchers to trace the roots of empathy—the ability to share another’s
emotions—to infancy, contradicting a longstanding assumption that infants and
toddlers are incapable of these feelings.

(From “Researchers Trace Empathy’s Roots to Infancy” by Daniel Goleman)

A P P E N D I X B

15 Ways to Write
Your Introduction

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Appendix BA-10

3. Background Information
In his essay, fi rst published in the New York Times in 1979, “If Black English

Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” James Baldwin attempts to legitimize
black English as a unique language. He argues that black English is a valid lan-
guage because of the role it plays in the lives of black Americans; it serves as a
means for blacks to control their own circumstances, defi ne themselves, and obtain
power. Baldwin justifi es black English by applying George Orwell’s argument that
language is “a political instrument, means, and proof of power” to the black experi-
ence (Orwell 436). Like black Americans, Chicanos have developed a language
all their own—Spanglish. Just as black English plays a vital role for black people,
Chicano speech serves an important purpose for Chicanos. Purpose, Baldwin argues,
validates and makes language authentic. It is then the social, cultural, and political
signifi cance of Spanglish in the lives of Chicanos that legitimizes it as a language.

(From “‘Spanglish’: The Language of Chicanos” by Rosa María Jiménez)

4. Brief Description
As I walk into the academic building of my college, I can’t help stopping in front

of the beautiful three-level octagonal fountain in the middle of the lobby. Its hugeness
symbolizes the ideals of the college. Watching the clear water fl owing from one level
to another, my gaze comes to rest on various coins at the bottom of the third level.
The coins are clearly visible: pennies, dimes, nickels, and a few quarters. Each coin,
thrown by students as they rushed to class, expresses their hopes, goals, desires, and
dreams. To some, it may be a simple wish to pass the next test; for others, it may be
a wish for a successful future career; but to all, it represents a possibility of a better
tomorrow. We can hear the soft whispers of the college promising its students a better
future as we continue to invest our time, money, and energy. There is no doubt in our
minds that the education we receive here will enable us to gain fi nancial indepen-
dence, respect, and, most importantly, control of our own destinies.

(Carmen Toro, Pueblo Community College student)

5. Defi nition of Terms
Recently, our local school district adopted a strategic plan emphasizing a new

concept called 21st-century skills. In particular, the plan states that local schools will
provide all graduates with the 21st-century skills needed to compete in the interna-
tional economy. Naturally, many citizens—parents, businesspeople, even teachers—
are wondering exactly what this term means, and many are expressing the same kind
of puzzlement we’ve seen repeatedly over the years when educational leaders adopt
the latest “buzzword” as if it were the long-awaited silver bullet. However, though
21st-century skills may sound like another fad term, it is really a new descriptor for a

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very old concept: the broadly educated person. Simply, it refers to the integration of
critical thinking, research, technical, and cultural/historical knowledge that has long
characterized the well-educated human being.

If there is a signifi cant difference between this concept and earlier educational
trends, it may be a new sense of urgency: evidence is showing that if the U.S. is
to remain competitive in the world economy, we simply must do a better job of
producing graduates who possess the 21st-century skill set. The link between
education and economic productivity has never been more openly part of the
public agenda than it is today. Humanists regret this connection deeply, claiming
that education should be a process of self-discovery and fulfi llment, not a service
to the state. Corporate leaders, on the other hand, unabashedly think of educa-
tion as an assembly line for future workers. More moderate thinkers, however, are
beginning to recognize that 21st-century skills can give us the best of both worlds:
economic competitiveness as well as personal fulfi llment. The time has come to
drop our cynical and dismissive attitude toward educational change and give
21st-century skills a fi ghting chance.

(Renee Flores, Pueblo Community College student)

6. Figurative Language
I don’t know why, in my sophomore year, I decided that I wanted to join the

high school football team. I didn’t like football and never watched it on TV. I
wasn’t the least bit athletic. The only triumph I’d ever had in this area was when,
in fi fth grade, I performed a handstand for a full 6 seconds, beating out my friend
Bradley who went on to become an Olympic gymnast, but who had been kept home
sick the previous week. I’d never even spoken with a football player—the players
were all so wide you had to get out of the way when they came down the hall, and
they had the sleekest-looking girls, dripping with confi dent sexual power and sub-
missiveness, hanging on them in the hallways. The football players’ big grins were
always directed out there somewhere, beyond.

But when tryouts were held on that hot August Oklahoma afternoon, I was
there. Once on the fi eld (I’ll leave aside the bit about needing help putting on the
gear in the locker room), inside the unaccustomed helmet, I was on another planet.
My senses were eerily distorted. I hardly knew where I was or which way to face;
it was like being in a diving bell in the hot springs at Yellowstone. Sounds came
from all directions and mingled with heat and exhaled fear and sweat. If you’ve ever
breathed hot minestrone in an echo chamber, you are familiar with the sensation.
Repeatedly that day, after the thronging human machine knocked me fl at and pressed
parts of my body into the hard ground, I found myself staggering to my feet, help-
lessly unaware of my purpose or location. The other players—coming into view as
my helmet swung round pathetically—looked incredulously, pityingly, in my direc-
tion, sometimes for long minutes, not knowing what to make of this strange creature,
this skinny-legged stork, this pink heron, in their midst.

Appendix B

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Appendix BA-12

It was an experience of feeling utterly out of place and threatened—fragile
(if somewhat self-pitying) prey in a lions’ cage—that characterized the next few
months of my life. For somehow I made the team. And though I never played in a
single game, I did learn a lesson that year about how others might feel in similar
situations: strangers, outcasts, or those who are just plain different.

(Frank Cerrano, Pueblo Community College student)

7. Historical Information
The history of jazz is well known among afi cionados, at least in general outline.

The story of jazz is intimately tied to the social history of the American 20th century;
in fact, it is almost impossible to study the social history of the last hundred years with-
out considering the important infl uence of America’s major indigenous art form.

Briefl y, then, we might summarize the history of jazz as follows: It began in
the great melting pot of New Orleans in the last years of the 19th century, mixing
musical infl uences such as gospel, Delta blues, and various international forms into
a vibrant dance hall music. It developed and spread to other cities primarily through
the creative genius of one man, Louis Armstrong, becoming in the process a me-
dium through which the most innovative musical ideas were introduced spontane-
ously, on the stage, in the form of improvised melodies. During World War II, jazz
expressed itself mainly as big band swing music, and following the war, it evolved
into the complicated small-ensemble form we know as bebop. The 1960s were a
time of great experimentation in music, as well as in lifestyles, and jazz participated
fully in this experimentation with the likes of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman.
Then in the 1970s, jazz began merging with popular music to create “fusion” styles
under the infl uence of Miles Davis and others.

Where is jazz now? This is not an easy question to answer. Some maintain
that jazz forever lost its distinctive voice when it blended with popular music in
the seventies. Others say that jazz ran out of original ideas even earlier and that it
has forever passed into the mists of time. However, if history teaches anything, it
teaches that ideas have a way of returning with renewed vigor and fresh perspec-
tive. Jazz is no exception. The early 21st century is an exciting time for jazz fans to
be alive, for our music is experiencing a new beginning. Just listen.

(Jeff Bailey, Pueblo Community College student)

8. Humor
Two million years ago, in a land not so far away, Chicago maybe, a lone

woman put on her fur-lined, saber-toothed tiger outfi t and went to the local pond
for a quick dip. Then along came Mr. Macho Caveman, wearing bones in his nose
and his hairy back combed with a fi shbone brush. He spied our lovely cavewoman
and said, “Me Tor. You lucky.” He grabbed her and added, “Me zug-zug you.” The

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startled cavewoman picked up her wooly-mammoth club, bopped him on the head,
and then walked away. Thus, the fi rst jerk was disposed of. Since the beginning of
time, women have been trying to fi ght off jerks. We have learned a few new ways
since then, so with a little knowledge and a lot of civilization, here is a simple pro-
cedure that will help any woman get rid of a jerk.

(Catherine McDaniel, Pueblo Community College student)

9. Quotation
“Alone one is never lonely,” says May Sarton in her essay “The Rewards of

Living a Solitary Life.” Most people, however, do not share Sarton’s opinion: They
are terrifi ed of living alone. They are used to living with others—children with par-
ents, roommates with roommates, friends with friends, husbands with wives. When
the statistics catch up with them, therefore, they are rarely prepared. Chances are
high that most adult men and women will need to know how to live alone, briefl y or
longer, at some time in their lives.

(Tara Foster, student; from the Virgil Undergraduate Writing Center website)

10. Rhetorical Question
Why does it so often seem that men in our society need to demean the women

with whom they work? For years we have read stories of men who, having attained
a certain amount of power in their company, feel the need to hurt or demean those
around them for nothing more than their own personal pleasures. Harassing comments
or gestures that offend or make others feel threatened have become all too common in
today’s world. It seems that men in positions of power believe they are not out of line
when propositioning women in an inappropriate manner, promising advancement or
raises in exchange for certain favors. As concerned citizens, we should demand better
from one another and fi nd a way to end this type of behavior. Until then, women will
continue to be victims for three main reasons: fear, lack of support, and ignorance.

(Christopher Bush, Pueblo Community College student)

11. Short Narration
Never in my entire school career have I turned in an assignment on time. Ever

since I was a child, I’ve saved important tasks until the last minute. When I was
a little girl, getting ready for school in the morning was a job I couldn’t seem to
accomplish on my own. While the school bus waited in front of my house, my
mother would still be stuffi ng my books into my backpack and helping me on with
my coat. Later, in high school, I couldn’t seem to start my homework assignments
until it was nearly too late. Again, my mother would come to the rescue: she’d pull

Appendix B

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Appendix BA-14

out my books, open them to the right page, sit down with me at the table, and walk
me step by step through the assignment herself. Now that I’m a college student, the
situation hasn’t improved much; in fact, without my mom to guide me, I often miss
deadlines, and my grades are predictably bad.

Yes, I’m just another procrastinator. There are lots of us on campus. We are
everywhere, and we are easy to identify. We’re the ones who “forgot to bring our
notes” or the ones who walk in late every day because our “car wouldn’t start,” when
in fact we never took any notes and don’t drive cars because we can’t seem to follow
through on buying them or getting them fi xed. We are the ones who approach the
teacher at the end of class to bargain for a little more time, and some of us have gotten
good at succeeding in this bargain. We know how to manipulate those who, like my
mom, have a soft heart for helping others. The problem, of course, is that we are only
putting off the inevitable. At some point, we are going to have to get to work, or we
will fail. And many of us do fail. Because I am on the verge of failing out of college,
I recently joined a procrastinators’ support group called Procrastinators Anonymous,
and I’m learning a lot about this “disease,” especially about what causes it. At the ripe
age of 20, I’m fi nally learning about the factors that have made me what I am: fear of
failure and criticism, lack of motivation, and enabling behaviors of others.

(Andrew Schwartz, Pueblo Community College student)

12. Startling Fact
About a fi fth of all murders in the United States are committed by a relative of the

victim and, in most cases, by the spouse. The police dread answering calls concerning
domestic violence or family confl icts because of the vicious and dangerous nature of
so many of these confl icts; in fact, more police offi cers are killed attempting to resolve
these disputes than in almost any other type of situation they face (Miller 75). Studies
indicate that each year around 7 million couples go through a violent episode in which
one spouse tries to cause the other serious pain or injury (89). This outburst of violence
in a group of partners who are supposed to love and care for each other is not easily ex-
plained, but studies suggest that the modern family may be under greater pressures than
it can easily bear due to income, employment, family roles, and cultural environment.

(Author unknown)

13. Statistics
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune and neurological disorder that affects

2.5 million people worldwide, including 400,000 Americans. In this disease, the
nerve-insulating myelin of a person’s body comes under attack when the body’s
own defensive immune system no longer recognizes it and takes it for an intruder.
The cause is still unknown, but certain environmental triggers and perhaps a virus
could be contributing factors.

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Appendix B A-15

My mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 13 years ago. My mother un-
fortunately has a progressive disease course, in which the symptoms worsen as time
goes on. She has been through too many hospital visits to count anymore. I was
very young when her illness began, and my lifestyle has been one of support for my
mother ever since. Supporting a parent with multiple sclerosis is a diffi cult process.
MS affects its victims physically, psychologically, and socially, and for each of
these types of effect, family members must learn to cope in different ways.

(Dianna Sholey, Pueblo Community College student)

14. Vivid Contrast
In the early ‘70s we were hip and cool and groovy, wearing our bell-bottom

pants, beads, moccasins, and tie-dyed shirts with our long, straight hair parted in the
middle and our un-made-up faces casually surveying the scene. Jefferson Airplane
and the Mamas and the Papas were our idols and rum and coke our fi rst experiment
with drinking. Today my daughter, a teen of the 21st century, is “scene,” clad in
her tight capris, her clogs, and her short T-shirt, exposing her pierced belly button
and her barbed-wire arm tattoos. Her clipped, blackened hair stands straight up in
unmoving defi ance of any authority. Tupac and 2 Live Crew are her music favorites
and Coronas her choice of drink. It might fi rst appear that the two generations have
nothing in common except the strangeness, but so much of my daughter’s behavior
reminds me of myself 30 years ago that I don’t feel at all anxious about her weird
lifestyle. In truth, although generations may seem miles apart, their similarities are
more than they care to admit.

(Isabella Melecio, Pueblo Community College student)

15. Writer’s Experience with the Subject
Let me start with a confession. I am addicted to soap operas. From the minute

I get up until it’s time to go to bed, I think about my favorite characters. At work I
recount the scenes of the latest episodes and try to think of better solutions to my
favorite characters’ many problems. Even my job schedule is planned around the
hours of my favorite soaps. My family has accepted my addiction and prefers not to
discuss it; my friends think that I’ve gone insane; I, however, have come to realize
that there are millions of people throughout the world who share this addiction. After
much analysis and research, I have come to understand that soap operas can serve
three special purposes for so many people: entertainment, a way to live life vicari-
ously, and an excuse to isolate ourselves from what we can’t or don’t dare change.

(Author unknown)

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Twenty-One Commonly Committed Fallacies

Adapted from Lindsey Wilson College’s Writing Center

1. Ad hominem

This trick, literally translated as “to the man,” subtly or overtly distorts a person’s character, destroying

their credibility no matter how valid their argument is. “I was surprised you agreed with her. She’s kind

of an extremist.”

2. Faulty use of authority

Traditionally called Argumentum ad Verecundiam or Appeal to Authority. “It’s the brand Oprah uses.”

People often listen to someone famous or powerful, even to a celebrity who has no connection with

what’s being endorsed.

3. Appeal to fear

This trick causes your audience to fear others and seek your protection. “Politician X will take away your

freedom of speech!”

4. Appeal to pity (or sympathy)

“I know I made a poor decision. But let’s just look at how hard my job is.” This allows manipulators to

avoid responsibility for something.

5. Appeal to popular passions

Traditionally called Argumentum ad Populum. This trick implies that the manipulator shares the same

views as the audience. “I know you’ll all agree with this, ladies and gentlemen.”

6. Begging the question

Traditionally called Petitio Principii, this fallacy leans on an argument that may not be true in the first

place. “I avoid those meetings; I don’t want to be brainwashed.”

7. Disinformation

Manipulators know that merely launching a rumor is sometimes enough to discredit a person. “Well I

don’t know for sure whether she votes that way, but she does hang out with people who do.”

8. False dilemma, False dichotomy (either/or)

“Either you agree with me or you hate me.” A false dilemma assumes that only two options exist.

9. False analogy

“All I did was take a candy bar. Stop looking at me as if I started a war.” This trick uses misleading

comparisons to make the arguer seem right.

10. Faulty statistics This involves manipulating numbers or quoting statistics from questionable sources

to gain the perception of validity. “A clinical study showed kids who had a filling breakfast of cereal X

improved their attentiveness by nearly 20 percent!” What we’re not told, however, is that this

unpublished study was funded by the company that makes cereal X, and that the attentiveness of the

kids who ate the cereal was measured against that of kids given nothing but water.

Twenty-One Commonly Committed Fallacies
Adapted from Lindsey Wilson College’s Writing Center

11. Hasty generalization

This means rushing to conclusions based on incomplete information. “The traditional family is not a safe

and viable foundation for society. After all, consider the Menendez brothers, Lorena Bobbitt, and other

prominent cases we read about in the media involving violence in the traditional family.”

12. Ignoring the evidence

Traditionally called apiorism. We often ignore things we don’t want to consider for fear they will

produce more work or further confusion. “Well, I don’t care why she did it. It was wrong.”

13. Loaded label or definition

Loaded labels or definitions use words that evaluate or have different connotations. Those who oppose

the “estate tax” have relabeled it the “death tax” in order to give it negative connotations without any

markers of class or wealth. This also works the other way, in case the trickster is defending questionable

actions. “That’s crazy. Mike cheats all the time without getting punished, and you’re hanging me out to

dry after messing up once.”

14. Non sequitur

Translated as “it does not follow,” non sequitur refers to any claim that doesn’t follow from its premises

or is supported by irrelevant premises. “I should not receive a C in this course; I never get Cs.”

15. Poisoning the well

Arguers poison the well by discrediting an opponent or opposing view in advance. “Hector’s book, due

out next February, is nothing but a lame attempt to stir up business for the organization she chairs.”

16. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc

Meaning “after this, therefore because of this,” this fallacy happens when a sequential relationship is

mistaken for a causal relationship. “Cramming for a test really helps; I crammed for my psychology test

and got an A.”

17. Red herring A red herring is an emotionally charged issue brought up to divert attention from

something the manipulator wants to avoid. “You asked me why the unemployment rate has risen again,

but I’ll tell you what’s affecting this country’s morale in even worse ways than that.”

18. Shifting the burden of proof (fallacy of ignorance)

Manipulators know that having to prove an argument true makes their job more difficult; so they try to

shift that burden to their opponent. “You say she didn’t do it. But there is no hard evidence to support

that idea.”

19. Slippery slope

This implies that the end result of today’s actions could be something terrible. “If I give you a raise, then

I have to give everyone a raise, and then the company will go bankrupt.”

Twenty-One Commonly Committed Fallacies
Adapted from Lindsey Wilson College’s Writing Center

20. Spin

Spin doctors use the media to positively represent their own viewpoints and encourage criticism of

others. For example, after a political debate, each side rallies to declare their version of the outcome,

hoping to spin the desired perception their way.

21. Straw man

“You say you want to reform the criminal justice system. What, do you want to free all the criminals?”

We do this all the time: take an argument we disagree with and mischaracterize it so it looks weak or

extreme, thus making our own side appear more reasonable