Thursday, November 5, 2015

Brainstorming Essay 3 topic and BPQ from Mike Lohre

Please post your best Essay Three idea here.  Explain what it is, and WHY you want to write about this topic.

Put your idea in the Comments section below, so we can see all the ideas for the class.

Also, Post your best BPQ here in the Comments as well, along with your essay topic.

I think Big Picture Questions (like the ones I'm modeling below, and the ones I'm asking you to think of on your own in response to the readings) are often a great gateway into a good argument or analysis or problem/solution essay.

Here's a few of mine to 'prime the pump'! (an idiom that means to get things started)

 
Mike's example Big Picture questions: 
Why do Americans constantly evoke the Founding Fathers, and for what purposes?
Who is your favorite American historical figure and what public documents or history do we most associate with him or her?
Why is the colonial war against Britain still relevant today? What values do we take from that fight?
What kinds of journalism are most important, and is true investigative journalism dying?  Why?
*Is it legal for the President to start wars without approval of Congress?  What do the public documents say?
 *Why do so many people put off or refuse to make a living will or medical directive?

Thanks!

Mike Lohre

Brainstorming and sharing topics is a great way to see if the path we are on is correct, and it helps us help each other as well, as we do research, tweak our focus, and find sources.

16 comments:

  1. For Essay 3, I'm going to do the photo essay on hidden gems in the Short North. I visit the Short North a lot in Columbus and there are a lot of beautiful things there that I feel a lot of people don't know about. I'll take pictures of iconic building art, interview local record store owners, and highlight the best local places to eat while taking pictures of all of it.

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  2. For my essay three I choose option 2 and my topic is injuries in football, specifically head injuries. This is a big problem not only in professional sports but also in youth sports. Parents aren't letting their kids play and professional athletes are retiring early due to head injuries.What needs to change? My big picture question is When did being politically correct start and is it important to be politically correct?

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  3. For essay 3, I chose option 1 and I am going to do it on this trail in Lewis center that is not very noticeable from the highway as you drive by but along the trail there is a lot of interesting scenery and wildlife that most people aren't aware is there. I am going to take pictures along the trail and interview some of the people that I see walking the trail. My big picture question is, is there ever a circumstance when it is necessary to ignore the absence of public documents, for proof, such as a will? What would be the consequences of this?

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  4. For my essay 3, I chose option 3 and I plan on using the question what are the differences between real and imaginative stories when you are at war? and How do you distinguish between the two

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  5. My essay will be based off of option 3. My interpretive question is "What is the significance of the title of the book and how can it relate to veterans along with everyday civilians?" I chose this question because I think the title of the book holds a lot of weight the theme of the title alone can apply to everyone in some way. My big picture question from the section of The Call to Write is what happens when a public document meant to represent a whole, creates a false representation of the people trying to be represented?

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  6. For essay three, i will be doing the 2nd prompt and will be doing the topic of bowhunting ethics. I eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors and find it very interesting to write about it. Not only this but also so i can clear up some of the myths about what really goes on in a hunters mind, more specifically a bowhunters mind.
    My big picture question is, who is to judge whether one thing is "right" or "wrong"

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  7. My Essay 3 topic is Option 3 – thesis and inquiry from interpretive question, The Things They Carried. In this essay I plan on answering the interpretive question “What does Mary Anne Bell represent in the novel?” I want to write about Mary Anne Bell because Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong was a very important, interesting, and symbolic chapter in the novel, and Mary Anne Bell’s place in it can be interpreted in several different ways. My Big Picture Question is: Is there ever a point at which an event loses its relevance to modern-day debate/argument?

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  8. For my Essay 3, I will be choosing the 2nd prompt and discussing the problem of corruption in the U.S. government and how rich people and big corporations influence how our government is run. This is a very hot topic as the presidential election is approaching. As a political science major I find this topic very interesting.
    My BPQ is: Has the Declaration of Independence lost its' importance in todays political sphere?

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  9. For my Essay 3, I will be choosing the 2nd prompt and will be writing about standardized testing and common core and how they have inhibited learning rather than promoting it and why some schools have withdrawn from some of these testing programs because of this. My BPQ is what makes a person feel like they are entitled to certain things?

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  10. For essay 3 I have chosen to write about prompt one. For my prompt one I will be talking about how the mural on East North Broadway in Columbus has helped the area become more appealing to the eye and helped spruce the are up.
    My Big Picture Question: In the reading From My Own Country Medical Emergency the doctor has to make a very difficult question about putting Ed on machines to keep him living even though his domestic partner, Bobby, says that he did not want this. The doctor listens to the family that seem to be a little disconnected. We live in a society where gay marriage is finally supported the federal government but still a bit taboo do you think the doctor would have been more likely to listen to Ed's partner if he was in a heterosexual relationship?

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  11. For my essay 3, I will be doing the 2nd prompt. I will writing about marijuana and the psychological effects it has on the people who smoke it. Also if it is psychological, does it effect it being a gateway drug. Does John Hancock's signature on the declaration represent his character? Does everyone else's being so much smaller symbolize something about how they felt during the time of the signing.

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  12. For Essay 3, I have chosen to do prompt one. I will be writing about Amish Country. I chose to write about this because not a lot of people have been there even though it has so much to offer.
    My BPQ is why does the government feel like it has the right to control certain aspects of life like who a person marries, whether a women chooses to have a baby or have an abortion, and even what we eat? Is the government starting to overstep its boundaries?

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  13. For my essay three topic I will be writing about the first prompt. There is a place called Buckeye Donut that came to main Campus in 1969, and I feel like if you aren't on main campus or you haven't crossed High Street maybe you haven't seen it. My big picture question, would be Why isn't there more routes that a loved one could take if there isn't a living will in place, to protect the ill person? Why is it allowed that people, who may not even be in the ill persons everyday life, can so easily decide on it?

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  14. For my essay three topic, I'll be writing about the third prompt. My question is "What are the things veterans carry after the war?" I'll specifically be writing about Norman and how he struggled with PTSD after the war and I'll also write about other effects that the war had on veterans.
    My BPQ is why is it not allowed for the partner to decide on their partners life and what happens to them? If they're together, shouldn't he be allowed to make the choice and not only the family members?

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  15. For my essay three topic I will be writing a response to the prompt number two. My Issue that Impacts is, "What is wrong with Adblock?" This is due to the huge outburst in Adblock's recent endeavor to make more money by allowing website domains to buy an exception protocol for their website. Meaning domains can pay adblock to automatically turn off on their website.

    My Big Picture Question is, "Who is your favorite American historical figure and what public documents or history do we most associate with him or her?" and I picked Thomas Jefferson. This is not because he wrote The Declaration of Independence, but because he has a big heart. I believe all government figures should have a big heart.

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  16. For essay 3, I plan to do option two and research extensively on John Kasich's decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio as part of a provision from ObamaCare

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