Essay Assignment #2: 

Writing to Explain and Support an Opinion or Belief

First Draft Due October 9th (minimum 3 pages for draft / final paper is a minimum of 5 pages):

BRING 4 COPIES OF YOUR DRAFT TO CLASS!!!

Bumper sticker wisdom . . . How many times have we seen a bumper sticker on a car in front of us and chuckled, laughed aloud, honked our horns in agreement, or mumbled, "what an idiot!" So much can be said in just a few words (or even with a symbol); and millions of people stick bumper stickers on their cars to let everyone around them know what their opinions and/or beliefs are. Here are examples of some I've recently seen recently around Chicago:  

"I'm tired of all the BUSHit" 

"Guns Don't Kill People, Driver's With Cellphones Do"

"Life Is Short, Break Some Rules"

"Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home"

"How's My Driving? Dial 1-800-Eat-Shit!"

"I'm Retired, Go AROUND Me"

"If My Smoking Bothers You / Don't Breathe!"

"One Nation Under Surveillence"   

We all have beliefs and opinions, but often they end up changing or evolving in some way or another (either becoming more strong and clear or altering slightly or greatly into a totally different direction). These changes can occur very slowly and gradually, almost to the point of us being unaware that our opinion or belief has even changed. Sometimes we wake up one morning and something rather dramatic happens to make us suddenly feel very differently. 

For this essay assignment, you will do the following: 

1) reflect on and write about an opinion or belief that you ONCE had, but has since changed. The change could have happened all of a sudden or because, over time, you slowly became aware of something that made you change your opinion or belief.

If you are feeling stuck, a good way to approach this paper might even be to look at your own car's bumper stickers, or look at what buttons you have on your backpack, what stickers or posters you have hanging on your wall. What messages do YOU have hanging around that describe how you feel about the world or what opinions or beliefs you have? Pick one or two that speaks to the same opinion or belief and work your essay around that, perhaps. In any case, here are just a few of what could be thousands of examples for paper topics:

• Maybe you used to be a meat-eater, and now you're a vegetarian. Reflect on how you changed your mind about your diet. What either slowly or rapidly changed your mind about what to eat and how to live your life? Was it a change in an entire belief system (that it is, for example, did you decide it was unethical to eat animals)? Or was it a result in your opinions about diet or food - and not necessarily about animal rights or ethics (for example, that you belief vegetables are just simply healthier for your body than meat)? And did this change in your opinion or belief (and then action) happen suddenly? or slowly over time?
• Perhaps, when you were in the 10th grade, you had decided that you were going to enter the military and now you are here, in an arts and media school. What changed your mind? How did that process of changing your mind take place? Was it a change based on a belief or opinion? If you decided simply not to join the armed services because you don't like the way they dress, then this would not be an appropriate topic for this paper assignment. But if you changed your mind because your beliefs about war and violence changed in some way, then this would be an excellent topic for this paper. Or, perhaps your beliefs or opinions are changing in the opposite direction. Last year, in fact, for this exact same paper, I had one student who was considering dropping out of school to join the armed services, and he used this paper to explain and support how his belief systems were in a dramatic shift in that direction (I have to admit that I was glad he decided to stay in school).
• Or, maybe you believe that everyone over the age of 16 should be allowed to vote in all public elections. Have you always felt that way? What made you form that opinion and/or belief? 

For your first draft, I suggest the following basic guidelines, which should help you at least get your main ideas formed into basic paragraphs, from which you can then begin the revision process.

First, describe either the opinion or belief you used to have. What exactly is it that you used to believe or once had an opinion about? You don't need to spend pages explaining or describing it, but give your reader enough of a description and explanation so that your reader understands the basic elements of your past opinion and/or belief.

Then, articulate what you now believe or what your opinion is currently about the same issue and what, exactly, changed. Furthermore, was the change in your opinion or belief sudden or did it evolve slowly over time? Did the change in your opinion or belief cause any change in your behavior or change in your relationships? Did it lead you (or is it leading you) to a new way of life? Is this opinion or belief still evolving? What exactly caused the change, if you know, or what series of events caused a slow or gradual evolution of change in your opinion or belief?

Your audience: Address your essay to a group of people who think or believe something that you used to think or believe. In other words, you want to pretend that you are writing to people who used to believe what you used to believe or have the opinion that you used to have (so you now have to explain to them how and why you changed your mind). Explain what you used to think, why it changed, and what you think now. If applicable, describe any behavior changes, relationship changes, or changes in artistic practice that went along with this change of mind.  

** Always, always back up your thoughts with some example, quote, or explanation.