Paper #3: Saying Farewell? due July 24th by 5pm

 

Paper #3: Saying Farewell?

From Wilson’s “How Things Disappear”: “Perhaps travel writing’s foremost lesson is this: We may never walk this way again, and even if we do, we will never be the same people we are right now. Most important, the world we move through will never be the same place again” (188).

For your final paper, I want you to have a conversation about something that still exists in our world but might one day—either very soon or within ten years—disappear forever. This can be anything, from a specific product, animal, or place, a routine or way of doing things, a convention or ritual, or even a specific relationship. Your paper should roughly have three parts (not three paragraphs, necessarily—each part could be multiple paragraphs long):

* INTRODUCTION: Show us “in the middle” what your topic is and what your relationship is to it. It could show us the first time you used it or became aware of it, or even the most recent time. Try to show us how this is part of your life and why it would be difficult to be without it, at least for now.

* THE CONVERSATION: Answer the “so what?” question by explaining why it would matter to lose this. Bring in SOURCES to help you discuss it and to show why it matters, who thinks it could disappear (and why), and what we would lose without it. Try to find sources that show multiple sides of the story—maybe also people who don’t completely agree with you.

* CONCLUSION: You should also explain more clearly why it matters to you, and how your subject ties into a larger conversation about our culture. If we lose this, what else do we lose? How does it connect to other things, ideas, and activities?

REQUIREMENTS: You need at least 3-4 sources for this paper, which could be any of the essays from our book, plus articles or websites that help you discuss your topic. Think about the other conversations that tie into this topic, and broaden your discussion. For example, if you’re writing about the disappearance of fireflies, don’t just look up fireflies; look up climate change, species diversity, light pollution, etc. Think about all the conversations that could be part of your general topic.

ALSO: Try to have a real conversation in this paper. Show us why this matters to you, what you feel and think about it, what other people have to say about it, and how it ties into a larger issue than just “I like this, and I would hate to lose it.” What are the other implications of losing it? Why might we be very different people without it, and what can we learn about ourselves and the way we use it/appreciate it today?

DUE NEXT FRIDAY, JULY 24^th by 5pm. Late papers will lose a letter grade a day, so please turn it in on time. It’s worth 15% of your grade, so this can really help you or harm you, so do your best work!