English 4 – What’s Going on in Your World?

There are a lot of events that happen in our world outside of our own daily experiences.  Sometimes, we think our community is the center of the university, and sometimes it truly is.  However, knowing what’s going on in our world makes us better human beings, better conversationalists, better thinkers, and better writers.  Here’s your task:  Choose a national or world event (read the newspaper, watch the news, check out news feeds online).  First, sum up the event in three to five well-written, thoughtful, unbiased, concise sentences so that your audience members will know what you are referencing.  Then, reflect on that event.  What is your opinion? How does it make you feel?  What lasting impact will this event have on us or on our world?  WHY IS IT NEWS-WORTHY?  Why is it worth conversation?  Remember:  Your goal in the first part of this is to summarize objectively a national event so that all MAIN points have been identified (so that someone unfamiliar with the topic would understand it.)  Then, your next objective is to share your views about the national event in a diplomatic, socially acceptable way that reflects how you feel without offending others or lowering the value of your comments by stooping to prejudice/bias, etc.  Your reflection should be about  300-400 words (This assignment description is about 250 words.)  Remember your audience, the occasion, and your purpose. (That is the rhetorical triangle.)  Please remember that you are not just writing for your teacher, but for your classmates to see…use proper, accurate word choices and language.