Essay Options Option 1: In addition to self-segregated lunch tables as seen in “Graham’s “The ‘Black Table’ Is Still There,” many places have single-race or gender clubs like campus clubs, dormitories, fraternities, etc. Do you see a problem in such behavior? Does such self-segregation divide our society (that is, as a cause) or does it reflect divisions that already exist (that is, as an effect)? Explain what you feel causes this pattern and what effects, positive or negative, you have observed. Use personal, observational, and/or hypothetical examples. Also include textual examples from two sources: one must be Graham’s article and the other your own research (outside source). However, do not use more than five quotations (no block quotations and no paraphrases [summarizing what sources have said]). Option 2: What reasons might a “peace-loving” person have for carrying a gun? Write a Cause and Effect outlining such a person’s motives. Use personal, observational, and/or hypothetical examples. Also include textual examples from two sources: one from Hasselstrom’s article and one from your own research (outside source). However, do not use more than five quotations (no block quotations and no paraphrases [summarizing what sources have said]). Option 3: “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” (p. 128), “Who Killed Benny Paret?” (p. 337), and “On Dumpster Diving” (p. 672) all encourage readers, either directly or indirectly, to take action rather than remain uninvolved. What are the causes and effects of remaining apathetic during a crisis? Include two sources: Use personal, observational, and/or hypothetical examples. Also include textual examples from two sources: information gleaned from at least one of these essays from our textbook and information from a researched article (outside source). However, do not use more than five quotations (no block quotations and no paraphrases [summarizing what sources have said]). Option 4: Write a comparison-and-contrast essay in which you answer the question posed by Haag’s title, “Your Social Life: Are You a Fox or a Hedgehog?” Use personal, observational, and/or hypothetical examples. Also include textual examples from two source: Haag’s article and a researched article. However, do not use more than five quotations (no block quotations and no paraphrases [summarizing what sources have said]). Option 5: When Chua’s essay was published, it elicited thousands of responses, many of which were negative. For example, some readers thought that her parenting methods were tantamount to child abuse, while some readers admired Chua for her resolve and her emphasis on hard work, and others said that her methods reminded them of their own upbringing. Chua herself responded to readers’ comments by saying that her “tough love” approach was grounded in her desire to make sure her children were the best that they could be. Compare and contrast “Western” parenting to parenting from one or more other cultures. Use personal, observational, and/or hypothetical examples. Also include textual examples from two sources: Chua’s article and one outside source. However, do not use more than five quotations (no block quotations and no paraphrases [summarizing what sources have said]). Option 6: In Zinsser’s “College Pressures,” he takes a negative view of the college pressures he identifies. Using his four categories, write an essay arguing that, in the long run, these pressures are not only necessary but also valuable. Use personal, observational, and/or hypothetical examples. Also include textual examples from two sources: Zinsser’s article and one outside source. However, do not use more than five quotations (no block quotations and no paraphrases [summarizing what sources have said]). Option 7: What kinds of problems does a person whose English is as limited as Mrs. Tan’s face in the age of social media and instant communications? Write a classification-and-division essay that identifies and explains the kinds of problems one might encounter today if the level of one’s spoken English were comparable to Mrs. Tan’s in Tan’s “Mother Tongue.” Try to update some of the specific situations Tan describes. Use personal, observational, and/or hypothetical examples. Also include textual examples from two sources: Tan’s article and an outside source. However, do not use more than five quotations (no block quotations and no paraphrases [summarizing what sources have said]). Option 8: Choose three or four of Ericsson’s categories from “The Ways We Lie,” and write a classification-and-division essay in which you explore lies that have some sort of connection. To have a debatable thesis, you’ll need to tie your categories together with an adjective for the “connection.” For example, A, B, and C are the most forgivable; or unfavorable type of lies; or most disgraceful; most innocuous, etc. –choose one adjective. Use personal, observational, and/or hypothetical examples. Also include textual examples from two sources: Ericsson’s article and an outside source. However, do not use more than five quotations (no block quotations and no paraphrases [summarizing what sources have said]).