Opinion Essay

Essay Assignment———-Persuasive (Opinion) Essay———minimum 2.5 pages

Refer to the model essay “Guns” as an example of an opinion essay. Note the following:

• The introduction gives the main ideas without including details.
• The opinion is stated in the thesis, the last sentence of the introduction.
• The writer refers to the article by paraphrasing and quoting.
• Note: The “guns”essay is both an opinion essay and a problem/solution essay.

Read the articles about an 11-year old girl, Madeline (Kara) Neumann, who died from diabetes while her parents prayed for her. The parents did not know that their daughter had diabetes. There are three other children in the family.

The parents were arrested and brought to court. According to Wisconsinlaw, parents are not guilty of treating with prayer unless the illness is life-threatening.

In a case like this, judges have many kinds of punishments available to them:

Send people to prison

Send people to counseling with a psychiatrist

Give people community service work (unpaid work in a health center or community program)

Give instructions for the children’s care, for example, require that the children see a doctor

Take the children away from the parents

WRITE AN ESSAY in which you:

>  First discuss/describe the events that took place

>  Then state your opinion. Your thesis statement should say something about the parents being guilty or not and punished or not. Do not use the word “I” when stating your opinion.

>  Include in your discussion some or all of these points: Are the parents guilty of a crime? Did they know she was dying? Is praying for healing valid or should it be outlawed? Should they be punished? What should their punishment be? Give your reasons for your decision. You may not use the word “I” throughout the paper, including when stating your opinion.

> You will need to do some reading about the issues associated with this case: the disease, the law, or praying for healing, etc. Reading about these subjects will inform you, so your essay should have more depth when discussing these issues.

> Google “girl dies of diabetes while parents pray” to find information about this case. Make sure you have the correct case, the one about Madeline (Kara) Neumann.

****Remember to use reliable sources: no personal blogs, no Wikipedia.****

Different approaches:

Praying for healing (make a reference to the Christian Science Church?)

Symptoms Kara exhibited and symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes

Parents’ religious affiliations (connected to a church?)—where did their beliefs come from?

Look at the court case and the sentencing—what the judge did

Compare to other similar cases

Witnesses

Your discussion needs to support your thesis (your opinion)….build your argument.