2 assignments

1. Read Angwin’s “Why I’m Unfriending You on Facebook” and Foer’s “How Not to Be Alone.”  Both discuss the effects of technology on interpersonal relationships, togetherness, empathy, and self-identity.  Both are also, at heart, causal analysis essays as they posit technology as having an immediate and indelible effect on all of these areas of human experience.  Your challenge this week is to read the articles, determine the thesis for both articles, identify two causes that both author’s state in common to support their claims, and two causes that are unique to either article.  Your initial post should be approximately 300 words

2. Based on your pre-writing ideas, pick one of your topics and expand it into a draft.  Keep in mind that you have a clear thesis and three causes.  The essay should flow naturally from this structure (intro with thesis, point 1, 2, 3, conclusion) so that you are using the body to explain the causal relationship between your causes and the effect that they produce.  Also, remember that you can begin getting in the habit of either using the APA template from the “Start Here” section, getting handy making your own template, or ensuring that each submission you make has a proper title page, running head, and follows all APA guidelines.  This format is not strictly required for your first three papers but this is a good skill to practice.  Save your document as either a .doc or .docx (Word document) and upload it to this discussion board by attaching the document to your post.  Do this by Wednesday at 11:59 PM for half of your credit.

Another point as you begin forming your thoughts:  in a causal analysis, you should be very careful to avoid “I” statements.  As we say that, we’ll also notice that plenty of our example essays from the course use “I” statements.  Is your instructor being dishonest?  Is everyone else really using “I” and English teachers nationwide are perpetuating a lie?  No…sorry…no conspiracy here.  The reason why, in an ENG 121 course, that we should avoid “I” statements is so that we are providing hard evidence for our claims and not relying solely on personal taste or experience.  You want to offer evidence that any reader can access on both an intellectual and human level.  The writers we are reading use personal anecdote tastefully to establish empathy and authenticity but you’ll also notice that they make claims that are very universal in their accuracy and appeal.  For the purposes of our course, we should stick to objective evidence in order to hone our ability to argue and also develop the analytical and rhetorical skills that we’ll need to export from ENG 121 to ENG 122 and other coursework.  When you’re better prepared for the rigors of research writing, you’ll know why we learned how to keep “I” out of it.

here's 2 topics, you will need to choose only one for the essay

1. Why Women Stay in Abusive Relationships

Women suffer from abuse for decades, without being able to break up with their tormentors; and although it may seem that breaking up would be the most natural and logical act, there are reasons that prevent women from doing so.

• Women feel they cannot leave an abusive relationship because they have gotten used to abusive behavior since childhood, so they do not see violence as something that is out of order.
• It would also be a mistake to underestimate financial and health factors.
• Leaving an abusive relationship is much more difficult when children are involved. A woman might feel unable to support her children on her own, or she might fear for her children's well-being and safety if she leaves.

1. The Causes of Depression

Depression has become one of the most widespread illnesses, which can be explained by a combination of factors typical for the modern world’s lifestyle.

• Low self-esteem is the major cause, since it makes a person treat themselves with neglect, prevent them from believing in their own strengths, and see the world pessimistically.
• Personal factors, such as complicated life situations, a tragic family history, childhood traumas, living in stressful environments for a long time, and other similar life circumstances can lead to depressive conditions.
• Substance abuse. Nearly 30% of people with substance abuse problems also have major or clinical depression.