PROJECT: FEUDALISM

Today’s society often romanticizes feudalism. Modern restaurants hold medieval feasts; in some urban areas, themed festivals with knights and vassals are a yearly occurrence. Even multimillion-dollar hotels base their entire theme on the Middle Ages. Many television shows and novels have focused on the time period. In your English classes, you might have studied the idea of courtly love. But, what was it really like to live in that time period? Do we accurately remember the hardships faced by the lower classes?

Research can help you organize material and acquire details often overlooked. Often, the research can lead to a strong opinion about the topic. With an argument paper, we analyze a debatable subject, and then assign it a publishable form.

 

Picture the difference between simply riding a bicycle and examining its parts to discover what makes the wheels turn. When we analyze history, we are essentially examining the many philosophies concerning our responsibility to the current era. Once your reader is educated, they can make informed decisions about their part in the system.

 

Directions

Today, you will use research to inform a reader. Use details from your investigation to support a central idea. Remember, your purpose is to inform your reader. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. You will need to follow the rules of grammar by using correct punctuation, spelling, and capitalization.

 

Examine the Prompt

Before you begin any writing assignment, look closely at the prompt and determine what information you have been asked to find. You may want to make a checklist that includes the subject, a list of requirements, and any open-ended questions that the prompt expects you to answer.

 

Prompt

Write a four-paragraph argument for or against the usefulness of the feudalist structure. Your assigned audience is a modern business leader. You may choose to create a slide show or other piece of media to accompany your paper. For your research, choose one of the following countries:

 

France

England

Germany

Make a claim as to whether feudalism helped or hindered your Western European country. Offer the reader strong points supporting your answer.

Address the counter claim to your argument. Offer the reader the specific facts from your research that shows the flaws within the counter claim.

As support for either your claim or counter claim, include how feudalism finished its course in the country you selected.

Include the approximate years when feudalism began and ended in that country.

In addition, explain whether the national leader at the time of feudalism played a part in encouraging or harming feudalism within their country.

 

Take Notes

Plan plenty of time for your research.

 

When you start your investigation, relax and jot down all the sources you find along the way. You never know which source you may need more information from when you start writing.

Write down interesting information and facts that support your answers to the prompt questions. Remember, every bit of evidence in your notes may not make it into your research paper. However, when writing your first draft, too much information is better than too little in your notes.

Notes do not need to be perfect, but they need to withstand the test of time. Would you still be able to read and understand your notes if you had to stop researching for a few days? Could you relocate the original source if you needed extra information for your final draft? If not, slow down, write neatly, and add more details to your notes.

Make sure your notes are in your own words. This will help you to avoid plagiarism when you begin writing. If you do like a quote, make sure you include quotation marks in your notes, or else you might accidentally claim those words as your own.

Claim

Once you have finished your research, you can begin formulating your argument. You will notice that some prompts have a question whose answer could be argued. Every argument has at least two sides. These sides are called claim and counter claim. Argument prompts force you pick a side. The side that you pick is called the claim. Your claim paragraph should contain the strongest facts to defend your opinion.

 

Counter Claim

The counter claim paragraph will explain the reasons why you feel those people who disagree with your claim are wrong. The counter claim will offer several details, aiming to prove the opposition’s belief to be flawed. The counter claim paragraph will point out what you perceive as mistaken assumptions that the other side might hold. By the end of the counter claim paragraph, your claim will seem like the best possible answer.

 

THE DRAFTING PROCESS

Craft a Thesis

After you have a clear understanding of the prompt and have completed the majority of the research, you are ready to formulate a thesis. Your thesis will be the central idea or reason for your research. It should be one sentence that states your point of view. Make sure your thesis directly answers the questions asked within the prompt.

 

Write with Your Audience in Mind

All writers must consider the reason they are writing and the audience for whom they are writing. Each time you write for school, your audience is ultimately your instructor; so, make sure you address the entire prompt.

 

Sometimes the prompt will ask you to focus on a certain audience. For example, today’s prompt suggests your audience is a modern business leader. Because of your assigned audience, you may choose to offer more details about leadership, organization, and control over production. However, you might offer different information to a university professor from Western Europe. In the latter scenario, you may not add as many historic details because you could assume your audience would already know the information. As you plan your essay, remember your purpose and audience; both can change the type of information you include.

 

Begin Your Outline

When you understand your prompt, it’s time to begin an outline of your essay. An outline helps you organize your ideas into a logical flow.

 

Start by writing a short answer to the main question of the prompt. This will be your claim paragraph. Your counter claim will also be a paragraph. Each body paragraph must support your short answer. Use your notes and pick at least 4 pieces of information for each paragraph that will support your answer in the most logical way.

 

The last paragraph of every essay is called the conclusion. This is the place to include your thesis, personal insights gained from your research and to suggest the reader take action based on the new information they just received from you. This paragraph can also recap the bits of information your paper contained.

 

Although it sounds odd, your introduction might be the last paragraph you organize. Remember, the introduction must be entertaining. You need to encourage your reader to read your paper. Try tempting them with the best facts, or create a scenario that will cause them to think. At the end of your introduction paragraph you must include your thesis statement.

 

QUESTIONS

1.Summarize the information you will use for both your claim and counter claim. Your summary must be at least one full paragraph for your claim and one for your counter claim.

 

2.Craft your thesis statement and complete the rest of writing outline. Submit below.

 

3.Upload your argument and any media that complements your paper.