Ban the Burqa in Britain? No Thanks. Discursive Writing Ban the Burqa in Britain? No Thanks.

Introduction Read the introduction Identify three features that make this an effective introduction.

Stance Having read the whole article, sum up the writer’s stance in a single sentence. Sum up your own stance in a single sentence.

Structure Your essay must have a clear, logical structure, which reflects the development of your argument. You must deal with one point per paragraph. You must deal with arguments both supporting and counter to your argument.

Topic Sentences Clearly indicate the topic of the paragraph it is introducing. From paragraph three onwards, they should also link back to the topic of the previous paragraph.

Topic Sentences Topic of paragraph two- banning the burqa could encourage extremism Topic of paragraph three- the burqa makes Europeans feel uncomfortable, but this is not a good reason to ban it. Extremism aside, the veil is a garment that makes many Europeans feel uncomfortable, for the simple reason that it is not Europeans.

Structure Highlight the topic sentence in each paragraph. This should give you a basic plan for this essay. You should already have have completed your own basic plan. This should include five points supporting your arguments and two opposing arguments.

Activity Write topic sentences for the first three paragraphs after your introduction.

Paragraph Structure Clear point made in your topic sentence (from paragraph three onwards this should include linkage) Expand this point using evidence, explanations, statistics. Use features of style- rhetorical questions, varied sentence structure, imagery, appropriate tone, effective word choice.

Activity Read your allocated paragraph Make a note of all the ways in which the writer illustrates their point. Paragraph two- explanation of how the belief that the burqa breeds extremism is mistaken; clear explanation of how in fact banning the burqa could lead to extremism.

Persuasive Techniques Rhetorical questions- Surely it is time that this sorry saga is brought to an overdue end? Tri-colon- It is immature, thoughtless and unacceptable. Use of personal pronouns- this is something that we cannot allow to continue in our society. State opinion as fact- This is clearly unacceptable. Imperatives – Surely this is unacceptable.

Writing with Style Sentence structure Word choice Imagery Tone

Sentence Structure Variety of simple and complex sentences. Short sentences for brevity or emphasis. Long sentences to suggest an overwhelming amount or extreme duration. Use of colons to introduce examples/ lists / explanations. Use of semi-colons to balance points/ divide items in a complex list. Use of parenthesis for asides / to give additional information.

Repetition to stress key words or phrases / suggest a monotonous experience. Rhetorical Questions to involve the reader.

Power is abused in our name by governments and transnational corporations around the world: they fight illegal wars; abuse and kill people; pillage property and planet. The powerful accumulate wealth and force the majority – the rest of us – to pay for it: with our health, our freedom, our time, our money and with our lives. For a long time, we have been deceived about the reasons for this: it is our right for the truth to be known. Without that right, democracy cannot and does not exist. The current assault on WikiLeaks is yet another instance of democracy-hating by elites.

Improve: One reason given for banning Orange Walks is that there are far too many of them. People have complained that they are on almost every week. The number of walks increases every year, they claim.

Three is the magic number Tri colon: series of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses. It's a simple enough structure, yet potentially a powerful one. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.“ American Declaration of Independence

Alcohol abuse in Scotland leads to broken homes, violent streets and early deaths. Scottish football looks on enviously at it glamorous, rich and popular neighbour. WikiLeaks are looking to support truth, freedom and democracy. Consumption of drugs is rife in Britain today; hundreds of thousands of clubbers choose ecstasy to accompany their weekend; heroin refuses to loosen its grip on vast numbers of addicts; smokers now light up in their designated outside areas.

Activity Write a tri colon which illustrates a point in your essay.

Using quotations Do not use too many. Keep them short Type one- recent quotation from someone directly discussing this topic. Introduce the person. You may even wish to paraphrase some or all of what they say. Analyse the importance of what they say.

Author Denise Mina says though people are often appalled by what she puts in her crime fiction, at least they can put it down. She thinks EastEnders’ cot death plot may indeed have been too dark. “People watch Corrie and EastEnders with one eye on the tea,” she says, “so maybe it’s too heavy for that.” This underlines that there is indeed a place for dealing with the darker aspects of humanity. However, an early evening light entertainment vehicle is not it.

Put together Point: The Eastenders storyline is not nearly as crass and insensitive as made out. Quote: “As ludicrous as some of the twists were ... at the story’s centre was a grief much more understated than the hype would have you expecting, and one that felt very authentic.” Source: Alex Hardy in The Times

Using General / Older Quotes Use these to help identify a line of thought /argument, rather than illustrate it. Demonstrate the correlation with your topic. As former US president Thomas Jefferson once stated, "information is the currency of democracy". Democracy – the rule of the people – as currently understood and practiced is, and has long been, severely restricted.

Lies, damned lies and statistics Try to use some facts and figures. Don’t overload your essay with them. They should illustrate/ support your point. Ensure that you analyse the information.

One aspect of social networking that cannot be debated is its popularity: in the UK alone, a staggering twenty five million people are now registered with the Social Networking site; in the world there are an 500 million “Facebookers.” This latter figure becomes all the more overwhelming when we consider that it is one hundred times larger than the whole population of Scotland.

Point: The British taxpayers will have to pay a large amount towards the Royal Wedding. Numbers: between 20 and 80 million.

Activity Decide on one point from your essay. Expand it into a paragraph. Use at least two features of style.