The model I will be choosing is Wollstonecraft’s letter. This genre will help me make my argument because I can relate to her letter about inequality and discrimination among a certain race/gender. Being Black and being a woman in this society is still a struggle and has a lot of disadvantages that people don’t like to address. Throughout the years, Black people and women have had their dignity and identity taken away to feel less-than and has more people started to realize, we have regained it, despite society’s traditional lifestyles by old White men.
It’s important to include factual statistics and evidence to back up any claim that you may have. Being able to have a rebuttal in case a counterclaim is stated and show any additional evidence to back up your rebuttal. Your tone is a good element when someone is reading your letter because you don’t want to sound too forceful or aggressive. Not losing your main purpose in writing a letter to someone, especially when something serious needs to be addressed. Lastly, proofread your writing before sending it so the person can understand what are you talking about.
I am not quite sure which audience I’m trying to speak to because I can speak to many groups of people
I will include facts about how Black people have had disadvantages throughout life: Education for Black people has been very difficult and limited. I’m guaranteed that many Black scholars in college or grade school have experienced some level of racism and stress due to discrimination. Jobs for Black people are another issue in society. With the help of housing segregation, many Black people faced unemployment, and the unemployment gap between Black and White didn’t change during the 1900s and the recessions in the 2000s. I will also add to Wollstonecraft’s information about struggles women face in America and other countries: In ancient China, women were only educated to make them good wives and how to behave, socially. In many countries around the world, women are less likely to be employed and when they are, they earn lower wages, despite having more experience than her male peers. Since governments are more favorable towards men, women are more likely to face violence.
Shannon–You have a good list things to make sure you do in your letter. I would also encourage you include personal examples –yours or those of someone else to be persuasive. But the most important thing to do is to pick your audience. Which facts and stories will appeal or how you frame the examples and facts will depend on your audience. You will want to appeal to the things they think are important and use those to show that what you are arguing for fits in with their beliefs. Finally, remember that you are not using Wollstonecraft’s information, just using her techniques and strategies for presenting information and her arguments for inspiration.