What do you think is the author’s purpose (or purposes) in relating this narrative (or story) about one college student’s life during the pandemic?

“The Unsettled Semester” by Becky Supiano appears in The Chronicle of Higher Education, a weekly publication written by journalists who report on news about American colleges and universities.

For the sake of this essay, assume that Supiano seeks to persuade readers to do, think, feel, or believe something. That is, assume that the author wants to have an impact on the reader. From that point of view, write an essay of 1000-1200 words in which you analyze “The Unsettled Semester.” The audience for your essay is the instructor of your first-year writing course, who will read your essay before the start of the term. What you write will help them begin to understand how you read, how you organize and develop your ideas, and how you think about yourself as a writer.

To get started, think about answering some of the following questions:

What do you think is the author’s purpose (or purposes) in relating this narrative (or story) about one college student’s life during the pandemic? In other words, what does the author seek to persuade readers to do, think, feel, or believe?
What are the benefits and/or disadvantages of the author using a narrative (story) to develop her purpose(s)?
As you read “The Unsettled Semester,” do you find that the author appeals to your emotions, your reason, or both? How might those appeals relate to the authors purpose(s)? Use specific details from the article (such as quotations) as evidence of how the author tries to appeal to the reader.
How effective is the essay at achieving its purpose(s)?
You may respond to as many or as few of these questions as you think you can develop well within the assigned word count.

At the end of your essay, add a paragraph in which you reflect on your experience of writing it. You should describe your goal(s) for the essay, how you organized your thoughts, how you appealed to your audience, and why you selected specific details from the article to discuss. Finally, what do you think you did best, and what (if anything) do you think could be improved?

Draft a 1,0001,200 word response to the prompt .

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