Finding the middle ground

(100 points)

Purpose:  To develop a well-organized middle ground essay.  To be capable of acknowledging and understanding an opposing group.  To establish a fair agreement between two different forces.

Choose one issue that interests you and begin your essay focusing on this specific one:

Remember, both sides are winning for a Rogerian essay.  Be fair and acknowledgeable to the other side of your argument.

There are four goals you should strive to meet in this essay; these goals are the main criteria I will use to arrive at your final grade.

1) Meet the length requirement: 4.5-5 pages (double-spaced, typed).

2) Introduction: presents both the pros and cons of the issue

3) Develop a clear thesis statement that addresses a middle ground argument for the topic.   

4) Cite two sources that support your argument and two that opposes it.  Show me with clear details how you acknowledge and state the opposing force fairly.  Conclusion: do you present a compromise between the two positions.

EXAMPLE:
Torture is the practice of deliberately harming a person physically or psychologically for specific gains which includes: to punish, to obtain information about something, or to force someone to confess a crime. Some people argue that it should be prohibited because it is cruel, inhuman, and it goes against our civil rights. In other words, it should be banned at all times, and places. Others encourage torture because it may save many lives that are in danger which means that the suspect is a threat to them.  Furthermore, some authorities abuse people to make them admit their crime, or to punish them to spread fear in a society.  Write an essay that seeks a middle ground between the opposing sides. Use evidence from peer-reviewed sources to back your argument.