question archive 1) What is the central theme and the author's purpose in the text below? How does the author develop and communicate this theme and purpose? Give specific evidence from the text to support your answer
1) What is the central theme and the author's purpose in the text below? How does the author develop and communicate this theme and purpose? Give specific evidence from the text to support your answer
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1) What is the central theme and the author's purpose in the text below? How does the author develop and communicate this theme and purpose? Give specific evidence from the text to support your answer.
"In our current system of voluntary voting, the winner of an election is determined by the candidate's ability to create controversy rather than by leadership skill. Campaigns therefore focus on highly motivated voters. These also tend to be the most partisan. This constant appeal to extremes on both sides of the political spectrum abandons voters in the middle. In turn, these moderates opt out on Election Day, since none of the candidates seem to be speaking to their concerns. Compulsory voting would offer candidates less incentive to inflame passions (Ornstein, Galston). Without having to spend so much of their time trying to appeal solely to the highly partisan voters most likely to show up at the polls, they could instead spend more time crafting policy proposals to meet the needs of all voters. Fewer highly partisan lawmakers would mean more cooperation and less unnecessary government gridlock"
2.Revise this paragraph from the essay on voter identification, which focuses on one of the claim's supporting reasons. As you revise the paragraph, focus on:
- making sure the point of the paragraph is precise and related to the overall claim in the essay,
- using words, phrases, and clauses to link major ideas in the paragraph,
- organizing ideas in a logical way,
- stating and addressing a counterclaim,
- maintaining a formal style and objective tone, and
- correcting MLA citation errors.
Underline any portions of the original paragraph that you include in your version of the paragraph.
Paragraph to be revised:
Essay claim: Laws requiring people to show photo identification in order to vote decrease voter participation.
Lots of people don't have photo identification. Requiring people to show photo identification to vote would keep those without this type of identification from voting. Those who often don't have identification include elderly individuals who no longer drive and citizens living in high poverty areas where transportation is limited. They would be denied the chance to vote. Sociologist Mark Abernathy writes, "requiring photo identification in order to vote essentially eliminates a whole population of American voters. These voters are part of society, but they are denied a basic right guaranteed to all Americans over the age of eighteen. Elections are then determined by only a portion of the population, not the entire population" (page 820 of the article "Photo Identification Disenfranchisement"). Some people think this is just not true. Ria Olberson, an economist at Alabaster University, states, "few Americans are without drivers' licenses. Even if the license is expired or revoked, it still counts as photo identification. To claim that requiring identification disenfranchises a segment of the American population is simply inaccurate" (page 101). Olberson is just wrong! A lot of people don't have licenses because they either don't need them or they don't want them. Consider people living in major cities. They have no reason to get driver's licenses: public transportation. This extremely large group of people would be forced to obtain driver's licenses to participate in a process that they are guaranteed as citizens of the United State
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Answer:
- I am going to assume this is about American politics because it sounds like American politics right now even though it could be anywhere in the world with voluntary voting. The theme is that divisive Partisan (One political party against another instead of the members of both parties cooperating) politics is tearing apart the political system and the cause is what the author sees is the need to appeal to the people who are most likely to vote when elections aren't mandatory... those with the most passionate political views who will respond to partisan political rhetoric (Discussions centered around dividing people by their political parties and belief instead of finding political solutions where people can all come together no matter what party they are from). This stuck out to me because I am an Independent (I don't belong to a political party because I don't like the party politics either) and I never thought about the fact that politicians of both parties use dirty politics because it rouses up the people most like to care to go vote on election day. But now that I have seen this, it kind of makes sense. I was of the belief that the political parties fight among themselves so that when no problem is actually solved they can blame the other party. Anyways, the author seems to think making voting mandatory (You have no choice but to go vote.) would mean that politicians would not focus on solutions and not fighting because political games wouldn't be responsible for encouraging people to go vote.
- For number 2 it is evident that the paragraph doesn't take a clear stand on the voter identification issue. What you need to do to revise this is ask yourself how do you fell on the issue and why. Take a piece of paper and make a list of the good and bad reasons for the identification. Do you think the rule is racist? DO you think it is meant to try to exclude already marginalized groups from having what little political power they could have? When you understand what you position will be you will start the paragraph with a thesis statement that explains what you think and what you hope to prove . Follow the format that your teacher has asked for when you explained each point you are making, why it's true, is it meant to excluded minorities from voting, and are there any alternative methods that won't exclude groups from voting.
