Essay Length: In-class draft 750+ words (3+ handwritten pages)
Background
As the authors of The Next Los Angeles make clear, for most area residents living in Los Angeles is a difficult proposition. In their chapter “Stresses in Eden,” the authors detail the “realities of daily life” that they believe “constitute a part of Los Angeles’ livability crisis” (98). Their wide-ranging discussion focuses on five “stresses”: affordable and adequate housing; transportation; parkland and the environment; schools; and crime and the justice system. It is of course difficult to claim that one of these issues should be a greater priority than any of the others. However, each of us probably has a more specific and personal relation with one of these issues than with the others.
Topic
Write an essay in which you examine in some detail the impact on livability in Los Angeles of one of the five “stresses” above. Be sure to describe this issue’s impact using details and illustrations from the text as well as from your own observation and experience (if appropriate). Also, be sure to discuss what if anything has been done to lessen or relieve this area of “stress.”
Hints
You might find it helpful initially to see your purpose as supporting the claim that the issue you have chosen to examine DOES have a significant impact on livability in Los Angeles. In other words, don’t simply describe the issue; make sure you also describe its impact on people.
General Hints
1. Read the topic a couple of times and note what it requires you to do. Complete all the tasks of the assignment.
2. Take time to plan and organize your essay before you begin to write. (Scratch outlines are often quite helpful.)
3. Be sure to start with a strong focused thesis. Set out to argue or prove something and then gather and use evidence from your own experience as well as the text to support your claim.
4. Make sure that you support or illustrate general points with specific examples and vivid details.
5. Allow yourself enough time after writing to go back over your essay, check for errors or omissions, and make any necessary corrections.