We are using Roger Cohen’s “This Article is Gluten-Free” as a model. You will write an evaluation argument stating your disapproval of something common, popular or new. It could be a trend, a way of speaking or acting, or a craze for a particular piece of media (like a TV show) — or even something that you’re tired of everyone hating. Hating is a trend, too. The rhetorical situation is also just like Cohen’s situation: a popular periodical article for intelligent readers. It is not an academic piece.

You can take a range of tones, from cranky to mildly probing. You can use humor, if you pull it off . But this is a delicate rhetorical situation: If you’re insulting or disapproving of something most readers like, how will you avoid alienating them? Think carefully about how you can get them to consider your point of view without angering them.

You’ll have to review the current conversation about your topic, too, so you don’t just sound like one of those people yelling about something without knowing anything about it. In order to be prepared for your readers to be skeptical and to challenge you, you should be able to explain your criteria: What makes this stupid, hateful thing so stupid and hateful? What are you valuing/devaluing? Can you tie your values to your audience’s, or are you too different?

Audience: Intelligent (but not academic) audiences who like to read long articles

Form: Newspaper or magazine article in written English, at least 800 words

Format: NOT MLA format. NOT double spaced. Format exactly like an article.

Category: Essays