Illustration Essay
ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Write a 750-1000 word illustration essay. Select one aspect of a topic to argue in detail, using specific examples to illustrate your side of the argument. Your essay should avoid opinion and focus on persuading your audience with detailed explanations and factual evidence from at least two reliable sources. Begin your argument by stating a generalization about the topic.
Then support that generalization (in the form of a thesis statement) by choosing to write a single-example illustration essay or a multiple-example illustration essay (see Unit V, Lesson 2). The essay should be written in the style and form described within Unit V.
The illustration essay should be written in the style and form described within Unit V. For this assignment, you will edit and revise your Unit V Illustration Essay Draft. This final essay will be your last opportunity to make adjustments to the essay.
Assignment Purpose: Throughout Unit V, we discussed the conventions of the illustration essay. The purpose of this assignment is to measure your mastery of the conventions of the illustration essay. For this assignment, you will practice the skill of careful revision and refinement of your work as sometimes re-envisioning your writing can be more difficult than writing the essay the first time. However, to make your writing the best that it can be, you must practice the skills of editing and revision.Process: For the illustration essay, you will complete the following steps:
- Read through your paper, looking for structural concerns: See Unit IV, Lesson 5, for more details. Be sure that you are satisfied with your paper as a whole before you do any detailed editing.
- Read through your paper looking for grammar and stylistics: See Unit IV, Lesson 5, for more details. You may need to read your essay aloud or have someone else look over the essay to find all of your mistakes and awkward phrasings.
- Submit a Writing Center request using the Writing Center Request Form in the student portal (optional). Have one of CSU’s trained Writing Specialists read through your essay before submission.
Stylistic details: All essays must meet the following requirements:
- 750-1000 words.
- Write in Times New Roman, 12 pt. font.
- Include one-inch margins on all sides.
- Use double spacing (top-to-bottom every page, to include above and below titles and centered words).
- Include an APA title page (for all essays) and reference list that includes all of the sources used in the essay.
- Include page numbers (upper-right corner only).
- Adhere to APA convention and documentation style.
- At least two sources are required. All sources used must be cited.
SAMPLE STUDENT ANSWER
Kenny Rogers is a Country Music Icon
Kenny Rogers died in March 2020, marking the end of an illustrious musical career spanning well over six decades. Kenny Rogers was known for his husky voice and was a prolific musician, singer, and actor who, even at the age of 81, still managed to thrill his millions of ardent fans. Rogers was born on Aug. 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas, to a low-income family, but his passion for music and desire to improve saw him rise to the apex of the entertainment industry.
Kenny Rogers grew up in a public housing unit with his other siblings, which contrasts with his affluence at the time of death. Kenny Rogers stands among other country greats like Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Johnny Cash. Kenny Rogers equally achieved success in acting and other musical genres like rock, folk, and jazz-pop. Kenny Rogers has been the face of country music and deservedly an icon of the genre, and even in death, he continues to tower over the genre.
The early life of Kenny Rogers can be traced to the 1950s, when his illustrious music career would begin. This is the post-war period that marked the emergence of many musicians and styles. According to the Washington Post (2020), Kenny Rogers commenced his musical journey with the Scholars, a Houston-based band. His young age did not deter him, and in 1957 barely 20, Kenny Rogers marked his entry onto the grand stage with a solo hit named “That crazy feeling” (Britannica, 2020).
His entire musical career would go on for another 62 years to see him clinch more accolades. His sheer talent and determination can be seen in the fact that by the age of 19, he was already rubbing shoulders with musical greats as an equal despite growing up in poverty. All that is good does come to an end. Kenny Rogers bid the music scene farewell with a befitting concert in 2017 in Nashville with his final tour.
Kenny Rogers produced much music. He is credited with over 120 hit singles spanning various genres and is estimated to have sold over 100 million records thought his life (Britannica, 2022). To sell over a million records, even by today’s standards, is not a mean feat and cements his place as not only country music but music great. His massive success in music followed him in television with a string of successful television series based on the gambler persona.
His success in movies saw him get an Emmy nomination for Kenny Rogers as the Gambler in 1980. The best song by Kenny Rogers in Gambler became an identity of country music (Malone & Laird, 2021). It has been played on radio and television worldwide uncountable times. Kenny Rogers is to country music what Tupac Shakur was to hip-hop.
With such success in country music, induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame was now a matter of when. In 2013, Kenny Rogers was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. However, the man’s greatness is that despite being one of the greatest country music musicians, he fared excellently with other music genres (The Washington Post, 2020).
Being inducted into the Hall of Fame of any field is always recognized across many measures and by many people as a great beyond any doubt or question. In addition to his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Kenny Rogers also managed several Grammys throughout his illustrious music career.
Kenny Rogers takes the credit for the spread of country music worldwide, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. Not many musicians have had such a big impact on their genre, and Kenny Rogers can be compared to Bob Marley with Reggae. His husky voice is unmistakable to this day, and most individuals still remember him.
Kenny Rogers had had around 50 singles in the Top 40 hits in country music (The Washington Post, 2020). Apart from later greats like Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers was the first county music star to sell out an entire arena. Many of the current country music greats look up to him and may have even been directly influenced by Kenny Rogers.
In conclusion, though he has rested, the Music of Kenny Rogers lives on. His mark on music will forever be unforgettable. His contribution to county music is equal to none. As he rests, his husky voice is still alive in the millions of his fans. To many, he is the greatest that ever lived.
References
Britannica. (2022). Kenny Rogers American singer songwriter. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kenny-Rogers-American-singer-songwriter
Malone, B. C., & Laird, T. E. (2021). Country Music, 1972–1984. In Country Music USA (pp. 433-488). University of Texas Press.
The Washington Post. (2020). Kenny Rogers, pop-country singer of ‘The Gambler’ who dominated 1970s music charts, dies at 81 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/kenny-rogers-pop-country-singer-of-the-gambler-who-dominated-1970s-music-charts-dies-at-81/2020/03/21/acbe2ebe-6b4b-11ea-b313-df458622c2cc_story.html
Jermaine Byrant
Nicole Johnson
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RATING
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