Get a yardstick! (An illustration using the key term, “main”)

When it comes to analysing an essay question, identifying the key terms and the value terms are rarely a problem. The difficulty we often run is in truly engaging with the value term. To deal with those tricky value terms, we could consider using a yardstick.

For example,

Social media is the main agent of change in today’s world. How far do you agree?

Value term: main

Yardstick (measurement of “main-ness”):  Social media is more important than other agents of change

Note that if you use a value term in your yardstick, that too must have it’s own yardstick. In this case, you’ll need a yardstick for “more important”, and “more important” can be measured in different ways (different yardsticks) in each paragraph.  For instance, one paragraph may consider that social media is more important than other agents of change because it has become so ubiquitous that it is best able to reach large numbers of people.

Key point: I must have a clear, objective sense of how you’re measuring “main”.

Some students tend to measure “main” in numbers. In other words, their yardstick might be that social media is the main agent of change because it is the most commonly used tool to bring about change. This is possible in theory, but do note that it can be difficult to execute in practice because it often degrades into a “but-the-numbers-say-so” point, without any real, substantial, meaty argument:

“Social media is the main agent of change because 80% of the global population has used social media to bring about change.”

Even if this statistic were correct (it’s not), it’s difficult to develop this further. Of course, you could go on to develop it by arguing that because social media is so commonly used, it is the best way of reaching large numbers of people – but that brings us right back to the first yardstick – that “main” is being measured by its importance.

Aside from proving importance, another useful (and, if done well, particularly effective) yardstick is this: Social media is the main agent of change because it is the root cause of change / the underlying factor that triggered off change.

Again, you can use this yardstick throughout your essay, or you can use multiple yardsticks in your essay.

 

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FAQ – on essay structure

Where do you put the yardstick?

If you have just one yardstick running through the whole essay, it makes sense to put it in the introduction. If you have multiple yardsticks that apply to different paragraphs, you should make it clear in the appropriate paragraph.

Ted Williams, the man with the ‘Golden Voice’

In 2008, it was Susan Boyle and Justin Bieber. Now, it’s Ted Williams, the man who shot to fame after being featured in a viral Youtube video. Although the original video (which received over 4 million hits in just 24 hours) appears to have been removed, here’s a related clip:

Now, the once-homeless man has landed himself a job:

 

Questions:

To what extent does the mass media change lives?

Success is more a matter of luck than talent or hard work. Discuss.

In modern society, fame is but a mouse-click away. To what extent is this true?

 

To connect, or to disconnect?

The new media connects us to our family and friends in fantastic new ways. Or does it?

 

Question:

“Disconnect the computer, disconnect my life.” Discuss. (CJC Promotional Examination, 2010)

Little girls shake their booty

Ever seen little girls in sexy little outfits, thrusting out their non-existent boobs and gyrating to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”?

No? Then watch this.

Questions:

To what extent do you agree that the youths in your country are overly influenced by the media?

Change is good. Is this necessarily true?

Sexuality-based discrimination results in death of teen

On September 22, Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old Rutgers University freshman jumped to his death after two classmates secretly recorded him making out with another man and posted the video on the Internet.

Tyler isn’t the only one – on September 19, Seth Walsh hung himself from a tree after enduring taunts that he was gay.

And still there are more.

In response to such incidents, Ellen DeGeneres speaks out, urging that we stop discriminating against gays, because “one death is tragic, four is a crisis”

Questions:

A prejudiced society is a society in crisis. Discuss.

Discuss the impacts of the media on the youth of today.

To what extent can the media be used to influence society?

“We’re Doomed.”

Has the new media destroyed the English language?

Two views: The Facebook bra colour status update

Here are two takes – both by breast cancer survivors – on the recent Facebook bra colour status update:

Post it!

Found out the hues represent bra colors. So, like every good Facebooker, I played along by peeking in my shirt and updating my status: Beige.

[...]

Just re-updated my status after my “beige” remark and wrote this:

So, while you’re peeking inside your shirt to see what color bra you are wearing so you can post it in your status update, go ahead and feel around in there, make sure there are no lumps. And if there are, call your doc for a clinical exam!

- Bra Colours take over Facebook, Well, Kind of, my Breast Cancer blog

But how does this little ‘game’ raise awareness?

In a comment to the above blog post, great says:

For everyone asking how it raises awareness, how many people googled it today and heard about the issue of breast cancer? You’re here talking about it, so clearly you read or heard about it. Would breast cancer have ocurred to you out of the blue today? Likely not. But it’s been brought to your attention now, hasn’t it? Silly? Yes. Effective? Of course.

- great, 1/8/2010 at 4:53 am

But perhaps playing along isn’t what we want.

If you know me, you don’t have to ask.  But if you’re new here, I couldn’t play along by posting the color of my bra because I don’t have one.  I don’t own one.

Two years ago this month, I underwent surgery, you see.  I had a double mastectomy to remove the cancer that was trying to kill me.

[...]

Clothes that fit just a few months previously don’t fit anymore, you see.  Every. single. shirt. is stretched out over the chest, and most new ones don’t fit right either.  Princess seams, sewn to flatter the big-busted and small-busted alike only serve to remind us, the no-busted, that we are no longer princesses.  V-necks are flattering, but only if they are not too deep, cut to show no cleavage, as our cleavage has been taken from us as well.

And, for a while, the reminders are everywhere.  Every TV commercial with the Victoria’s Secret angels rankles.  Every low-cut shirt sparks the tears.  Every nightgown cut to flatter falls — flat — and we cry into our pillow.

We are aware, you see.  We are all too aware, and we work to escape the reminders.

- In the name of awareness, Toddler Planet

Think:

Having read both opinions, what is your stand? Should women play along and spread the word about breast cancer by posting their bra colour on their Facebook status?

The most terrifying video you’ll ever see [on climate change]

“When faced with uncertainty about our future, the only responsible choice, the only defensible choice, is [to take action on climate change] in order to eliminate [catastrophic consequences] as a possibility. Because the risk of not acting far outweighs the risk of acting.”

“Because the only way we truly get into [making governments take action on climate change] is changes in public policy and those only change when enough people demand it”

- Greg Craven

Watch his youtube video:

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As a result of two years of debate with the youtube community on the argument presented in his video, Greg Craven wrote a book, ”What’s the Worst That Could Happen? A Rational Response to the Climate Change Debate”:

“…superbly crafted…. A must read.”

-Gen. Anthony Zinni, USMC (Ret.)

“This book trumps most of our accounts of the global warming crisis.”

-author Bill McKibben

“Al Gore should share his Nobel peace prize.”

-The “New Scientist”

“This is a tremendous book and well worth anyone’s time to read…. You’re in for a treat—Craven is funny as well as exceptionally clear, and wise.”

-Kim Stanley Robinson, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of the Mars Trilogy and Science in the Capital

“This is a terrifically thoughtful book…. Cravens book shines an illuminating floodlight on how we think about global warming.”

-Ross Gelbspan, author, “The Heat Is On” and “Boiling Point”

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Questions:

Should the world act now to fight climate change?

“New media is a tool of paramount importance in today’s society”. Assess the validity of this statement.

“New media is empowerment”. Discuss.

Warning: Obsession over technology may interfere with one’s sex life.

“Today, my husband and I were having sex, and just as I was about to finish he screamed, “Oh shit! It’s 4:15, my strawberries are gonna whither!!!!” and then jumped off me and went to check on his farm on FarmVille. An imaginary farm, on Facebook.“

-FML

Questions:

How far do you agree that our obsession with technology is ruining our lives?

Society today has become obsessed with pointless technologies. To what extent do you agree?

The Day Facebook Changed: Messages to Become Public by Default

One of the most anticipated days in the history of social networking site Facebook has finally come: the company announced today that it has begun making status messages, photos and videos visible to the public at large by default instead of being visible only to a user’s approved friends.

- NYT

[Full article here]

Questions:

Has Facebook taken away our privacy? Or are we to blame for willingly putting our privacy into the hands of Facebook?