When creating a writing plan, which of the following should come first?
a. the first section of the body of the essay
b. material that will capture the reader's interest
c. the general idea of the essay
d. a brief summary of the conclusion

Read the two conclusions to cinderella. conclusion a: “this is not the true bride,” said he to the father; “have you no other daughters? ” then cinderella took her shoe off, and put on the golden slipper, and it fitted as if it had been made for her. and when he drew near the prince knew her, and said, “this is the right bride.” then he took cinderella on his horse and rode away. conclusion b: he obliged cinderella to sit down, and, putting the slipper to her little foot, he found it went on very easily, and fitted her as if it had been made of wax. the astonishment of her two sisters was great, but it was still greater when cinderella pulled out of her pocket the other slipper and put it on her foot. thereupon, in came her godmother, who, having touched cinderella's clothes with her wand, made them more magnificent than those she had worn before. and now her two sisters found her to be that beautiful lady they had seen at the ball. they threw themselves at her feet to beg pardon for all their ill treatment of her. cinderella took them up, and, as she embraced them, said that she forgave them with all her heart, and begged them to love her always. she was conducted to the young prince, dressed as she was. he thought her more charming than ever, and, a few days after, married her. cinderella, who was as good as she was beautiful, gave her two sisters a home in the palace, and that very same day married them to two great lords of the court. which conclusion to cinderella is stronger? why? conclusion a is stronger because it uses dialogue that readers understand the prince's feelings toward cinderella. conclusion b is stronger because it describes a surprising and positive resolution to the conflict between the characters. conclusion a is stronger because it contains an emotional moment in which cinderella learns something. conclusion b is stronger because it shows that all of the characters changed and got what they deserved.

Read this excerpt from "the light of gandhi's lamp" by hilary kromberg inglis, in which she describes driving to the police station where her sister is being detained. to avoid looking at the blackened windows at the top of the building and thinking about the history of who had died or been tortured there, i always looked instead at the little chinese restaurant on the opposite side of the road. how does this passage affect the text? it conveys, with great subtlety, the conflict she felt over having a sister who would break the law and end up in the custody of the police. it conveys, without any implied moral judgment, that those who fought against apartheid considered themselves to be soldiers in a just war. it conveys, with an extended metaphor, the idea that being detained by the police in this society was regarded as a badge of honor. it conveys, with direct language, the view held by many anti-apartheid activists that the police often acted in brutal and unlawful ways.

Find a newspaper or magazine (either print or digital form), and select one piece of media to evaluate. after reading/viewing the media, describe it, and explain what you believe the purpose and intended audience of the piece may have been. then, label the techniques (images, layout, video, sound, etc.) that were used, and how those techniques interacted to create either an effective or ineffective piece of media. your response should be at least 200 words.