An Op-Ed article is a completely opinion-based persuasive essay, that uses facts that back their argument. Discussions in an op-ed have a tendency to be controversial but hopefully not misleading, according to our class definition.

It should be a polyvocal text, therefore, we must have many different perspectives on the matter, and use these perspectives to back up our claims and statements. An Op-Ed is an opinion article, which means that when writing it, you are expressing a certain opinion on an issue. A good Op-Ed must use a variety of primary and secondary sources to back up their claims and to be convincing, these sources must be credible and reliable.

Op-Eds usually include evocative and controversial images to make their reader feel a certain way that is in line with what you are trying to convey. As well as this, a goal I have for this article is to not only put out my ideas on this matter but also to convey the emotions and feelings of Ms Wiseman and Ms Row in a way that is truthful and reflects their thoughts on what they went through. As Ms Hanna Alkaf said, in non-fiction writing, it is crucial to convey emotion, but this means that you are trying to convey the emotions of those you are writing about, and not getting in the way of that.

What I want to include in my article:

  • Primary sources –
    • Direct quotes and ideas from Ms Wiseman’s story and Ms Row’s story about facing illness and death
    • My mother’s experience with her own mother and how it changed her
  • Secondary sources
    • Ric Elias’ perspective from the secondary (and very reliable) source of his Ted Talk
  • 3 body ‘points’
    • 1. how facing death means you’re forced to take stock of your life
    • 2. how facing death allows those close to you to reconsider their own lives
    • 3. how everything and everyone is touched by death – it is a part of life
  • An essay structure
    • Introduction
    • Body Paragraphs
    • Conclusion
    • A lot of analysis in the form of PEA
  • A word count no less than 1500 words, and no more than 2500 words

Note: these points might change as I progress through the process of writing my article.