Education Perfect Notes Article 2022

Education Perfect Notes
Discursive Writing
Before we look at any creative response exemplars, we need to
define exactly what discursive writing is.
Discursive writing is a type of non-fiction writing that explores an
idea. The writing can be more free and used to express the thoughts
of the author on a topic, or it can be more structured, like a
magazine article. The purpose of discursive writing isn't to argue for a
point or to persuade your readers — its purpose is to explore ideas.
Discursive pieces can be written on a variety of topics, from pop
culture to political issues to mental health. The best discursive
pieces are created when the author is passionate about the
subject.
1. Have you ever read something that could be described as
discursive writing?
Describe this piece of writing below and explain why it
could be labelled as discursive writing.
Write at least 3 sentences in your response.
Recently I read an article on global warming, and it is called “Is Global
Warming a human induced phenomenon?” The article described ways
the human activities were causing the climate to change and leading
to a rise in the global temperatures. The article also provided the
evidence for the claims made, which made the points made valid and

substantial. The article compelled me to think the harm we are doing
to our planet.
2. Based on the definition given, what elements do you think a
discursive piece should always include?
List at least three elements below that you think would need
to be included in a successful discursive piece of writing.
Write at least 3 sentences in your response.
A discursive writing should have the following elements:
 An Idea which it aims to explore deeper into the topic. The writer
explores the subject in a detailed manner in the write-up piece.
 A discursive writing is ought to provoke a thought in the reader and
compel him to think deeper into the subject.
 A discursive writing has a formal and neutral tone. The writing does not
take any side and provides a non-biased take on the subject while
describing both against and in-favor on the topic.

THE ONION
This discursive piece is in response to Carol Ann Duffy's "Valentine". It speaks back
to the idea of finding some remarkable things, things as big as love, in an onion.
Contextual Statement
I give you an onion. It can stop a war. General Ulysses S. Grant sent a stern word
to Washington in the midst of the bloody Civil War, refusing to move his troops any
further without onions. Without them, the gunshot wounds his boys sustained were
untreatable. Promptly, three cartloads arrived and the war continued. Vicksburg,
Chattanooga, and Petersburg were captured by the very same troops not long
after. Both an object of healing and a weapon, our humble onion is as complex as
its many layers. Containing therapeutic sulfur compounds (cysteine sulphoxides),
which have antibiotic effects, onions can cure colds and coughs, ease fevers and
boost our immunity. They also make us cry. Some of the same properties in tear
gas are buried deep within our onions. They work as a symbol of both good and
evil in folklore, not to be pinned down to any one notion. Want to ward off a
vampire? Looking for Satan? Waking the dead? Seeking good luck? An onion will
do all of the above. Historically, Egyptians saw eternity in the anatomy of an onion.
The circle within a circle serving as a reflection of the endless and cyclic universe.
Onions were revered and painted voraciously on pyramid interiors. Pharaohs were
buried with them, baby onions nestled sweetly in the eye sockets of the royally
dead. Five thousand years ago in Chinese gardens, onion blossoms bloomed.
India's oldest writings reference them, in ancient sprawling script. Sumerian
governors kneeled before them at dusk, and Babylonions warily watered them.
Onions are one of the oldest vegetables in the history of the world. Surviving all this
time, onions have survived as potently as their taste. They have sustained us and
saved us, hurt us and healed us. Tonight I will do this — I will hold an onion in my
hands. Our cat will wrap himself around my legs. Guitar strumming will be
summoned and the sunset will shimmer. I will give you an onion. It can stop a war.
Perhaps not so humble, after all.
3. In your opinion, why did this piece of writing receive an A
grade? Explain your answer in the space below.
Write at least 3 sentences in your response.

The article has all the elements that a discursive writing should possess. The
writing explores the love of the author for onions. The paragraph stars with a
topic sentence. Further, the author provides the rationale behind the
goodness of onions and substantiates the same with evidences. The author
indulges in free writing without persuading the reader for loving the onion the
way he does. But the writing definitely convinces the reader about the good
properties of onions.
4. Consider the piece of discursive writing you have read in this
lesson.
In the space below, list three moments from the text that
stood out to you as places where the A grade criteria was
met and explain how it met the criteria.
The Onion
1. Without them, the gunshot wounds his boys sustained were untreatable.
Explanation: The author explained in this sentence why onions were
so beneficial. It has the healing properties to treat the wounds of a
soldier.
2. Want to ward off a vampire? Looking for Satan? Waking the dead? Seeking good
luck? An onion will do all of the above.
Explanation: The article provokes the reader to give a thought to the
beneficial properties of onions and compels him to think deeper about
the subject which is onion.
3. They work as a symbol of both good and evil in folklore, not to be pinned down to
any one notion.