Essay 3 is designed ideally to be a “critique.” That is, you identify some status quo that interests you. “Status quo” is Latin; it means “the situation as it is.” It refers to some norm or standard situation. You don’t actually have to use the term “status quo” in your essay. You’re just trying to find some aspect of society that seems “natural” and “just how it is.” Yet if you analyze it, perhaps you will see that more is going on underneath the surface. Notice that our textbook focusses on identifying patterns, on finding the “quiet arguments” that inhere in those patterns. An essay that focusses on “critique” is one that analyzes some situation, some status quo, that seems “natural” and “inevitable.” Yet you analyze it for what might be holding it in place, the power relations that maintain that status quo. The thing we will be crtitqing is the Homeless problem in portland and what is really the root of the problem. As always you have an introduction with a thesis statement; and you have a conclusion. I recommend opening the introduction with an image, say (in words, not actual Word art), establishing the topic, and moving to the thesis. The conclusion should come back to the intro to make a “frame” for the essay and to close. (Do not use “in conclusion.”) The thesis model for this essay should state the status quo or norm and identify what it means. You will flesh that out in the body. Example: Suburban culture uses a sense of placid normality to provide a veneer for race and class hierarchy. In the body you begin by establishing the norm or status quo. You can describe the norm you will deal with. Then you should support that by showing patterns. This is your interpretation. What patterns can you identify to demonstrate that this norm exists? For a “norm,” you are looking for something that is “hiding in plain sight.” It’s obvious, once you see it. But it is not talked about, and if it is, it is by way of euphemisms. (With King, it is segregation; it is obvious, but no one talks about it.) You can demonstrate patterns. You might identify a maxim (a saying that provides the euphemisms for this situation). For several paragraphs, you would set up a norm and justify it. You will need to provide the evidence that this norm exists. Once you have established that your norm, this status quo, exists, you interpret and analyze it. What does it mean? What is really going on? What is the “quiet argument” that this norm presents? You could, optionally, use comparison to help support your argument. Can you compare this situation to another to show how the one you are analyzing highlights a particular meaning? In this section, you are arguing for a particular meaning. You are interpreting and analyzing. This section would be several paragraphs. Here you bring in your value; what value drives the norm? Also, what value should we instead be promoting? You might consider who benefits from this norm. How difficult would it be to change this norm? What would the future look like if we were to make a change?