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5. Paragraph 21 contrasts what we know in 2050 with what McKibben claims are our earlier
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misconceptions and assumptions. How do these contrasts contribute to the rhetorical
effectiveness of the paragraph and the essay as a whole?
6. Throughout the essay, McKibben uses the first person plural pronoun “we.” How does this
choice reflect the purpose of his essay? What is the effect this choice has on his audience?

Topics for Composing

1. Analysis. McKibben takes a creative approach by situating his argument in 2050. Analyze the
Redefining America
effectiveness of this tactic. What strengthens the persuasiveness of his argument? Does this
approach weaken it in any way? Explain.
2. Argument. McKibben uses the phrase “low-hanging fruit” in paragraph 11 to describe
changes that will be implemented in the beginning of the 2020s. Are such changes as easy
to make as McKibben implies? Write an essay in which you develop a position on this
statement.
3. Argument. Are the changes McKibben describes feasible in the coming years? If they are
feasible, are they probable? Why or why not?
4. Argument. In 2017, The Guardian reported that “Just 100 companies have been the source
of more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988.” How effectively
does this essay take the responsibility corporations bear for climate change into account?
Support your position with evidence from the text.
5. Research. Choose one of the efforts to slow climate change that McKibben suggests will
have taken place by 2050. Research what, if anything, has been accomplished already
to achieve the effort’s desired effect, and take a position on how feasible McKibben’s
predictions about it are given its pros and cons.
6. Research. Choose one of the actions McKibben says we will need to take in the near future
to research. Once you have read and synthesized several sources on the topic, develop a
position on how effective that action would be. Write an essay that supports your position
using at least three sources and McKibben’s essay as evidence.
7. Research. Identify some of the more dramatic or even catastrophic environmental changes
McKibben forecasts will happen in the next 30 years. Then, research the extent to which
these or similar changes have already occurred in the last 30 years and prepare a report of
your findings.
8. Multimodal. Many writers and artists have expressed their concerns about climate change
through creative expression. Consider Jill Pelto’s data point watercolor paintings (p. 64),
poems such as Camille Dungy’s “A Massive Dying Off,” Michael Pinsky’s Pollution Pods, or
the works of Skunk Control. Then, create your own creative and artistic response to climate
change by developing a written piece (poetry or prose) or drawing, painting, constructing,
photographing, or videoing a visual piece.
9. Speaking and Listening. Evaluate McKibben’s claim in paragraph 17: “Growing numbers
of people came to understand that the ground beneath our feet had truly shifted.” To what
extent does his argument rest on this claim? What evidence does McKibben include in the
essay to support the likelihood of his claim? Develop a response to these questions and
participate in a whole-class discussion.

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