Experiment One: Sketch
For Experiment #1, I plan to compose an open letter to President Joe Biden about our growing national debt, a topic I first examined in a column (my artifact) when I was a freshman. I plan to offer the president constructive criticism on this issue as well as some suggestions for how to mitigate the impacts of this crisis in the future.
If I decide to fully develop the open letter for my final project, I aim for it to be between 750 and 1,000 words. This length will allow me to go into sufficient detail while still being concise. I worry going much beyond 1,000 words may discourage some members of my audience from reading what I have to say. To continue, if I decide to fully develop my letter, it will be formally addressed to President Biden, the intended recipient. While I researched unaddressed open letters, I believe an addressed open letter will make my final product far more authentic. Addressing it to Biden also raises the chances, in my opinion, that I can actually make a real impact on the situation.
As with other parts of this open letter, I am open to changes regarding the general structure, although I have broken the letter up into several different parts that I will pay close attention to: introduction; description of the debt crisis; potential solutions to the crisis; counterargument; and conclusion. In the introduction, I plan to introduce myself and give a brief overview of the general problem. In the subsequent section, the description of the debt crisis, I will go into great detail (while still being concise) about the current problem and the future issues it will precipitate if not adequately addressed. Next, I will provide an overview of some solutions that the Biden administration can implement relatively quickly in order to alleviate the problem. Afterward, I will address 1-2 arguments against addressing our growing national debt and refute these claims. Finally, I will conclude my letter by thanking the president for his time and expressing my hope that his administration will take swift action on this issue.
After the body of the letter ends with my conclusion, I am considering devoting a section to my references. This may be helpful in order to provide my recipient with a list of my sources, which boosts my argument’s credibility. However, I am not sure if letters traditionally have citations, and my research didn’t give me a firm answer about this.