Student's Name

Professor's Name

English 1121-xx

5 Nov. 2007

Audience: I am writing to my fellow Hmong community.

An Evaluation of Jessica Mitford's Excerpt,

"Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain"

[Introduction]

[Survey of Hmong Community about this Topic]

[Response to Survey / State Thesis]

[Summary of the Excerpt]

[Reason #1 to Read the Book]

          The Hmong community should read the book because it will answer many unanswered questions about how the body is cleaned up for the funeral.  They way the body is cleaned makes it seem as if there is no remorse [respect?] for the body or the family.  Come to think of it, the way the body was treated, according to Mitford's book, it seems like an everyday process for the caretaker, or what people call, "just another day on the job."  Mitford notes from a textbook on embalming, "The earlier this [embalming] is done, the better, for every hour that elapses between death and embalming will add to the problems and complications encountered…" [ellipses at the end not needed] ("Behind" 100).  It makes one wonder if the body is embalmed against time with or without care.  Honestly, when things become routine, care is one of the first things to go.  In Stephanie Zacharek's review on The American Way of Death, she says, "Mitford's book raised awareness among the public" about the funeral process.  This is the kind of awareness the community needs to know about how the body is "cleaned up."  [My comment at the end of this paragraph was to make the reasoning/argument stronger, especially as it applies to the stated audience: WHY does the community need to know this?]

[Reason #3 to Read the Book]

[Opposition #1 and Refutation]

Opposition #2 and Refutation]

[Conclusion]

[Works Cited and Consulted]