Today we began by answering a persuasive topic questionnaire to help Zach vet his persuasive topic idea by looking closely at the assumptions and biases of his chosen audience. Next, we looked at the four different types of sentences, and Zach practiced identifying them. Next, we read from 1984 and Zach continued to take notes from Part 1. We then read a short story from Bertolt Brecht, a German writer from the Nazi era, called "If Sharks Were Men." Zach compared and contrasted the two authors' purposes and writing styles with the historical contexts in which they wrote. Next, we returned to the persuasive topic project and watched a TED talk from Harvard professor Noah Feldman called "Politics and Religion are Technologies." I asked Zach to relate this talk to the arguments he is making in his persuasive topic, which is on why religion and politics should be separate. Lastly, Zach wrote a quick ethical, emotional, and logical argument for his claim.