1. TOPIC
CHOICE:
The subject of your Essay #1 Analysis-Evaluation will be one
AofA argument from our WR 122 textbook. You have some choice of
which AofA argument you will analyze-evaluate for Essay #1 (listed
below) but also note well the exclusions (also
listed below):
One argument
selected from AofA Ch. 12 (Marriage and Family); but . . .
Exclusion: (a) you may NOT
choose the cartoon included in Ch. 12;
OR
One argument
selected from AofA Ch. 17 (The Twenty-First Century);
but . . .
Exclusion: (a) you may NOT
choose the cartoon included in Ch. 17;
OR
One
argument from AofA Ch.13 (Gay and Lesbian Rights), but
. . .
Exclusions: (a) you may
NOT choose the cartoon included in Ch. 13; and . . .
(b) Do NOT choose Nickel or Gomes UNLESS
your analysis-evaluation is going to be
significantly different from the points about Nickel and Gomes
made in
Example Student Essays #1:
URL: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/wr122/handouts/essays1.htm
OR
Amber
Young's argument, "Capital Punishment: Society's
Self-Defense" (31-36) from Ch. 3.
To
help you choose an AofA argument for Essay #1 . . .
(a) "Self-Analysis" Preparation
Ex. (Prior Knowledge, Pre-Existing Biases, Rhetorical Context & Targeted
Audience) - see Course Plan for deadline
This exercise is intended to help you determine whether you will be able to
be a fair-minded and objectively "critical" reader in analyzing
and evaluating the AofA argument;
(b) Recommended: (Re)read the AofA
argument(s) that you are considering for your choice, review Methods
of Analysis (handout), and ask yourself:
Do I understand this argument well enough, and will I be able to analyze and
evaluate it?
3. MANUSCRIPT
FORM (ms):
See the WR 122 Syllabus on Manuscript
Form, including MLA-style
heading (for the first page of your Essay) and running
page headers (for 2nd and subsequent pages of your Essay).
Final Draft of Essay #1 must be typed/wordprocessed and double
spaced on standard-sized white paper, using standard, readable font and
point size, printed in black ink, with standard margins (1” at top,
bottom, and sides), etc.
4.
SUGGESTED
LENGTH for the Final Draft of Essay #1 is 3-to-5 typed/wordprocessed
and double-spaced pages.
5. CITE
YOUR SOURCE(S) &
Avoid Plagiarism: (see
general guidelines given in WR 122 Syllabus):
a.
Academic review essays typically present the full
bibliographical entry for the source being analyzed and evaluated at the beginning
of the essay, and we will follow the same convention for
Essay #1. Thus,
you must create an MLA (Works Cited) style bibliographical entry for your selected
AofA Ch. argument. You
will NOT need to create a separate Works Cited list at the end of your
essay unless you decide to cite other sources in Essay #1 (see Cora if you have
questions.)
See also Methods of Analysis
(d) Careful Notetaking.
b.
“In-text” Parenthetical Citations of Your Source:
Since
Essay #1 requires you to deal with only one source (i.e. one
AofA argument), for which you will give a full MLA-style bibliographical
entry at the beginning of your Essay#1 —we can
simplify the task of documenting citations “in-text”—i.e. in
the “text” of your Essay #1. We
will discuss distinctions among summary,
quotation, and paraphrase further in class. See also Methods
of Analysis (d) Careful Notetaking.
Use timely author tags to introduce in-text citations, accurate & correctly
punctuated quotations, faithful paraphrases and summaries that do not
distort the meaning of the original, parenthetical page citations for
quotations and paraphrases—all work together to avoid plagiarism &
allow readers to trace citations clearly back to the original AofA
argument. You will also need to use ellipses, brackets, block
long quotations when required, and cite any additional/outside sources if
relevant.
6.
GENRE: ESSAY
A.
Heading, Title,
Bibliographical Entry
Give an MLA-style Heading at the top of page 1 of your Essay #1
Give your
Essay #1 a title that reflects the issue and your essay thesis.
Give a full bibliographical
entry in MLA Works Cited Style
EXAMPLE:
Crista Harrison
WR 122, Dr. Agatucci
Analysis Evaluation Essay #1
19 February 2001
The Hypocrisy of
Misinterpretation
Gomes, Peter J.
"Homophobic? Reread Your Bible." New York Times 17
Aug. 1992. Rpt. The Aims of Argument: A Rhetoric and
Reader. Eds. Timothy W. Crucius and Carolyn E. Channell. 3rd
ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 2000. 516-518.
In
the last decade, American society has erupted with controversy over . . . .
B.
In
your Introduction:
Formally
re-introduce the title, author, relevant information about the
rhetorical context of the AofA argument to be discussed.
Identify the
issue being addressed by the AofA argument
Summarize AofA
author’s major claims and purposes.
Present your thesis/claim
(see below)
Optional:
Preview the main supporting points (your reasons/criteria)
that you will develop in the body of your essay to support your
thesis/claim. (See Special
Requirements for Essay #1: you must identify and develop at least
one strength and one weakness!). If you do choose to
preview, be sure to list your supporting points in the introduction in
the same order that you will address them in the body of your essay.
B
Your THESIS CLAIM for Essay #1
should respond to the following central questions:
Is this AofA
argument worth reading? That
is, would you recommend that others read it?
Why and/or why not?
Arrive at your thesis/claim, shape your essay
purpose, and determine key supporting reason(s) why you do or do not
recommend that others read this AofA argument, use one or more of the following
focusing questions:
1. Does this argument
present an effective case to achieve the author’s purpose with a diverse
audience?—that is, not just with you and a like-minded
community of readers, but with a wider diverse audience that might
include both Wr 122 readers (remember, we are a diverse lot!), as well as
readers of the argument in its original rhetorical/publication context.
Why and/or why not?
2. Does this argument
make a worthwhile contribution to the ongoing public debate, being carried
on in many forums, about the issue addressed?
(The general introduction to the chapter in which your selected
argument appears can help you with this one.)
Why and/or why not?
3. Does this argument
offer useful lessons (positive and/or negative) for students of argument
writing like all of us in Wr 122? Why
and/or why not?
Your responses to the above central and supporting
questions should help you not only to formulate your essay thesis, but also
to identify your reasons—that is, the main
supporting points and evaluation
criteria on which you are basing your reasoned
(thesis) opinion. Essay #1
requires evaluation, as well as analysis, based on explicit
and persuasive reasons / evaluation criteria for judging the AofA
argument in question.
Special
Requirements for Essay #1
The
GENRE in which you are writing is still an ESSAY controlled by
a your own central thesis claim (i.e. your overall recommendation/evaluation of the selected AofA
argument). Remember
and apply what you have already learned about what a good essay should be
and do (e.g., from Writing 121, essay composition principles like
unity, organization, coherence, development, title-intro-body-conclusion,
style, grammatical correctness). For
example, plan to devote one well-developed body paragraph to each of your
main supporting points; order your presentation in an arrangement that seems
most logical, coherent, and effective; provide timely thesis transitions
that remind you and your readers how each body paragraph supports or relates
to your thesis, etc. Still you will be asked to expand and develop your WR 122 essay
writing skills in Essay #1 by meeting some special
requirements for analyzing and evaluating arguments.
1. Apply the Methods of
Analysis that we have been studying: Use careful analysis and assessment of the
AofA argument to help you
shape your thesis, identify your supporting reasons/evaluation criteria, and
develop these supporting points in the body of your essay.
You need not use every single argumentative method and writing
strategy introduced in AofA, the Methods of Analysis handout, or
discussed in class, but you will be expected to apply those most relevant to the
AofA argument that you are
analyzing and evaluating.
2. Your Bias Statement and Its Impact. Your own bias (pro, con, or neutral) or position on
the issue being argued in the selected AofA argument must be stated
explicitly somewhere in your essay. Place
your bias statement where it seems to be most effective in, or least
damaging to, achieving your thesis/purpose in Essay #1.
Also consider the self-presentation of your own Character/Ethos
in Essay #1 (See Ch. 6).
3. Body Points must identify
and develop at least one Strength(s) and at
least one Weakness(es) of the AofA
Argument. Adhering to this requirement that you discuss at least one strength and
at least one weakness of the AofA argument, will help
you position yourself to be considered a fair-minded inquirer, critical
reader and trust-worthy evaluator (see also “Bias Statement and its
Impact” above) whatever your bias on the issue.
But this requirement also presents challenges.
Unify your Essay Without
Oversimplifying or Falsifying the Case.
The principle of essay unity
requires that everything in the essay body should support your thesis/claim
and contribute to achieving your persuasive purpose in Essay #1.
At the college level, however, you need to learn how to address
complex readings and issues, and arrive at fair, well-reasoned opinions
without oversimplifying or falsifying the case, or ignoring parts that
challenge your views. Since
you must discuss at least one strength and at least one weakness (see
above) , you will need to qualify an
overall positive or negative evaluation stated in your thesis/claim and use
the argumentative strategies of concession
and/or reconciliation.
Or you may advance a mixed evaluation of the AofA argument in your thesis
claim —(e.g.,
yes, it meets some of your evaluation criteria, but no, it doesn’t meet
others)—which should be clearly and cogently demonstrated in the body of
your Essay #1.
More
Advice:
Support
and Demonstrate your Points:
Support your Essay #1 Thesis/Claim and develop your analysis evaluation of
the selected AofA argument with
good and relevant supporting points. Valid
and persuasive reasons and evaluation criteria should be identified,
applied, and demonstrated in the body of your essay.
And you must demonstrate that each of your supporting
reasons/evaluation criteria is good and relevant, by offering persuasive
explanation and reasoning, and by citing and analyzing well-selected
specific examples from the AofA argument to illustrate and support
your points. Do not assume that
your points are self-evident, and that all readers will automatically
understand and share your views. Citations
may take the form of summary, paraphrase or direct quotation. Quote only as much as you need to illustrate your
point, and always accompany quotations with your interpretation and
analysis. Do not assume
all your readers are going to read, interpret, place emphasis, and/or
respond to a cited quotation or passage from the argument in the same way
that you do: you bear the burden of showing, explaining, reasoning, and
convincing. And, at the college
level, even like-minded critical readers who agree with your points will
expect you to support and demonstrate them.
Examine your
Assumptions about Your Points and Your Audience: Would a serious, diverse audience of WR 122 critical readers
and thinkers be likely to accept your thesis/claim evaluation of the AofA
essay? Would that audience be
likely to share and accept each of your reasons and evaluation criteria as
“good” and “relevant” (see Ch. 3) to your central thesis/claim and
to the AofA argument being analyzed/evaluated?
These reasons and evaluation criteria constitute a set of supporting
claims that should persuasively back up your overall thesis/claim. If any of your criteria (supporting claims) is likely not be
shared (i.e. recognized as “good” and “relevant” by your readers),
you may need to explicitly argue why one or more your reasons/evaluation
criteria is valid in this case.
Anticipate
and Respond to Likely/Worthy Opposition. Your
Essay #1 is itself a kind of argument (i.e. evaluation), and--like all other
arguments on debatable opinions--you should plan to anticipate and try to
answer as effectively as you can any likely and weighty opposition to
your views (e.g., to your central thesis/claim, to your supporting points,
to your interpretation/analysis of complex or controversial parts of the AofA
argument under discussion, etc.).
1.
Where to do it: Addressing the anticipated opposition may be
integrated when the controversial point is raised, or presented in a separate
section of the body of your essay. Choose
the organizational arrangement that seems most effective to you, remembering
that it is usually not effective to give the opposition the last
word/ending position in an essay or a body paragraph.
2.
Use the Workshop to help you analyze your audience and
anticipate/imagine where such opposition may lie, and discuss with workshop
members how you could best respond to their actual or imagined objections,
questions, and/or concerns.
3.
How you treat the opposition can have a big impact on the readers’ assessment
of your ethos (character, credibility, honestly, fairness,
well-informed acquaintance with the issue and the argument, etc.: see
AofA Chs. 1, 6), and thus on the success of your Essay #1 in supporting
your thesis and achieving your purpose.
NOTE
WELL: Ignoring, dismissing, trivializing, or
disrespecting the opposition usually will not help you make your case
in an argument, especially when you are addressing a diverse college-level
audience of critical readers and thinkers, as you are to do in this assignment.
