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Writing the Argument Analysis Essay

Writing the Argument Analysis Essay. Suggestions and Examples. Introduction.

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Writing the Argument Analysis Essay

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  1. Writing the Argument Analysis Essay Suggestions and Examples

  2. Introduction • Introduction: This assignment asks you to analyze an argument. The introduction should at least make it clear just what the argument was about (the subject or topic of the argument). A good introduction will “situate” the topic/ subject. This means giving the reader something that makes the broader importance of the topic/ subject understandable or even meaningful. The introduction should then transition into a clear mention of the argument being analyzed, and even some insight into the argument’s purpose. The introduction should end with a thesis claim.

  3. A Good Example Introduction • McDonald’s McSucks • Because of college expenses, most students tend to hold on to their money as much as they can, which explains why they’re attracted to the cheapest things around them including clothes, utensils, and mainly food, no matter how unhealthy it is. Unfortunately, more than 34% of all college students in the United States struggle with being overweight. But how do we get college students to care a little less about money and a little more about their health? A hand full of Wayne State students put together a PowerPoint presentation showing that McDonald’s plays a huge role in harming all of their customers’ bodies; from little children to college students and adults. In the “McDonald’s McSucks” presentation, the Wayne State students used accurate statistics, powerful imagery, and a legitimate experiment to show college students that eating in McDonald’s is one of the worst things anyone can ever do to their body.

  4. Another Example Introduction • According to senatedems.com, in late October, Michigan Senator Tupac Hunter introduced a bill, in Lansing, that would call for the installation of an additional license plate on the front of Michigan cars. In the same article, it was stated that Hunter’s reasoning for endorsing this bill is essentially that it could assist traffic enforcement with easier identification of vehicles. Senator Hunter’s proposal for these license plates, however, has raised a number of questions in the minds of the public. In covering these concerns, the members of the "Front Bumper License Plates” group used their influential visuals, personal testimonies, and reasoning to convince their audience that front license plates are not a practical concept.

  5. The Thesis Statement • Thesis Claim Format: In (Name or description of argument), the group used (short description of the most prominent elements of argument utilized) to (purpose of argument) (description of audience). • You can play with the order of these different parts of the thesis statement

  6. Some Effective Thesis Statements • In “The Death Penalty” PowerPoint, the group used factual data, logical reasoning, and a strong visual to persuade the audience that the death penalty is not only wrong, but it is a failing system as well. • In its “raise the minimum wage” presentation, the group uses personal testimonies and statistics relevant to college students to convince its audience to support a raise in the minimum wage.

  7. Rhetorical Situation Paragraph You should have a body paragraph near the very beginning (most likely after introductory paragraph) of your essay, discussing the “Rhetorical Situation”.

  8. Some ?s to answer to build your Rhetorical Situation Paragraphs What characteristics of the audience to whom the argument presented seem important? What impact does the setting—where and to whom the argument is being presented—seem to have on the text/ argument? What social or cultural factors related to the era in which the text was produced does the text reflect?

  9. A Good Rhetorical Situation Paragraph It’s never a bad time to present an argument for a very dangerous situation that could potentially mean life or death for someone. It is also not a bad time to present something like this to a group of college kids. Not only that, but it is almost the end of the fall 2013 semester at Wayne State with thanksgiving and Christmas is coming up, not to mention finals. With everything going on now, college kids might feel the need to “let loose” to relieve themselves of everything they have been so focused on at school. The act of trying to persuade classmates to not drink and drive, and presenting the consequences arising from it presented at a good time given the circumstances of things going on around Wayne State.

  10. Another Good Rhetorical Situation Paragraph This presentation will hopefully get more students engaged in the city and its issues. While “Belle Isle State takeover” argument is just one of the many arguments that discuss ways to improve the city of Detroit. In order to capture the attention of the audience a PowerPoint presentation was a good genre because it allowed for a short but informative argument on an issue so important. Like many of the other arguments, there is information to show why there is need for improvement in Detroit. Unlike some of the other arguments though, visuals are used as the main source to make these points stronger. Instead of using other genres such written discussions or a three-minute video the PowerPoint tried to engage students while using mostly visuals instead of the usual written words. With the Wayne State Campus in the heart of the Detroit area the argument is important in getting the students to realize what is going on around their college campus.

  11. Make a claim that a specific element of argument is present • Describe the part of the presentation that you are calling the specific element • Explain how this part of the presentation is supposed to work on the audience • Close with a claim on how this part of the argument relates back to the argument’s purpose Body Paragraphs on the Elements

  12. The personal story told at the end of the argument about how one of the author’s family member was in a drunk driving situation, and now the person’s life is pretty much messed up because of it, showed the audience that the speakers could actually relate to this topic. They have a connection to this situation, and it is possible that it can become an unwanted connection for the people listening as well. Getting behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated not only affects the people involved if there is a crash, but also the people that you surround yourself with and care about you. Putting this at the end of the argument seemed to be a good idea, by leaving the audience to think that it could happen to anybody, whether directly or indirectly affected, if they don’t make smart choices. Good Paragraph on Ethos

  13. Lastly, Ivana appealed to the audience’s sense of reason and logic by sharing with them statistics, from DoSomething.org, about what homosexuals have to go through, along with hate crime laws, and more. Ivana shared with them anti-hate crime laws that excluded homosexuals. This appealed to ones logic because we all know, whether someone is gay or straight, they are still human and should be protected under law. She also shared with them the youth homelessness rate and the outstanding relation to homeless youth and homosexuality. Using facts and stats actually make the whole argument more credible because an argument based solely off emotion is a very unstable one to say the least, and it gives the audience more reason on why they should not only change their opinion, but take legal action on this issue. Good Paragraph on Logos

  14. The presentation utilized pathos by adding pictures that appealed to the audience emotionally. For example, adding a nauseating picture that was taken during the process of making McDonald’s’ chicken McNuggets, while discussing how unsanitary McDonald’s food is, definitely persuades the audience that McDonald’s can never be good for them. As well as putting a cartoon picture of Ronald McDonald shoving a burger down a little child’s through while discussing how unhealthy their Happy Meals are for children to eat every time they want to play in McDonald’s play place. These two examples help the audience realize how serious grabbing a snack from McDonald’s really is by making them feel scared, tricked, and betrayed because they’re not getting real meat. Good Paragraph on Pathos

  15. First, the VGAA author uses the comparisons of Picasso, Monet, and Michelangelo to give reference of what the critics consider is traditional art and attempts to appeal to the logic of art lovers, by appealing to the sense of what they think is beautiful. On the same account, the side by side photographic comparison of Journey, Skyrim, and Final Fantasy attempts to appeal to those who play video games. The VGAA author used slides comparing the art of Picasso to Journey, Monet to Skyrim, and Michelangelo to Final Fantasy, side by side to compare the art of each on the PowerPoint slides to show that video game art wasn't different to that of the greatest artists. This move played on the logic that if one is considered art, then why not the other. Good Paragraph on Visual Rhetoric

  16. The Critique Paragraph • Similar to the “counter-argument” paragraph you might be familiar with, a paragraph critiquing the argument on one area or another can only help the analytical quality of your essay. This paragraph is usually placed just before the conclusion.

  17. Critique Paragraph Guidelines • Make a claim that critiques part of the argument or finds flaws with the argument • What part of the argument falls short of expectations/ meeting purpose • Describe the part of the argument • Explain how it is flawed/ worthy of criticism • What could have been done differently?

  18. Good Critique Paragraph • While the “Belle Isle takeover” argument was efficient and had some strong points there was room for more information. In order to make the argument stronger the authors could have had more information on the park itself. A slide with this information could have helped the audience feel more connected with the park thus evoking a stronger response.

  19. Another Good Critique Paragraph • The group could have reached out to the audience members by speaking about things they’ve had in common, for example getting rejected from a job because of the wrong appearance. The group could have also organized their speech and slides in a better manner. The group could have added testimonies from others that aren’t in the group. Testimonies from employee’s of major retail, fast food companies, and convenience stores would have been very powerful. This would have been a very good appeal to ethos, as it adds another layer of emotion from others not just the group. They also could have created a skit to go along with their argument to further enhance their goals of challenging employers judgment of appearance. When presenting, the group could have put more of an effort to try to pour out more emotion rather than sound like they’re robotic. The amount of negative impact this left on the audience was huge. It shows the audience that the group doesn’t really care about the argument at hand. It makes the audience feel disinterested, and bored. Without a proper amount of emotion, the audience take the argument as a joke.

  20. Conclusion • In an Analysis essay, there are some topics to guide your farewell. • Re-stating the thesis is always a safe bet, but it doesn’t have to be the first sentence of your introduction. • Some more dynamic conclusion “moves” in an analysis essay include: comparing the argument to other similar arguments (whether in similar or different genres) • re-visiting why the argument might have worked for that specific audience or might not have for another audience; • reminding the reader why the topic is important, and thus what the argument does for the topic.

  21. Effective Conclusions • Texting and driving is becoming one of the fastest ways to die while on the road. Our argument, that texting and driving kills, was presented in a detailed manner using pathos, logos and ethos throughout the presentation. We also talked about the importance of awareness and prevention. If more and more people realize the harm that texting and driving is creating, they would be more likely to quit the action and save lives. More awareness could reduce or prevent texting while driving and hopefully more and more teens and young adults might quit texting and driving while spreading the word about its dangers, and the reward of staying safe on the road.

  22. An Outline • Introduction with a thesis • Rhetorical Situation Paragraph • Body paragraphs on ethos, pathos, logos, visual rhetoric, or any other element of argument prevalent in the presentation. • The elements you have paragraphs on should be related to the ones you establish in the thesis • You can have multiple (2-3) paragraphs on the same element • You should analyze a minimum of 2 elements • A Critique Paragraph • Conclusion

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