Evidence and Analysis

Evidence andAnalysis Make your case!!

Evidence leads to analysis • Think of this as a trial • Summary merely repeats • Summary gives plot details or restates ideas • Summary is essentially just paraphrase • Paraphrase may include implicit evidence, but… • implicit evidence is not good enough

Example of summary • On the night in question, the accused had dinner at IHOP, went to Starbucks for coffee, and picked up his dry cleaning. • SO WHAT????

Think of this as a trial • Evidence supports a point • It provides grounds for belief • It is an external sign of an idea • It establishes the point in question • It is explicit

Example of evidence On the night in question, the accused had dinner at IHOP, where he was positively identified by the waiter, who confirmed he was there from 5:15 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. He went to Starbucks for coffee. The barista at Starbucks remembers chatting about movies with the accused from 6:25 p.m. until nearly 6:45 p.m. The accused went to the dry cleaners, and the counterman there confirms the accused picked up his order (two suits and a pair of slacks) at 6:55, right before they closed.

You have the evidence, but • SO WHAT??? • Now you need to say what this proves

Analysis requires thinking When you analyze, you • look at how elements interrelate • make a judgment • come to a conclusion • tell us WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

Use the evidence toanalyze The accused’s activity is therefore completely accounted for during the time of the murder established by the experts: between 5:45 and 6:45 p.m. on January 12. It is impossible for him to have stabbed his wife during that time frame, as he cannot be in two places at once.

Trial over—turn to books! Your thesis statement must include • What: your claim • How: your evidence • Does this evidence prove your claim? • Why: answers the SO WHAT?? • Does this evidence help us understand the book? • Does this evidence challenge previously held ideas? • Does this evidence support a judgment—better book, better writing, better relevance? • Does this evidence

example • What: because the family of Ender’s Gameis closer to current reality, it is far more frightening than that of 1984. • How: the contrast between families (the Parsons and the Wiggins) • Why: EG is a more effective dystopia for 21st century readers

Thesis statement • Although the Wiggins family is less horrifying than the Parsons family, this contrast makes Ender’s Game a more effective dystopia for 21st readers than 1984. • In contrast with the Parsons family of 1984, the relative normality of the Wiggins family makes Ender’s Game a more powerful dystopia for 21st century readers. • You can’t use these!!

Remember idea • Introduce: lead into your quotation, giving context • Better yet, embed the mini-quote into your own writing • Deliver: correctly cite • Be careful! If you misquote, you weaken your argument • Explain: paraphrase (briefly) what the quote said • ANALYZE: this is the MOST IMPORTANT • Analysis should be LONGER than the other parts • Analysis should clearly explain WHY this is important and HOW it relates to your point

Evidence and Analysis