Dr. Susan L. Stewart
English 102, Section 003
Spring 2005

Unit 2: The Politics of Arguments
Analyzing the Arguments

A rhetorical analysis is an examination of HOW an author constructs a piece of writing, or in this case, a written argument. Using either an editorial, an opinion piece, or a piece written by newspaper columnist, write a rhetorical analysis of that text. Make certain that this text you analyze contains an argument. In other words, DO NOT USE AN ARTICLE THAT SIMPLY PROVIDES FACTS. FIND SOMETHING THAT HAS AN ARGUMENT IN IT. You will need to:

• Thoroughly and carefully annotate the article and hand it in with the unit
• Include the bibliographic information
• Provide a summary of the article

Other things to consider in your analysis (Remember, THIS IS NOT A RESPONSE TO THE TEXT. YOU ARE EXAMINING HOW THE WRITER MAKES HIS/HER POINTS)

• Identify whether this author has created a sense of his/her ethos ("Ethos: the qualities of character, intelligence, and goodwill in an arguer that contribute to an audience's acceptance of the claim" (Rottenberg 778)). Explain.
• Identify the assumptions in the text (principles taken for granted)
• Identify the type of claims made:
  • As Annette Rottenberg explains, a "claim [. . .] answers the question 'What are you trying to prove?'" (10). Accordingly, there are three different types of claims:
  • "Claims of fact assert that a condition has existed, exists, or will exist and are based on facts or data that the audience will accept as being objectively verifiable. [. . . ] The claim must be supported by data" (10). In terms of things not proven yet (for instance, weather forecasters might believe that next spring we will have a higher number of tornadoes) or inferences, there will still be data as in weather patterns that would lead one to believe there will be a higher number of tornadoes next spring.
  • "Claims of value attempt to prove that some things are more or less desirable than others. They express approval or disapproval of standards of taste and morality" (10). We see this kind of claim in a statement such as "A great deal of Ansel Adams's work is pornographic and thereby reprehensible."
  • "Claims of policy assert that specific policies should be instituted as solutions to problems. The expression should, must, or ought to usually appears in the statement" (11).
• Identify any kind of logical fallacies you find (see handout)
• The paratext (that which surrounds the text): Without consulting the article, what clues are you given as to the probable audience for the Goldberg and O'Reilly articles?
• Do you get the sense that the writer is well-informed regarding the issues? Explain.
• What seems to be the author's purpose (i.e., persuade, inform, "talk," so to speak, in order to hear him/herself "talk")? Explain.
• What kinds of appeals does the author make? (These can take various forms as in appeals to a reader's logic, emotions, sympathies, ethics, morals, values, guilt, compassion, fear, etc.) Do these in any way divert your attention from the issue at hand? Explain.
• Identify some of the unstated assumptions in the text.
• Identify some of the assumptions that the author actually states.
• Who (or what kind of information) does the author quote and to what end? Who (or what kind of information) does the author not quote and to what end? What is the effect?
• Does the author's tone seem condescending, humorous, cynical, antagonistic, something else? What words/phrases give you these impressions? What is the effect?
• Do you think someone else would perceive the tone (see question above) in a different light? Explain.
• Does the author seem interested in opening the dialogue or ending it? Explain. What is the effect on you as a reader?
• Do you see any evidence that the author has come to "conclusions on the basis of insufficient evidence" (Rottenberg 302)?
• Do you see any evidence that the author has made "an attack on the person rather than on the argument or issue" (Rottenberg 305)?
• Do you see any evidence where the author "suggests that only two alternatives [either/or] exist, although there may be other explanations of or solutions to the problem under discussion" (Rottenberg 306)?
• Do you see any evidence that the author is taking readers on a ride down the slippery slope?
• What metaphors/similes/analogies/allusions does the author use? Are they effective? Explain.
• What word combinations seem particularly effective? Why?
• Has the author provided any new insights that help you to a more informed position? Explain.

Particulars:

• This should be written in narrative form
• Be 4-6 pages long
• Have 1" margins using Times New Roman 12
• Be double-spaced