Instruction
Select ONE of the following essays:
“Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?” by Marilyn Manson, published in Rolling Stone, May 28, 1999. http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/columbine-whose-fault-is-it-19990624
“Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” by Amy Chua, published in The Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2007. Available on Blackboard under Course Documents.
“Happiness is Other People” by Ruth Whippman, published in The New York Times, Oct. 27, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/opinion/sunday/happiness-is-other-people.html. Also posted on Blackboard under Course Documents.
“Violent Media is Good for Kids” by Gerard Jones, published in Mother Jones, 28 June 2000. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2000/06/violent-media-good-kids-0
Compose a 2½-3 page paper in which you analyze, evaluate, and respond to the author’s argument. Use the checklist on pp. 191-192 and the Analyzing Arguments document on Blackboard under Course Documents to ensure you have met the requirements of the assignment. The following items should be part of your analysis.
1. Identify the author’s central claim, or argument.
2. Discuss the author’s purpose in writing this essay. Who is the intended audience (those sympathetic to the author’s point of view, or those who hold opposing viewpoints)? How can you tell?
3. Examine the author’s methods including use of supporting evidence. Identify the types of evidence used (statistics? studies? real events? comparisons? personal experience? or…?) and evaluate whether they are effective in supporting the author’s claim.
4. Is anything missing from the argument? Does the author adequately discuss any opposing viewpoints, counterarguments, or potential consequences?
5. Evaluate the rhetorical techniques used. What is the author’s tone? How does the essay demonstrate appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos? (You should discuss all three.) How do these appeals help to persuade the reader, and are they effective?
6. Do you agree or disagree with the author’s claim? Explain. (I am interested in your response and opinion, but you should make sure that you have analyzed the author’s argument and are not only responding. Your response should not be the majority of your paper.)
In addition to your three pages your paper should include a Work Cited page with the citation of the essay you are analyzing in MLA 8th edition style. If you use any other sources they must also be included on your Works Cited page, for example if you wish to cite some recent example or statistics relevant to your essay, though I am not expecting you to use any outside sources. Your analysis should be YOUR analysis based on your reading of the original essay. Because some of these essays are well known you can find summaries, commentary, and packaged essays on them—avoid looking at these to avoid plagiarism, unintentional or intentional. You are all capable of doing your own analysis without the crutch of Google.