2.19 Class Notes

• Thesis statements• Examples• Group work• BA4• Due next class

BA3 Common ErrorsSaying “readers” or “audience” before defining who they are.General audience“Inform” “Saying” “Expresses”Not being specific with rhetorical choices like tone and diction.

What Goes Into a Thesis?

For BA4: author and title of the piece as well as audiencePurposeAsserts your conclusion and takes a stand on the author’s rhetorical strategiesStates what techniques you will be analyzing, and the impact of these techniques on the effectiveness of the text.

Thesis Statements cont…

Typically one sentence. Two is acceptable, but absolutely no more than two.When thinking about your thesis statement, consider the scope of your rhetorical analysis.

For example, do you plan to analyze three rhetorical choices? How should your thesis reflect that?Do you plan to show how effective some rhetorical choices were, but also show the fallacy in the author’s argument?

Remember! You can change your thesis.

Thesis ExampleIn “The Ethnobiologist’s Dilemma,” Jared Diamond uses analogies, metaphors, and illustration in order for his readers to understand that they must have prior knowledge of a subject in order to learn from a professional.

Thesis ExampleIn “The Ethnobiologist’s Dilemma,” Jared Diamond uses analogies, metaphors, and illustration in order for his readers to understand Try: in order to persuade his readers that they must have prior knowledge of a subject in order to learn from a professional.Readers isn’t specified here. Is this ok?

Thesis ExampleIn “The Ethnobiologist’s Dilemma”, Jared Diamond uses evidence from sources and personal anecdotes to persuade those interested in the field of ethnobiology and sciences as a whole to stress the importance of putting forth the required effort needed to comprehend what you’re studying before consulting an expert.

Thesis ExampleDiamond argues that knowledge about a foreign environment and a new culture must be gained by being respectful and spending the necessary time with its people, as well as to use methods that are known to the environment as well as the people.

Thesis ExampleIn “An Ethnobiologist’s Dilemma,” Jared Diamond effectively uses references and an anecdote to persuade his audience that they must learn about a subject in order to obtain knowledge from experts.

Your turnUsing the thesis you brought to class with you, pair up with someone that is doing a different text, exchange theses, and critique one another.Make sure to check for all the required elements:

AudiencePurposeAuthor’s nameTitle of essayRhetorical choices

Your turnFor the third text, the one neither you or your partner brought to class, work with your partner to construct a thesis. Be sure to include everything I required for the theses you brought to class:

AudiencePurposeAuthor nameEssay titleRhetorical choices

But this time also include your assertion about the author’s use of rhetorical choices.

BA4Using three texts specified by your instructor (Budiansky, Rosenberg, and Jaschik) you will:

Identify audience and purpose of each text and explain in about 75 to 100 words;Create a thesis statement for a rhetorical analysis for each text.

What We’ll be Looking For:

The thesis statement should fit a rhetorical analysis rather than a descriptive or argumentative paper.Audience and purpose should be identified along with a reasonable interpretation of why these are accurate.A clear claim about how you will analyze the text should be present. Rhetorical choices should fit the text (as well as being present).Overall communication

For Next ClassRead pages 128 through 130 from FYW about quoting. Also take a look again at the chart on 125.Decide what three rhetorical choices you want to focus on.Then, pick 3 quotes as examples of these choices. Write 300 words analyzing this choice (so that’s 100 words per choice, not including the quotation itself). Bring this to class to workshop.If you decide to focus on only 2 rhetorical choices, I want 150 words about each quote.

Should Look Like:Three Rhetorical

ChoicesChoice number one and quote

100 word explanation

Choice number two and quote

100 word explanation

Choice number three and quote

100 word explanation

Two Rhetorical Choices

Choice number one and quote

150 word explanation

Choice number two and quote

150 word explanation