Chapter 32:How to Read an Essay

General Questions (pp. 378-379)

• What does the word, phrase, clause, or sentence mean?

• Is the claim true?• Are the claims coherent?

– Does the conclusion follow from the premises?

– Are there contractions in the essay? (Is the essay internally coherent?)

– Are the conclusions consistent with what you know from other sources? (Is essay externally coherent?)

Reading and Rereading the Essay (p. 379)

• First (quick) reading: Does anything stick out?– Bad arguments?– Bias?

• Second reading: Look for all the details.• Third and subsequent readings: Check and

recheck the details.– It’s often helpful to wait a day or two between the

second and third reading, and the third and subsequent readings.

– Reread until you’re satisfied that you’ve missed nothing.

Questions to Ask While Reading (pp. 380-382)

• RE1: What do you know about the author?– What are the author’s credentials?– Knowing what the author has done in the past

will suggest what the author might be doing in the essay you’re examining, but it’s not a guarantee.

– Bias

• RE2: What theses are being defended?

Questions to Ask While Reading (pp. 380-382)

• RE3: Does the author tell you how the essay is structured?

• RE4: What rhetoric is used in setting forth the theses and outlining the structure of the essay?– Rhetoric gives you insight into the author’s

biases.– Rhetoric can give you insight into the author’s

position relative to the generally accepted position or positions on an issue.

Questions to Ask While Reading (pp. 380-382)

• RE5: Regarding any collection of one or more sentences in the body of the essay, what linguistic or rhetorical function does it fulfill?

• RE6: If you find an argument, is it inductive or deductive?

• RE7: Are the premises of the argument true?

Questions to Ask While Reading (pp. 380-382)

• RE8: Do any words have emotive content?– Does the persuasive force of the argument

depend on emotionally charged words?

• RE9: Are there words introduced that might convince you to accept the truth of a premise but which do not themselves provide any evidence — for example, words like ‘of course’ or ‘surely’?

Questions to Ask While Reading (pp. 380-382)

• RE10: Do any words suggest that the author has a certain bias?– Why do they suggest a bias?– Does the bias blind the author to any

evidence?

• RE11: Has the author succeeded in proving the truth of the conclusion or in providing good inductive evidence for the probable truth of the conclusion?