Stirling20's Blog

Project 3 Invention

November 3, 2009 at 4:28 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Project 3

KAIROS

1. What motivated the writer to produce this piece?  The writer was influenced by his students at the
   University of Virginia, he wanted his voice to be herd about his classes.
2. What social, cultural, political, legal, or economic conversations does this argument join? I think it has a lot to do with social and cultural conversations, he is directing his argument to the present day college students of his.
3. Is the writer responding to another person’s text/argument? He could be, but i think he is making his own argument.
4. Is the writer addressing cultural trends (such as the impact of science or technology on values)? Yes, he talks about how the youth of today is very laid back and try way to hard to fit in with society’s norms.

WRITER’S PURPOSE AND AUDIENCE

1. What is the writer’s purpose? The writers purpose is to show how college students are now a days.
2. Is the writer trying to change readers’ views by offering a new interpretation of a phenomenon, calling readers to action, or trying to muster votes?
3. Think about the original publication source of the essay. Who is the intended audience?
4. What assumptions, values, and beliefs wouldreaders have to hold to fin his argument persuasive?
5. Does the audience share a political, educational, or religious orientation with the writer?
6. How well does the text suit its particular audience and purpose?

WRITER’S IDENTITY AND ANGLE OF VISION

1. Who is the writer and what is his/her profession, background, and expertise?
2. How does the writer’s personal history, education, gender, ethnicity, age, class, sexual orientation, and/or political leaning influence the angle of his vision?
3. What is emphasized and what is omitted in this text?
4. Is the writer advocating a stance or adopting a more inquiry-based mode?
5. How much does the writer’s angle of vision dominate the text?

GENRE

1. What is the argument’s original genre?
2. How popular or scholarly, informal or formal is this genre?
3. What is the original medium of publication?  How does the genre and its place of publication influence its content, structure, and style?
4. Does the genre allow for in-depth or only sketchy coverage of an issue?

LOGOS

1. What is the argument’s claim, either explicitly stated or implicit?
2. Is the core of the argument clear, or does the reader have to unearth/reconstruct the argument?
3. What are the main reasons in support of the claim? Are the reasons audience- or writer-based?
4. How effective is the writer’s use of evidence?  How is the argument supported and developed?
5. How well does the argument recognize and respond to alternative views?
6. Does the argument depend on assumptions the audience may not share?  If so, what are they?

ETHOS

1. What ethos does the writer project?
2. Are you impressed or won over by this writer?  If so, what has earned your respect?  If not, why not?
3. How does the writer establish his credibility and trustworthiness?  If he didn’t what make you skeptical?
4. How knowledgeable does the writer seem in recognizing opposing views?
5. How important is the character of the writer in this argument?

PATHOS

1. How effective is the writer in using audience-based reasons?
2. What examples, connotative language, or uses of narrative/analogy stand out for you in this argument?
3. How does the writer use concrete language, word choice, narrative, examples, and analogies to tap readers’ emotions, values, and imagination?
4. Does this argument rely heavily on appeals to pathos or is it more brainy and logical?

WRITER’S STYLE

1. How do the writer’s language choices and sentence length and complexity contribute to the impact of the argument?
2. How readable is the argument?
3. Is the argument formal, scholarly, journalistic, informal, or casual?
4. How well does the writer’s tone (attitude toward the subject) suit the argument?
5. Is the tone serious, mocking, humorous, exhortational, confessional, urgent, or something else?

OVERALL PERSUASIVENESS OF THE ARGUMENT

1. What features of this argument contribute most to making it persuasive or not persuasive for its target audience and for you yourself?
2. How would this argument be received by different audiences?
3. What is particularly memorable, disturbing, or problematic about this argument?
4. What does this argument contribute to its kairotic moment and the argumentative controversy of which it is a part?
5. What gaps, contradictions, or unanswered questions are you left with?