Critical Analysis of pages 61-67 – Social Class, Race Ethnicity, and Gender and Family Life
Critical Analysis is defined as an argument or evaluation of the subject essay or speech in which the writer discusses its primary methods, strengths, and weaknesses.
Thesis: decide what the author is trying to achieve: Agreement? Action? Reinforcement?
1st para – discuss the title, topic, thesis, purpose and opening paragraph of essay.
Discuss and respond to author’s persona (logos, ethos, pathos) and tone(who she is in relation to what she does) considering the effect of these on the author’s credibility. May include general information about the author, i.e. Who she is in relation to what she does.
Document how the author uses Logos – Is her reasoning sound? Are premises either widely accepted or appropriate for the audience? Use evidence, facts or expert opinions when you have to rely on opinions rather than facts.
Ethos Credibility; the presentation of the “self” of the person doing the arguing. The author’s character: how does she come across? Is she someone who should be listened to concerning the subject? How does the author establish herself as an authority on the subject?
Pathos: A quality that evokes pity, tenderness, and sympathy from an audience. How does the author attempt to sway the audience emotionally? Does she use emotion to cover problems with logos or ethos?
2 or 3 para discussing author’s presentation. How is topic set forth? What is author’s underlining assumptions? Are they stated or implied, are they acceptable or can they be challenged?
Note how the author handles important or obvious counter-arguments. Does she denigrate those who raise them? Does she grant them legitimacy and then answer them? Does she ignore them completely? Whatever choice she makes, is it appropriate to the audience?
In vie of the above considerations, determine the overall quality of the piece of rhetoric for its intended audience. Keep in mind that an argument might be good for one audience, but bad for another.
What audience does author seem to be addressing? What evidence is included to let you know this (Use quotation from the essay).
Answer following questions:.
Does author provide sufficient background information for reader to understand what’s being discussed? Is description used effectively to show the reader why any of what she is saying is important? (Give Examples) What is the author’s writing style? Is it formal or informal? Does the author have a point to make about the subject? What is it? Does she make this point effectively? Is the essay enjoyable?
Discuss the author’s conclusion and whether or not it is effective.
In your own conclusion, you may wish to evaluate the essay generally or give your response to the author’s piece of rhetoric.
Support your thesis with at least three arguments about the subject essay. State your arguments in order of importance, not in the order that examples appear in the essay. Use quotations from the essay as evidence for your arguments, not substitutes for the arguments of your own.
Begin writing your critical responses by identifying the text you are evaluating and summarizing its main point. Next, present your evaluation of the text and the sup[port for your position: summarize and respond to the writer’s key points one by one, carefully paraphrasing ideas and supporting your judgments with specific examples from the text and the ideas that you wrote down as you annotated. You must supply the logical and sequential links (transitions, topic sentences, and so on) that will help your readers follow the progression of your ideas. Conclude by restating your evaluation of the text. Make sure that what you have written is accurate, clear and as fair as possible. Be sure to document all words and ideas that you borrow from your sources.
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