S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

UNIT 2 ARGUMENT REVIEW

VOCABULARY

•Argument/Argumentation: The process of reasoning systematically in support of an idea, action or theory.

•Rhetoric: The art of speaking and writing effectively

ELEMENTS OF AN ARGUMENT• Claim: The writer/speaker’s position on an

issue • Evidence/Support: The observable data,

facts, and reasons that give the demonstrate the claim’s validity and accuracy• Warrant: The “rules” that explain how the

evidence/support is credible• Counterclaim: The opponent’s opposition

to the claim• Rebuttal: How the writer/speaker defends

against the counterclaim

ELEMENTS OF ARGUMENT CONTINUED…

• Conclusion/Call to action: After proving a claim and supporting with evidence, author’s make a statement about the cause OR suggest an action that the reader/audience must carry out.

• In a court of law, the “Call to action” is usually a conclusion that the defendant should be imprisoned or punished.

REASONING

• The method by which writers arrive at their conclusions.

• Deductive reasoning: The pattern of logic that begins with generalizations and proceeds to a conclusion

• Inductive reasoning: The pattern of logic that begins with examples and facts and proceeds to a conclusion

I N D U C T I V E V S . D E D U C T I V E

PATTERNS OF REASONING

ARGUMENTATION STRATEGIES

• Rhetorical Devices:• Strategies of

manipulating the LANGUAGE of the text.• Include

grammatical, structural, and sensory strategies.

• Rhetorical Appeals:

• Different strategies of reaching the AUDIENCE.• Ethos• Pathos• Logos

RHETORICAL DEVICES

• Allusions: References to the author makes that they expect the audience to be familiar with. • References include HISTORICAL or

FAMOUS• People• Events• Places

RHETORICAL DEVICES CONTINUED…

• Loaded Language: Word choice that is intended to elicit an emotional response

• Diction that has strong connotations (either positive or negative)

• Example: Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream”• “Sweltering with the heat of injustice”

RHETORICAL DEVICES CONTINUED…

•Parallelism: A form of repetition in which a grammatical form is repeated.

• When a phrase is repeated with a different “fill in the blank”• Example:• “I have a dream that one day _______….I

have a dream that _______”

RHETORICAL DEVICES: FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

• When writers and speakers want their text to have strong emotional appeals, they will often take a break from the logical approach and use language that is pleasurable to both hear and imagine.

• Imagery: Using sensory details. (5 senses) This allows the audience to experience the author’s ideas.• Metaphor: Comparing two unlike things• Simile: Comparing two unlike things using

“like” or “as”

ARISTOTLE ’S APPEALS

UNIT TEXTS

• “Reading, Writing, Narcissism” -Lilian Katz• Declaration of Independence -Thomas

Jefferson• Letter From Birmingham Jail -Martin

Luther King Jr.• Birmingham in the 1960’s -Martin Luther

King Jr.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

• Inductive or Deductive reasoning?

• “All men are created equal”• “Governments are given powers by the governed. And

the government is responsible for maintaining our ‘unalienable rights’”

• “A government that stops maintaining these rights should be overthrown”

• “King George has denied our rights…here are 28 inditements to show this.”

• “Therefore, we are pledge NO allegiance to the British crown, we are starting our OWN government”

STRUCTURE OF THE DECLARATION

• 1 Introduction: We wish to break from Britain. It is unavoidable• 2 Preamble: We list our WARRANTS “all men are

created equal” Listing the principles of rights and government obligations• 3: Body 1: Lists the “grievances” and

inditements of King George• 4 Body 2: Lists the colonists appeals to the King

(their counterclaim)• 5 Conclusion: “For these reasons, we no longer

owe allegiance to Britain” *Call to action*

BIRMINGHAM IN THE 60’S

• An example of a text that uses the appeal to PATHOS.• Listing the experiences of people of color in

different scenarios is intended to evoke sympathy in the reader.• The tone is very serious• The text is emotional yet SUBJECTIVE (often

hard to do)• Subjective because these experiences were common for

all people of color, and YET, they make us feel sympathy without King’s objective viewpoint showing.

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL

• Author’s Purpose:

• Perspective/Context:

• Audience:

• Appeals:

• Rhetorical Devices:

• Inductive/Deductive reasoning: