Rhetoric 110 Notes - RHET 11O NOTES 11:43 AM Break down...

RHET 11O NOTES
10/16/13 11:43 AM
● Break down from 5 paragraph essay
● Unpack quotes
o Paraphrase
o Analyze source (what is it saying)
o What’s interesting, strange, important
o Consider implications, connect to thesis
● Clarity vs. emphasis
● Global re-vision workshop
● Revising for clarity and emphasis: developing argumentative structure
and conversing with sources
● Weak thesis statements:
o Makes no claim
▪ Raise specific issues
o Statement that is obviously true
▪ Find some inquiry
o Conventional statements
▪ “Love conquers all”
o Offers personal conviction
▪ “Shopping malls are wonderful places”
● Revising thesis workshop
o The way the media portrays news events can negatively influence
the perspective of the American people.
● Revise your own thesis in many ways:
o Violent video games are influencing children to become aggressive
and violent, to the point where they lash out at others or harm other
people.
o Violent video games are leading children to aggressive and violent
behavior, using killing and criminal activity in the games.
o Children will become more violent and aggressive if they are
consistently exposed to violent video games, which celebrate
criminal activity and harsh killings.
▪ Paragraph 1. Rewarded with points for harsh killings
▪ Paragraph 2: being desensitized to harsh killings
▪ Paragraph 3: repetition of harsh killings becomes automatic
nature
●
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● A good title should: inform the reader what the paper is about
o Draw them in/hook
o Wild hooks than usual
o Killing for Credibility
o Teaching the Youth How to be Great Criminals
o Is the Fantasy World Being Transferred Over to Reality?
o Celebrating Criminality
● Why MLA? APA?
o Credit
▫ Avoid plagiarism
▫ Cite sources
o Easier for professors
o Standardized
o Intellectual structure/ communication
o Modern Language Association
▫ Studying English/Spanish/ any modern language
▫ Gate keep function
▫ Who is the author?
● How to cite a cereal box
● Lacan, Jacques. “The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis: The
Seminar of Jacques Lacan Book XI.” Ed. Jacques-Alain Miller. Trans. Alan
Sheridan. W. W. Norton & Company Ltd. 1998. 203- 215. Print.

● Learning outcomes: what do we still want to learn?
● Good thesis
● Analyzing the material
● Style
● Reading reports:
● Move away from summary
● More analytical
● Dig into evidence
● What makes for a good proposal?
● Reasonable
● Evidence
● Reason/ motivated/ need
● Group persuasion
● Emotional appeal (ethos, pathos, logos)
● To the point, brief, direct
o Possible proposal argument outline:
1. Introduction: hook, policy question, working thesis
include the word “should” to indicate a proposal
argument
2. Establishment of problem/need to be addressed
3. Explanation of how policy will address/ solve problem/
need
4. Opposing view: feasibility (cost/ effort/ time/
willingness of participants, public)
5. Opposing view: alternative solutions an why they’re
less desirable
6.