KAIROS
What motivated the writer to produce this piece?
The writer was motivated to produce this piece by the responses his students gave during an
evaluation of the class and his teaching.
What social, cultural, political, legal, or economic conversations does this argument join?
Economic, social, and cultural.
Is the writer responding to another person’s text/argument?
The writer is responding to the feedback from his students. He is disappointed in how they
described the class as to be fun instead of knowledgable or as something that has changed their
view of the world or themselves.
Is the writer addressing cultural trends (such as the impact of science or technology on values)?
Yes, the writer is addressing cultural trends when he discusses how they are changing the school
to pull people into attending the school instead of trying to pull them in based off of how much
of a good education they would get.
WRITER’S PURPOSE AND AUDIENCE
What is the writer’s purpose?
To show how the consumer culture is taking over and how education is not as appreciated as
much as it should be.
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?
I believe the writer is trying to change the readers views by calling us to action. I believe he
wants us to step up and understand that we should treat our education as enlightenment instead of
as something we simply pay for because we have to.
Think about the original publication source of the essay. Who is the intended audience?
Students
What assumptions, values, and beliefs would readers have to hold to find his argument
persuasive?
Readers would have to believe that a good education is rare, that it should not be taken for
granted, and that all education should change your outlook on life and yourself as a human being.
Does the audience share a political, educational, or religious orientation with the writer?
The audience share an educational orientation with the writer by him being a teacher at a
college/university. I believe the audience are college students.
How well does the text suit its particular audience and purpose?
The text really calls out on a lot of things that is not liked by the professor. As a student myself I
do not completely agree with the text. I agree with schools being a part of the consumer culture
and that the students are being pulled in by the appearance of the schools instead of the education
you can receive. I do not believe that it should matter how students fill out an evaluation of their
teachers or class. It is an evaluation of their opinions of the course/teacher, they should be able to
fill it out in whatever way they fell comfortable.
WRITER’S IDENTITY AND ANGLE OF VISION
Who is the writer and what is his/her profession, background, and expertise?
Mark Edmundson is the writer. He is a teacher st University of Virginia.
How does the writer’s personal history, education, gender, ethnicity, age, class, sexual
orientation, and/or political leaning influence the angle of his vision?
His age influences his angle and I believe his profession affects it also. Since he is a teacher, he
wants to see his students being changed by what he teaching.
What is emphasized and what is omitted in this text?
It is emphasized how people arent attracted to good education anymore. People look at the
appearance of the campus and base that off of attending school.
Is the writer advocating a stance or adopting a more inquiry-based mode?
Advocating a stance.
How much does the writer’s angle of vision dominate the text?
The writer’s angle of vision dominates the whole text in my opinion.
GENRE
What is the argument’s original genre?
Informational
How popular or scholarly, informal or formal is this genre?
This is a scholarly and formal because it is talking about education.
What is the original medium of publication? How does the genre and its place of publication
influence its content, structure, and style?
Essay in Harper’s Magazine. It shows that it is serious. That it is discussing important topics.
Does the genre allow for in-depth or only sketchy coverage of an issue?
In-depth
LOGOS
What is the argument’s claim, either explicitly stated or implicit?
Things are changing for the worse. Education is not as appreciated. Morals aren’t valued. People
choose appearance over the more important things.
Is the core of the argument clear, or does the reader have to unearth/reconstruct the argument?
Yes, it is clear.
What are the main reasons in support of the claim? Are the reasons audience- or writer-based?
The students only use one word answers in the evaluation and students choose schools based off
appearance.
How effective is the writer’s use of evidence? How is the argument supported and developed?
The writer’s evidence is very effective. The writer discusses issues and follow them up with
legitimate examples.
How well does the argument recognize and respond to alternative views?
I don’t think the argument really respond or recognize alternative views. It seems to be all the
writers view.
Does the argument depend on assumptions the audience may not share? If so, what are they?
I do not believe the argument depend on assumptions the audience may not share. I believe the
audience can agree with the writer. I agree with what the writer introduces to his readers and how
he shows us that teachers as his self are looking for their students to be more open with showing
how they have been affected by what they learned.
ETHOS
What ethos does the writer project?
The ethos that the writer project is that education is an important piece of life that everyone
needs. We should value our importance and share it. We should show the people who educated
us that they did not waste their time and that we are grateful.
Are you impressed or won over by this writer? If so, what has earned your respect? If not, why
not?
Yes, I am impressed by this writer. This article has showed a side to professors that I would have
never thought about. This essay is a good way to show us how professors expect us to evaluate
them, rather then us, as students, assuming they want simple answers.
How does the writer establish his credibility and trustworthiness? If he didn’t what make you
skeptical?
How knowledgeable does the writer seem in recognizing opposing views?
Not very knowledgable.
How important is the character of the writer in this argument?
The character of the writer in the argument is very important in convincing the audience of the
importance of their subject.
PATHOS
How effective is the writer in using audience-based reasons?
What examples, connotative language, or uses of narrative/analogy stand out for you in this
argument?
How does the writer use concrete language, word choice, narrative, examples, and analogies to
tap readers’ emotions, values, and imagination?
Does this argument rely heavily on appeals to pathos or is it more brainy and logical?
WRITER’S STYLE
How do the writer’s language choices and sentence length and complexity contribute to the
impact of the argument?
How readable is the argument?
The argument very readable.
Is the argument formal, scholarly, journalistic, informal, or casual?
The argument is formal and scholarly.
How well does the writer’s tone (attitude toward the subject) suit the argument?
The writer’s tone suit the argument appropriately.
Is the tone serious, mocking, humorous, exhortational, confessional, urgent, or something else?
The tone is serious.
OVERALL PERSUASIVENESS OF THE ARGUMENT
What features of this argument contribute most to making it persuasive or not persuasive for its
target audience and for you yourself?
The evidence shown in the essay contributes to making it persuasive.
How would this argument be received by different audiences?
This argument would be recieved as informative to different audiences.
What is particularly memorable, disturbing, or problematic about this argument?
What does this argument contribute to its kairotic moment and the argumentative controversy of
which it is a part?
What gaps, contradictions, or unanswered questions are you left with?