2.19 Class Notes
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Thesis statements
Examples
Group work
BA4
Due next class
BA3 Common Errors
Saying “readers” or “audience” before defining who
they are.
General audience
“Inform” “Saying” “Expresses”
Not being specific with rhetorical choices like tone and
diction.
What Goes Into a Thesis?
For BA4: author and title of the piece as well as
audience
Purpose
Asserts your conclusion and takes a stand on the
author’s rhetorical strategies
States what techniques you will be analyzing, and the
impact of these techniques on the effectiveness of the
text.
Thesis Statements cont…
Typically one sentence. Two is acceptable, but absolutely no
more than two.
When thinking about your thesis statement, consider the
scope of your rhetorical analysis.
For example, do you plan to analyze three rhetorical choices?
How should your thesis reflect that?
Do you plan to show how effective some rhetorical choices
were, but also show the fallacy in the author’s argument?
Remember! You can change your thesis.
Thesis Example
In “The Ethnobiologist’s Dilemma,” Jared Diamond
uses analogies, metaphors, and illustration in order for
his readers to understand that they must have prior
knowledge of a subject in order to learn from a
professional.
Thesis Example
In “The Ethnobiologist’s Dilemma,” Jared Diamond
uses analogies, metaphors, and illustration in order for
his readers to understand Try: in order to persuade his
readers that they must have prior knowledge of a
subject in order to learn from a professional.
Readers isn’t specified here. Is this ok?
Thesis Example
In “The Ethnobiologist’s Dilemma”, Jared Diamond
uses evidence from sources and personal anecdotes to
persuade those interested in the field of ethnobiology
and sciences as a whole to stress the importance of
putting forth the required effort needed to
comprehend what you’re studying before consulting an
expert.
Thesis Example
Diamond argues that knowledge about a foreign
environment and a new culture must be gained by
being respectful and spending the necessary time with
its people, as well as to use methods that are known to
the environment as well as the people.
Thesis Example
In “An Ethnobiologist’s Dilemma,” Jared Diamond
effectively uses references and an anecdote to persuade
his audience that they must learn about a subject in
order to obtain knowledge from experts.
Your turn
Using the thesis you brought to class with you, pair up
with someone that is doing a different text, exchange
theses, and critique one another.
Make sure to check for all the required elements:
Audience
Purpose
Author’s name
Title of essay
Rhetorical choices
Your turn
For the third text, the one neither you or your partner
brought to class, work with your partner to construct a
thesis. Be sure to include everything I required for the
theses you brought to class:
Audience
Purpose
Author name
Essay title
Rhetorical choices
But this time also include your assertion about the
author’s use of rhetorical choices.
BA4
Using three texts specified by your instructor
(Budiansky, Rosenberg, and Jaschik) you will:
Identify audience and purpose of each text and explain
in about 75 to 100 words;
Create a thesis statement for a rhetorical analysis for
each text.
What We’ll be Looking For:
The thesis statement should fit a rhetorical analysis
rather than a descriptive or argumentative paper.
Audience and purpose should be identified along with
a reasonable interpretation of why these are accurate.
A clear claim about how you will analyze the text
should be present. Rhetorical choices should fit the
text (as well as being present).
Overall communication
For Next Class
Read pages 128 through 130 from FYW about quoting. Also
take a look again at the chart on 125.
Decide what three rhetorical choices you want to focus on.
Then, pick 3 quotes as examples of these choices. Write 300
words analyzing this choice (so that’s 100 words per choice,
not including the quotation itself). Bring this to class to
workshop.
If you decide to focus on only 2 rhetorical choices, I want 150
words about each quote.
Should Look Like:
Three Rhetorical Choices
Choice number one and
quote
100 word explanation
Choice number two and
quote
100 word explanation
Choice number three and
quote
100 word explanation
Two Rhetorical Choices
Choice number one and
quote
150 word explanation
Choice number two and
quote
150 word explanation