6A. Develop a line of reasoning and commentary that explains it throughout an argument.
6B. Use transitional elements to guide the reader through the line of reasoning of an argument. 6C. Use appropriate methods of development to advance an argument. |
Overview
|
In the warrant, you have to explain HOW COME or IN WHAT WAY the data you're using proves the claim you're trying to get across. Many weaker writers think that the data is somehow self-evident and needs no explanation. (This results in the phenomenon of the Quote Salad Research Paper, in which a research paper consists of just a string of quotes and a works cited list. This is not, by the way, a good way to write a paper.)
By the way, notice that this is where good and effective annotation pays off. Almost everything you're doing in annotation -- noting important things, asking questions, recording your reactions and judgment -- will be used in the warrant. *Note: Several key ideas here, especially the idea of describing what the author is doing and using a sentence template are derived from the excellent work done by Timm Frietas. |
What Are Warrants? |
|
Step One: In Other Words
|
Start by bridging the gap between the data and the warrant by restating or translating the data. This step is especially helpful for pre-20th century prose in which the syntax or diction may be unfamiliar to the reader. Here' s an example from the eighteenth-century writer Philip Stanhope, Lord Chesterfield:
The phrase "In other words" is especially helpful, as is "To put it another way." Example: To put it another way, Lord Chesterfield is essentially saying that his advice is not going to be responsible for anyone else's marital unhappiness. Not only does this allow you, the writer, to control the text, but it also clarifies the text for the reader. BUT RESTATEMENT IS NOT ENOUGH! |
Step Two: In Order To...because...and also since
|
Step Three: Explain What it Does and the Effect on the Audience
|
Bottom line, every single tactic an author uses is supposed to DO something. Mentioning "in order to" is a good first step, but you will want to concentrate more on the effect -- intended or unintended, successful or unsuccessful -- of a tactic on the audience.
The basic template here is this: [Tactic] + [strong verb] + [likely effect] because [reason]. Example Abigail Adams' tactic of naming famous figures from Roman history such as Cicero -- figures who were shaped by adversity and opposition -- tacitly encourages her son John not only to follow in the footsteps of these famous men, but himself to rise to their heights of power and influence, molded and shaped by adversity as they were: adversity he faced during the American Revolution and the civil unrest of shaping a new nation. Because John Quincy Adams had been classically educated since youth to admire these ancient figures, his mother's use of them affects him both personally and ethically, but the tactic here also appeals to his pride: he too, tempered by hardship, can be another Cicero (but hopefully not another Catiline or Antony). |
Step Four: How to Say More
|
Warrant Template
Here is a suggested template for doing a warrant along with a specific example below so you can see how this all looks when put together. Here it is in a list, and then what follows is the same information in a template form just for fun.
Template (Use immediately after the sentence containing a major piece of data).
|