6C. Use appropriate methods of development to advance an argument.
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Why are warrants so important?
Warrants are important because they are the linkages between your claim and your data. They explain HOW COME or IN WHAT WAY or WHY the data actually proves your claim. It's not enough to plunk down a quote as evidence and expect that it will magically Explain It All to your reader without your analysis. |
Exercise
In this exercise, a rhetorical analysis task, you will be asked to describe the attitude of the writer George Bernard Shaw to his mother's cremation.
Click here for the Shaw letter |
Part One: Find Evidence
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Part Two: Write the Thesis
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The thesis was your claim, of course, and if this were an entire essay as opposed to a much shorter assignment, you would be developing multiple examples of Shaw's tone here. Since it is not, you will be developing THE ONE BEST example of Shaw's tone.
Explain the data through abundant context, using the following as your checklist:
The Warrant: Tips for Improvement
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1. Commentary must actually explain, not just assert.
2. Commentary must show understanding beyond the obvious.
3. Commentary takes as much space as is needed to really explain what the writer understands from the quote.
4. Whenever possible, commentary uses the appropriate technical term for the technique being discussed.
5. Obviously, commentary must be correct.
6. Commentary must connect to the question; that is, it must actually help answer the question that was asked. OFF-TOPIC: "The entire piece moves like one interminable run-on sentence, keeping the pace moving very fast." Why: While this may be true, it has nothing to do with Shaw's attitude toward either his mother or her cremation. |