Critical
Analysis: Lines of Argument in an Advertisement or Source
Assignment:
Write a three to five page paper describing how a single source combines
the lines of argument in its attempt to persuade its audience.
Sources may include one of the following:
● A magazine or TV ad
●
A popular or current TV show
●
A popular magazine
● A web-site or page: here's an excellent resource: AdForum: Source for Online Ads
● Something else entirely, like a party, an athletic event, a music video...? Please run options by me before starting on something too wild, though.
You should (as in "must") choose a source that you do
not like;
it is difficult to critically analyze things we like or agree with, and
you will most likely find this assignment easiest if you choose something you
want to shred.
Guidelines: There
are two parts of this assignment; the first is a typed outline of your
analysis and the second an essay. The outline is intended to help you complete
the analysis and organize it clearly.
Use the following outline, below, to organize both. When writing the
essay, consider each section below as at least a paragraph, so one paragraph of
#1, one paragraph for 3a, one for 3b etc.
Try to break the essay into evenly balanced sections; don't spend too much
time initially summarizing and describing the source, and spend the bulk of your
time and effort analyzing and evaluating it.
1) Summarize/describe the source (essay, ad, program etc).
What is it, where was it found, and what does it look like? If it is a
visual source (ad, TV show etc) briefly describe what it looks like, the "plot",
characters etc.
2) Develop and clearly state a strong and complete thesis paragraph. Again, this will be a roughly half-page length paragraph. For this essay, your thesis paragraph consists of:
2a) Identifying and outlining/summarizing the source's argument (it's claim and central reasons (#3a,b,c,d below);
2b)Briefly summarizing your evaluation of the source's rhetorical effectiveness;
2c) Briefly summarizing your evaluation of the source's validity (#4 below);
2d) Briefly summarizing your evaluation of the strategy's ethical validity (#5 below).
3) Analyze the lines of argument: how
does the source attempt to persuade you? Refer specifically to the lines of
argument and attempt to show how the
producers apply them in their persuasive attempt (not necessarily in the
following order, but you must cover each one):
a) Character: How does the author or the producers establish credibility
and authority? Does the author attach himself to other credible groups or
authorities, or to certain prestigious titles?
Is this credibility valid (ex: Jerry Springer is represented as a
respectable talk-show host and plays the role of a counselor)?
b) Values: How does the
author attempt to associate his message with other values the readers may share?
(ex: The Jerry Springer Show
chooses guests who have violated common, traditional social values; the audience
cheers when these guests are physically beaten as a form of punishment.) Does
the author use analogy to compare the issue or product being "sold" in
his message to other popular issues and products?
Are these comparisons valid?
c) Emotion: Specifically,
which emotions does the author attempt to incite in his readers and how
does he attempt to do so; what does
the author want his readers to feel and how does he try to make them feel that
way? In your opinion, is the connection between the emotion and
the claim valid?
d) Logic and Evidence (Artistic and Inartistic arguments):
-- Logic: Refer to previous handouts that discussed logic.
Try to identify how and where the source attempts to lead its audience to
a conclusion based on a series of premises (IF you believe A and IF you believe
B, you should also believe or do C).
-- Evidence: What kinds
of evidence does the author use to support his claims (factual/numerical,
scientific, religious, legal or constitutional, references to authorities or
cultural figures, personal experience, experience of others etc)?
Does the evidence seem conclusive? Does
the author tell you the source of the evidence, and if so does this source seem
authoritative and credible? Is the
evidence extensive enough to support the author's conclusions, or do the
conclusions appear rushed in relationship to the amount of research or number of
experiences offered? Is the evidence real or fictional (ex: characters on a
sitcom are fictional and played by actors; you may find the distinction between
“reality” and fiction hard to determine, though, when dealing with
celebrities and cultural figures such as politicians – for example, the
“character” of George Bush Jr. and Al Gore had little to do with reality and
much to do with fiction).
-- Logical connections between the evidence and the claims: does the
evidence actually support the claims as the author suggests?
4) Evaluate the validity of the argument: Reading through your analysis, ask yourself the central
question: Is the argument valid?
Do you believe its claims are accurate, realistic, true etc.? Explain why
and/or why not.
Do the author's lines of argument actually support the main
point and persuade the reader to believe or act as the author intended?
Note that sometimes invalid arguments are actually pretty effective;
an argument doesn’t need to be true for people to believe it.
5) Evaluate the ethical nature of the source: if people buy into the source’s argument, is this a good or bad thing for those people and for society as a whole, in your opinion? Explain why or why not. Please note I am not asking you to tell me “The author has a right to say whatever he wants to.” That is not the question.
General Editing, Punctuation and
Grammar etc:
This stuff counts, and it counts more as the semester progresses. If you
are confused about a punctuation rule, for example, ask me or someone else to
help you with it and make sure someone
checks your final drafts before you hand them in.
Although I am primarily interested in your ability to think and write
analytically and persuasively, producing a well-edited paper is something you
are also expected to produce, and I will not read or give complete grades to
papers that are not edited at a minimum college level.
For better or for worse, I am far more inclined to believe you know what
you are talking about if you know how to use a comma correctly.