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These questions drive your knowledge of the BIG IDEA topic, THE RHETORICAL SITUATION. Use on any/all reading assignments to guide your understanding and assignments, especially Unit 2. There are additional questions in each unit. Most importantly, these KEY QUESTIONS should help you generate ideas about what to say in your commentary and discussion.
1.B: Explain how an argument demonstrates understanding of an audience’s beliefs, values, or needs.
How does the writer anticipate and address the audience’s values, beliefs, needs, and background, particularly as they relate to the subject of the argument?
How do the writer’s rhetorical choices achieve their purpose and relate to the audience’s emotions and values?
In their argument, how does the writer seek to persuade or motivate action though appeals—the modes of persuasion?
How does the writer make comparisons (e.g., similes, metaphors, analogies, or anecdotes) in order to relate to the audience and advance the writer’s purposes?
How does the writer’s choices in diction and syntax influence how the audience perceives the writer and the degree to which an audience may accept the writer’s argument?
How does the writer’s word choice reflect their biases and possibly affect their credibility with a particular audience?
How does the writer tailor the evidence, organization, and language of their argument in consideration of both the context of the rhetorical situation and the intended audience’s perspectives on the subject and the audience’s needs?
2.B: Demonstrate an understanding of an audience’s beliefs, values, or needs.
Who is the intended audience of your argument?
What do you know or assume about your audience’s values, beliefs, needs, and background, particularly as they relate to the subject of your argument?
What rhetorical choices might you make to achieve your purpose and relate to your audience’s emotions and values?
In your argument, how might you seek to persuade or motivate action though appeals—the modes of persuasion?
How might you make comparisons (e.g., similes, metaphors, analogies, or anecdotes) that your audience will understand in order to relate to them and advance your purposes?
What diction and syntax choices should you make in order to influence not only how your audience perceives you but also the degree to which they may accept your argument?
How do you choose words that increase your credibility with a particular audience?
How do you recognize your own biases and then make word choices in your argument in consideration of those biases?
3.A: Identify and explain claims and evidence within an argument.
What claim does the writer attempt to defend, and how does that claim convey the writer’s position on the subject?
Where in the text does the writer establish a claim?
How does the writer use particular sentences and words to establish a claim?
What kind of evidence (e.g., facts, anecdotes, analogies, statistics, examples, details, illustrations, expert opinions, personal observations, personal experiences, testimony, or experiments) does the writer use to defend their claim?
How does the writer’s choice of evidence reflect the rhetorical situation and advance their purposes?
What is the function (e.g., to illustrate, to clarify, to set a mood, to provide an example, to associate, to amplify or qualify a point) of particular evidence in the writer’s argument, and how do they convey that function?
How does the writer’s commentary establish a logical relationship between evidence and the claim it supports?
How and why does the writer consider, explain, and integrate others’ arguments into their own argument?
How does the writer acknowledge others’ intellectual property in their argument?
How does a writer’s consideration of a source’s credibility or reliability and the use of that source in the writer’s argument affect both the writer’s credibility and their argument’s persuasiveness?
3B: Identify and describe the overarching thesis of an argument, and any indication it provides (in or about) the argument’s structure.
What is the writer’s thesis (i.e., the main, overarching claim they seek to defend or prove by using reasoning supported by evidence)?
Is the writer’s thesis explicitly stated in the argument, or is it implicit?
How does the writer’s thesis reflect their position and perspective on the subject?
How does the writer’s syntactical and word choices in their thesis reflect their rhetorical situation and the scope of their argument?
How does the writer’s thesis preview their argument’s line of reasoning?
Where in the argument does the writer present their thesis, and why might they have chosen this particular placement?
4.A: Develop a paragraph that includes a claim and evidence supporting the claim.
What claim are you attempting to defend, and how does that claim convey your position on the subject?
Where in your argument might you establish a claim?
How might you use particular sentences and words to establish a claim?
What kind of evidence (e.g., facts, anecdotes, analogies, statistics, examples, details, illustrations, expert opinions, personal observations, personal experiences, testimony, or experiments) might you use to defend your claim?
How does your choice of evidence reflect the rhetorical situation and advance your purposes?
What is the function (e.g., to illustrate, to clarify, to set a mood, to provide an example, to associate, to amplify or qualify a point) of particular evidence in your argument, and how do you convey that function?
How does your commentary establish a logical relationship between evidence and the claim it supports?
How and why might you consider, explain, and integrate others’ arguments into your own argument?
How might you acknowledge others’ intellectual property in your argument?
How might your consideration of a source’s credibility or reliability and the use of that source in your argument affect both your credibility and your argument’s persuasiveness?
4.B: Write a thesis statement that requires proof or defense and that may preview the structure of the argument.
What is your perspective on the subject?
How do you consider your perspective on the subject and narrow ideas to establish a position on the subject?
How can you consider your perspective and position on a subject to develop a thesis (i.e., the main, overarching claim you seek to defend or prove by using reasoning supported by evidence)?
How do you develop a thesis of appropriate scope for the rhetorical situation and avoid oversimplifying complex subjects?
What syntactical and word choices might you make to develop a thesis statement?
How might you preview your argument’s line of reasoning in your thesis statement?
Where might you strategically present your thesis statement in your argument?
How might you revise your thesis statement in light of new evidence?
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