Textual Analysis/Argumentation Vocab Flashcards
Analysis
Involves breaking down a text or a topic and closely examining the parts and patterns that you notice. You can then use these to gain a more insightful understanding of the text/argument.
Annotation
Notes while reading, usually done in the margins. They comprise of phrases that stuck out to you, words you needed to define, ideas and connections you had/made, and things you noticed the writer doing.
Anomaly
This is something that doesn’t fit a pattern, that sticks out. These should be given extra attention while reading.
Appeals
The methods of persuasion an author uses, split into three categories based on Aristotle’s philosophy: ethos, pathos, and logos.
ethos
appeal to ethics, convincing the reader that you have the authority or morals to make your claim correct.
pathos
persuasion via appeal to emotion
logos
using reason and supporting evidence to back up a claim
argument
Making a claim a supporting it with evidence or tactics of persuasion, with the goal of convincing the reader to adopt you opinion.
assess
looking at and determining the value, validity, or significance of something, to see if it is important or relevant.
Binary Opposition
Opposing concepts, ideas, words, or images with which the text is organized around. The underlying idea is that one side excludes the other side, which creates artificial boundaries for humans to comprehend more complex concepts.
Citation
When you identify the author and text where you got specific information from.
Define
explaining certain terms so that you and your reader will have the same understandings. You can redefine commonly known words in the definition that best suits you argument.
diction/connotations
the word choices of an author/the associated images, feelings, and connections carried by these words
Evidence
comprises of qualitative and quantitative evidence and data
fallacious reasoning
illogical, faulty connections. This happens when the writer jumps too quickly to conclusions without making a thorough examination.
Ex: scare tactics, slippery slope, bandwagon appeals, hasty generalizations, non sequitor
non sequitor
a conclusion or statement that does not fall in line with previously arguments and statements
figurative language
imaginative uses of language in making nonliteral comparisons
ex:
1. metaphorical language
2. personification
3. ironic language
imagery
descriptive details used to help readers visualize a scene, appealing to the senses.
infer inferences
drawing conclusions
interpret
explaining and connecting your inferences
juxtaposition
when a writer sets opposing ideas, images, or language side by side to accentuate contrast
motif
a repeated word/idea/image that unifies a piece of literature
outline
organized description of you own ideas or ideas in the text
paraphrase
translating phrases into your own words, creating a parallel statement
Parallelism
when authors keep phrasing ideas in a similar grammatical pattern, with similar sounding sentences creating rhythm and emphasis
patterns or repitition
exact words, idea strands, images, and details that repeat throughout the text.
reasoning
the logical relationship among ideas; the way an author makes logical connections between evidence and sub claims and larger claims
refining a claim
revising the wording of the original claim to allow for complexities in the argument
source
the text and author where a specific piece of evidence came from
structure
the organization of an argument
summary
reducing larger text into a smaller recounting with only the main points and facts
symbolism
an object that is used to represent a larger idea
thesis
the author’s main point
topic sentence
the sentence that articulates the focus of a particular body paragraph
transition
words or phrases that help to link or contrast ideas within a text
tone
the attitude of the writer towards his subject as revealed in the diction, described with ajdectives
sub claim
smaller points that you need to prove in order to support/develop the larger claim
