Unit 4: Introductions & Conclusions Flashcards
How does a writer orient the audience using an argument’s introduction?
- A writer uses an argument’s introduction to orient the audience into its subject, demonstrating how it is attention-worthy and establishing themselves as a credible speaker on the topic. Consider the following questions as you work to orient the audience while crafting your introduction:
- Why is this topic important?
- What are the consequences of the various issues this topic raises?
- Why should my audience care?
How does a writer engage audience using an argument’s introduction?
- A writer uses an argument’s introduction to engage the audience, often beginning with a “hook” to quickly capture interest. Consider the following questions as you work to engage the audience while crafting your introduction:
- What is my audience likely to know – and feel – about my subject?
- Does my audience have a personal interest in the subject?
- What values does my audience likely hold?
- What are some of the pros and cons relating to the issue?
What are some techniques writers use to “hook” an audience?
- A writer might use any of the following techniques to “hook” their audience, though the following list isn’t exhaustive:
- Ask a well-constructed rhetorical question to evoke emotion, emphasize a point, or transition smoothly.
- Use a relevant quotation.
- Tell a related anecdote.
- Make reference to a news item or authority (statistics, data).
- Allude to a historical event.
How does a writer focus audience using an argument’s introduction?
- A writer uses an argument’s introduction to focus the audience, making sure to clarify their position through the use of a thesis statement. Consider the following questions as you work to focus the audience while crafting your introduction:
- What value, policy, or definition do I intend to argue?
- How can I encapsulate my main point(s) as succinctly as possible?
- How can I use diction and syntax to preview my ideas in a clear, unambiguous way?
- Will I use a closed, open, or counterargument thesis statement?
What is the difference between a noun-focused and verb-focused thesis statement?
- Noun-focused thesis statements emphasize a person, place, or thing’s role in creating an impact within a text, resulting in an argument that describes the text.
- Verb-focused thesis statements emphasize the actions taken to create an impact within a text, resulting in an argument focusing on the function and effect of different rhetorical choices within the piece.
Example of a noun-focused thesis:
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” makes his readers feel the plight of African American people by using vivid imagery, anecdotes, and personal experience.
– Here, King’s letter is the subject of the sentence, focusing the thesis on how the letter as a whole appeals to audience. An effective line of reasoning to support this thesis would emphasize the letter’s impact on audience and message.
Example of a verb-focused thesis:
Martin Luther King Jr.’s vivid imagery, anecdotes, and personal experience in “Letter from Birmingham Jail” evoke his readers’ sympathy for the plight of African American people.
– Here, the rhetorical choices King used are the subject of the sentence, focusing the thesis on how these techniques are used to appeal to the audience. An effective line of reasoning to support this thesis would emphasize the rhetorical choices’ impact on audience and message.
How does a writer effectively conclude an argument?
- A writer uses an argument’s conclusion to “wrap up what [they’ve] been discussing,” making sure to pull back from the specificity of their introduction and body paragraphs into more general information that restates the argument’s main claims. A conclusion might also be used to call the audience to action, or suggest possibilities for future study. Consider the following questions as you work to craft your conclusion:
- How can I use diction and syntax to restate my ideas in a clear, unambiguous way?
- Why is the value, policy, or definition I’ve argued important?
- Why should readers align with my position?
- What call to action or future research possibilities might I suggest?
What are some techniques writers use to close an argument?
-A writer might use any of the following techniques to close an argument, though the following list isn’t exhaustive:
- Explain the significance of the argument within a broader context.
- Make connections.
- Call the audience to act.
- Suggest a change in behavior or attitude.
- Propose a solution.
- Leave the audience with a compelling image.
- Explain implications.
- Connect to the introduction.
What is a method of development?
- A method of development is used in writing to organize and present ideas clearly and convincingly.
- Each method can support an argument and make a text more persuasive and compelling.
- Some typical methods of development are narration, cause-effect, comparison-contrast, definition, and description.
- In these flashcards, we will go through four methods of development whose use cases vary depending on the specific purpose and audience of a text: comparison-contrast, analogy, definition, and description.
How can comparison/contrast be used in composition?
This method of development involves the analysis of two subjects by comparing them, contrasting them, or both. An effective comparison/contrast essay illuminates the subtle differences or unexpected similarities in two or more subjects that connect in a meaningful way.
-For a compelling focus on contrast, draw distinctions between elements in a similar category to increase the audience’s understanding of that category
-For a compelling focus on comparison, draw similarities between two subject that seem at first to be unrelated; the more divergent the two subjects initially seem, the more interesting your essay will be.
You may organize compare-and-contrast essays in one of the following two ways, depending on the nature of your topic, your purpose, and your audience:
1. According to subject themselves, discussing one then the other
2. According to individual points, discussing each subject in relation to each point”
How can analogy be used in composition?
- As a variation of the comparison essay, this method of development requires one to argue that because two things are similar, what is true of one is also true of the other.
- A compelling analogical argument makes clear in what ways two things are supposed to be similar and leads the reader through a line of reasoning demonstrating how those aspects of similarity support a conclusion.
How can definition be used in composition?
Definition is a method of development that uses various techniques to impress upon the reader the meaning of a term, idea, or concept. Definition may be used for an entire essay, but it is often used as a rhetorical style within an essay that may mix modes. For example, you may need to use definition in order to fully explain a concept before you make an argument about that concept.
A definition essay is structured around the goal of defining a term, concept, or idea through the use of the following techniques:
- Denotation - providing the literal or dictionary definition of a term
- Connotation - illustrating the implied meaning of a term or idea
- Enumeration - employing a list to define a term or idea
- Analogy - implementing a comparison of two things that are similar
- Negation - defining something by stating what it is not”
How can description be used in composition?
A descriptive method of development is one that uses the five senses (touch, taste, sight, sound, smell) and other details to provide the reader with a vivid idea or picture of what is being represented.
A compelling descriptive style employs the following techniques:
-Uses as much sensory detail as possible (and appropriate)
- Shows rather than tells, painting a vivid, multisensory picture with words
- Uses active not passive voice
-Remembers that detailed descriptions are good, but not to overdo it
What is a false dilemma or false dichotomy fallacy?
A fallacy that presents only two options or sides when there are many options or sides. Essentially, a false dilemma presents a “black and white” kind of thinking when there are actually many shades of gray.
For example:
– Person 1 - “You’re either for the war or against the troops.”
– Person 2 - “Actually, I do not want our troops sent into a dangerous war.”
What is a hasty generalization fallacy?
Usually resting behind a stereotype, this fallacy is committed when a person draws a conclusion based on a sample that is not large enough.
For example:
– Thomas failed at his first attempt to fix my computer network. Computer programmers usually don’t know what they’re doing.
Give Thomas another chance or two before condemning him and whole profession of computer programming. One piece of evidence against a person is not enough to support the generalization about the entire profession.
What is a bandwagon fallacy?
The bandwagon fallacy is also sometimes called the appeal to common belief or appeal to the masses because it’s all about getting people to do or think something because “everyone else is doing it” or “everyone else thinks this.”
For example:
– Everyone is going to get the new smartphone when it comes out this weekend. Why aren’t you?
– If you’re shopping for a smartphone, go with the uPhone 76. It’s the best-selling phone right now; the numbers don’t like.
– Everybody in our family goes to Georgetown for undergrad, so it only makes sense that you do too.”
