Length: minimum 750 words
Format: five-paragraph theme
Consult: Eschholz, 13; student models
ASSIGNMENT
Write an essay in which you prove that a professional piece
of writing is successful or unsuccessful. If you have chosen an opinion piece, column,
or editorial, you will make the further determination that the argument is
convincing or not convincing.
A) Select a periodical
article
Most logically this could be one that you have used in your research for the Career Essay or the Group Presentation.
B) Determine the Genre:
First, you will need to determine the genre of the piece of writing you have selected so you can judge it by valid standards.
**
Newspaper or news magazine article: judge it for objectivity (tone and balance of sources
quoted), clarity (style), comprehensiveness (content), organization (pyramid
structure), and sources (relevant, impressive, and clearly stated).
**
Magazine feature article: the tone can be more subjective, but a sense of ultimate objectivity
will create more confidence in the reader; the organization should be standard
(usually with a hook, thesis, essay map, topic sentences, and transitions); the
style (language and sentence structure) should be professional, and the content
and sources will be more comprehensive than in a shorter news treatment of the
topic).
** Argument piece or editorial: look at all the qualities of a good
argument, including logic, and determine if the essay you have chosen is
convincing or not convincing.
C)
Evaluate the Article
1) Read the article critically making careful note in your own words of
the main points and sub-points (stated and implied).
2) To evaluate the quality of this piece of writing, select three of the
criteria from the evaluation checklist below, and re-read the article
three times looking at each criterion separately.
3) Arrive at a conclusion (thesis) as to whether the article you have
chosen is successful or unsuccessful. With an opinion piece or
editorial, you will make the argument that the piece of writing is
convincing or not convincing.
4) Using color coding
highlight phrases or sections which support
your argument (thesis) and three different
evaluation criteria (which
are your sub-points)
D)
Write the paper
5) In the thesis paragraph, identify the article by the
full name of the
author, full
title of the article, and full date and place of publication.
6) Present your thesis and three sub-points (criteria)
which you will be
using to
prove your thesis (support your claim)
7) To support
your thesis and topic sentences, you must present adequate evidence from the
article itself by using direct quotes, appropriate paraphrase, and accurate
descriptions of the piece of writing. For example, your evidence that a writer
uses a certain tone will be phrases, sentences, and words quoted from the text.
Try to use at least three to five examples for each criterion (sub-point,
paragraph).
8) Do not use parenthetical documentation (page
numbers), but you must place quotes around all directly quoted words, phrases,
or sentences and attribute them to the writer.
ALERT: To argue your thesis, critique the
quality of the piece of writing. Do not
simply summarize what is being said.
This is an exercise in critical reading and analysis as well as in
writing.
Base your evaluation on three of the criteria on the
following Evaluation Checklist.
CRITICAL EVALUATION CHECKLIST
1) Tone
Is it successful and appropriate?
a) Identify the tone as subjective or
objective.
b) If
subjective, characterize the tone: professional,
sophisticated, sincere, empathetic, objective, too emotional,
manipulative, superior, arrogant, confused, etc.
c) Is the
tone appropriate for the medium: objective for news
article, mildly subjective but professional for magazine article;
and
mildly to highly subjective for argument essay
or
editorial?
d) Does
the tone assist in conveying the author's message or
subvert it?
2) Evidence
An author's evidence (support) includes statistics,
case
studies, official documents and actions, historical facts,
detailed
descriptions, and the opinions and conclusions of experts
or
independent researchers (often journalists), involved parties
(including
government officials and witnesses).
The quality
of a writer's evidence is traditionally evaluated by the
following
criteria:
a)
quantity (enough?)
b)
relevance (current and on topic?)
c)
specificity (vague or concrete?)
d)
source and documentation (is a source credible, relevant,
impressive, and clearly identified by credentials)
3) Writing
Style.
Is the style sophisticated or not?
a) Is the
diction sophisticated and appropriate?
(no pretentious
phrasing,
slang, jargon, or hackneyed and trite expressions?)
b) Is the
sentence structure sophisticated and varied?
(uses
complex
sentences?)
c) Does the
writer use strong verbs and vivid description or cliches
and bland details?
4) Organization. Does the writer establish a clear
pattern and follow
it? Again, successful organization is
determined, in part, by the
genre. Newspaper articles use the pyramid structure
but still must
provide a
logical grouping of material; magazine news and feature
articles use
the basic essay format; and argument essays use
either standard essay format or a classical pattern for argument.
General
points for assessing organization: Does the writer
a) offer a clear thesis (can appear at
beginning or end)?
b) have an effective opening?
c) stick to the point?
d)
observe unity within a paragraph?
e) use transitions?
f) use organizational aids such as
headings?
5) Logic (Eschholz,
p. 582). Does the writer employ clear reasoning?
a) Are
there logical fallacies?
b) Does the writer contradict himself or herself?
Evaluation
Essay: Core Skills Addressed
Communication Skills
Critical Thinking Skills
Personal Skills
Information Management skills
Technology Skills