Rhetoric Essay #1 Analyzing an Argument (Or: Putting Confirmation Bias to Work) Task: Write a 3-4- page essay where you describe and analyze an argument, plus a one-page reflection on confirmation bias. For your first essay, you will analyze a text making a strong argument. The task is not to argue in favor of a particular conclusion, but to examine the rhetorical moves the writer uses to make his or her case. You choose the text, but but it must represent a point of view conflicting with something on the list of “five things” about which you have strong feelings that you posted on the class blog. If stuck, you can choose a subject you’ve thought of since. The idea is to engage, but that’s not the same as asking you to agree. One way of thinking about it is as if your subject is like a table. What are its strongest and weakest legs? Perhaps one “leg” is quite strong but if left on its own would it be more likely to “topple” so to speak? Doing so will be hard. The best essays often benefit from subjects that use a range of rhetorical moves. Essay must be typed and printed in a 12-point standard font, double-spaced, with a title, name, date, etc. Stapled to workshop comments. Deadlines • Subject due to instructor by Tuesday, October 11 at 5:00 pm. Send URL or PDF or equivalent by email to my Hawkmail account: [email protected] • Rough draft workshop: Monday October 17. • Last day for individualized instructor feedback: Friday, October 21. • Final essay due: Monday, October 24 Examples of potential subjects: For instance, if you said you think it’s too hard to start a small business, you will want to find someone who has an informed opinion on the topic and arguing it’s easier than ever to start a small business. If you tend to think one specific cause deserves blame for the murders at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, find something that takes a different tact. Or, say you have a more generalized belief like “the U.S. is doing enough to protect itself,” you’ll want to find an article that argues for a specific policy or action that makes the opposite point. The connection can be loose. (Example: “Stop Deploying Robot Zombies in Nation’s Kindergartens!”) It can blur the lines between politics and entertainment, or have nothing to do with politics. If you feel that Taylor Swift or Beyoncé is the best singer/performer of her generation, find someone who is critical of that person, perhaps of a controversy about an album or song or statement. If being patriotic is one of your five things, then you could find an article in support of Colin Kaepernick’s protest, or vice versa. You can also choose something in the course-pack, understand that what you write will be read as having had the advantage of class discussion. Purpose: Demonstrate your ability to critically analyze rhetorical moves without arguing on behalf of a question. Use our natural inclination toward confirmation bias to help us “see” th ...