Description
answer any TWO Questions from each Group (so that’s a total of six questions) about “What Critics Don’t Understand About Gun Culture.” In addition, there is one last question at the end, where you give your final evaluation of this article. Make sure that you use evidence from the article to back up your claims. **The Groups are compiled with similar elements.
Group #1 (Exigence, Constraints. Thesis/Main Claim):
- What is the exigence (the problem or sense of urgency) that prompted David French to write this essay?
- What are the constraints, if any, of this essay (constraints limit the way the discourse is delivered or communicated. Constraints may be the kinds of language you need to use to persuade a certain community, the budget, word count, etc.)?
- What is French’s position or main claim? Is there a clearly stated (explicit) thesis statement, or is it implied? How well is it supported in the article?
Group 2: (Pathos, Tone, Audience):
- How effective is French’s use of pathos (the appeal to emotion, values, and beliefs). Give at least one examples of pathos and let us know if it’s effective or manipulative.
- Tone is clearly related to pathos, so how would you describe the writer’s tone (attitude, personality)?
- Who is the primary audience (is there a secondary audience)? How can you tell?
Group 3: (Logos, Ethos, Counter Arguments, Logical Fallacies):
- Find one example where French utilizes logos (the appeal to reason—use of hard evidence: facts, statistics, research, etc.) to appeal to his readers, and how is this example helpful to his argument?
- How fairly does the writer present the issues? In other words, where and how does French provide counter points (claims that go against the main argument)? Are they refuted (show how they are not valid) successfully or left hanging?
- How does French incorporate ethos (the appeal to the credibility of the speaker or writer)? Look for examples that demonstrate French’s credibility. Does the writer use evidence that is fair and reasonable? All of these factors will help you decide if the writer’s argument is ethical.
- Identify two logical fallacies in the article and explain how they depict that specific fallacy.
ONE FINAL QUESTION TO ANSWER: Now that you have done all of this analysis, how would you rate this argument on scale of effectiveness from 1-5 (with 1 being the least effective and 5 being the most effective). And, give a brief explanation for why you chose that number.
