“Listening: to the Text (not yourself ) as You Reread The Rhetorical Precis

Précis Overview Goal: show your understanding of how a text works rhetorically Highly structured 4-sentence paragraph Condensed statement of text’s thesis, followed by the text’s main purpose, method, and intended audience

Precis: Sentence #1 Format Name of author, genre and title of work, date in parenthesis; a rhetorically accurate verb (assert, argue, suggest, imply, claim…); and THAT clause containing the major assertion (thesis statement) of the work.

Sentence 1: Use your annotations What is the main subject being addressed throughout the piece? What is the writer’s “theory” about the main subject? HINT: This is where your descriptive outlining comes in handy!

Thesis / Argument “Finder” Find / Choose top 3 commentary made by the writer (not the plot or example – these should be claims / arguments) Is there one sentence that encompasses them all? Could that be the thesis or a major part of it? Use Assertion-Rationale to restate or add to the quoted material

Starting Options… In Kenneth Feinberg’s essay entitled “What Is the Value of a Life?” (May 25, 2008), he argues that… Kenneth Feinberg, a Washington attorney, wrote an essay entitled “What Is the Value of a Life?” (May 25, 2008) in which he argues that… In Kenneth Feinberg’s essay “What Is the Value of a Life?” (May 25, 2008) he argues that…

Sentence #1: assertion-rationale Debatable, reasonable, complete, clear and CORRECT! Assertion = opinions (how things are or how they ought to be) Rationale = why that is –The rule of law is more important than anyone’s personal feelings because it’s the only way to ensure that everyone has the same rights in court. –The government needs to tax junk food and subsidize healthier food options because this is the best way to decrease America’s growing obesity epidemic.

Sentence 1 – QC (Quality Control) Is the format correct? Is the wording connotatively and denotatively accurate? Is the thesis INCLUSIVE of pertinent topics explored by the writer? Are the relationships between the topics accurately portrayed in the assertion-rationale? –Cause/effect, parallel, etc.?

Thesis possibilities …argues that although…, …..because… …asserts that…..because….

Sentence #2: Content An explanation of HOW the author develops and/or supports the thesis, usually in chronological order. *You are tracking, from beginning to end, what the writer is DOING to support the thesis Caution: this is not a summary of what the writer is “saying” or a summary of examples

Sentence #2 suggestions Start with the author’s name again, then Briefly, in a short phrase, recap the thesis, then Use the word “BY” to help you –Greenhouse reveals the repercussions that some retailers face when hiring for looks BY…

Sentence 2: Formatting After identifying what the writer is DOING throughout the piece, add in textual evidence Use parenthesis for all quotes / textual evidence No need to cite para/line numbers here since bibliographical information ensues *remember parenthesis = non-essential information

Sentence 2: articulating the “how” What is the author using to develop their argument? (anecdote, stereotypes, examples of, definition of, statistics about…) What is s/he doing with it? (verb list– juxtaposing, reinforcing, giving background…) juxtaposing stereotypes that conservatives would have of liberals

You should be able to read 2+ related statements and understand the relationship between them to see how…

They may contrast or juxtapose They may illustrate cause and effect They may contradict each other One may provide a more specific example to illustrate the other They may explain consequence One may reinforce a concept One may emphasize an idea or concept One may anticipate a counterargument One may acknowledge a counter-claim One may demonstrate the weaknesses or strengths

First introduce the problem of excessive government money being spent on an unhealthy school lunch program Next, establish how much money is spent and why the SLP is unhealthy and a waste of that money Next, explain other lunch programs being used to provide healthy school lunches Next, identify what is would cost to transform our lunches Next, anticipate counter-arguments against those costs, and explain how those costs are reasonable Finally end with a call to action – encourage readers to became engaged in the fight to improve the SLP

Sample Sentence 2 = 5 sentences

Greenhouse asserts that hiring for looks is a common corporate policy by first using an anecdote about someone regularly asked to work at Abercrombie (“At no fewer than 3 Abercrombie Stores, [Nill] says, managers have approached her and offered her a job,”). Next he uses the testimonials of managers encouraged to practice this policy (“If someone came in with a pretty face, we were told to approach them and ask if they wanted a job,”) and discusses the prevalence of this practice (“cocktail waitresses, strippers,…flight attendants,”) as well as which companies are most notorious for employing this tactic (Gap, Benneton, AberCrombie). Next Greenhouse acknowledges corporate claims that this is a necessary tactic (“In today’s competitive retail market…being able to find a brand enhancer is critical,”). Then he emphasizes that the upscale businesses employ this tactic more aggressively than mass-market companies (“- not at WalMart and other mass marketers, but at upscale businesses,”), and explains current lawsuits that have been filed against companies that have taken hiring for looks “too far”. Finally, he closes with a sociology professor questioning the morality of this practice (“Whether that’s morally proper is a different question,”).

Sentence 3: Content

Sentence #3 A statement of the author’s apparent purpose followed by an “IN ORDER TO” phrase “in order to” = what the author wants the reader to THINK and DO after reading this OR the EFFECT the writer wants to have on his audience by using specific rhetorical devices, ethos, pathos, or logos. Be as specific as possible

Sample Sentence 3 The author questions the legality and morality of “hiring for looks” IN ORDER TO help consumers see the discriminatory consequences of this tactic so that they will reconsider shopping at the companies who “hire for looks”.

Sentence #4 A description of the target audience and the essay’s TONE – the relationship the author established with the audience.

Sentence #4 HINT: Writers assume that all audiences can read, so don’t write that the target audience is anyone who reads! Avoid the DUH-factor. To whom would the structure, the examples, the diction, etc. appeal? Who could “handle” the way this material is treated or arranged?

Sentence 4 sample: Greenhouse writes in an informal tone using casual language and anecdotes to appeal to readers who shop at the “up-scale business” which practice “hiring for looks”.