College Prep Crit. Thinking Topic: Laughing

Heads up ya’ll  You need to have your independent reading novel in your hands by Tuesday, January 22 nd.  Although you wont need it everyday, you will need to bring it to class everyday.

RAFT…..again  Role: Who is the writer?  A reporter, a sports writer, a social critic  This is important because it lets you (the reader) know where the writer is coming from,

RAFT  Audience: To whom is the writer writing?  This is important because this allows the critical reader to evaluate WHY and HOW the writer makes his/her argument.  It also allows the reader to judge how effectively the writer has made his/her argument.

Hostile Sometimes an audience is openly hostile or generally tends to disagree with you. Perhaps they do not want to be there. Perhaps they do not like your or what you represent.  Work harder than usual on developing trust.  Carefully construct your presentation, either form an area of agreement or from a point of disagreement.  Establish basic principles before moving on to specific proposals.  Challenge them. Show that they may be wrong or have incomplete evidence. Create tension.  Use reference sources and evidence that they find acceptable and cannot deny.  Use humor to disarm them.  Show what does not work, leaving an inescapable conclusion.

Critical Critical audiences consider themselves intelligent and probably more intelligent than you. They will thus pick holes in what you say and disbelieve your assertions.  Use copious evidence with strong references.  Do not exaggerate anything. If anything, play on the safe side.  Use rational argument, revealing premises and avoiding fallacies.  Argue both sides of the case with pros-vs-cons reasoning.  Be fair and reasonable.  Respond to criticisms evenly and with rational argument.

Uninformed People who do not have all the facts before them may well be open to argument, particularly if it makes sense.  Question them to find out what they know and do not know.  Give basic facts to fill in the detail.  Use rational argument to explain the logic.  Use references and respected people to lend weight.

Sympathetic People who are sympathetic have an emotional attachment to you and are easiest to persuade.  Build a bond with them by showing how you are they are similar in some way.  Make personal appeals, asking for their help.  Trigger their emotions (positive ones!).  Just ask nicely (which may be all that is needed).  In a group argument, get them on your side (which they may do anyway just to balance things up).

RAFT  Format: What form does the piece take?  This is important because it reflects HOW the writer makes his/her argument.  This also allows the reader to judge how effective the argument is based on the conventions of the medium.

RAFT  Topic: What is the writer writing about?  This is important because one cannot make evaluative claims without knowing the topic….

Ethos, Pathos, Logos  Aristotle observed that persuasion comes in three different forms: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.  Overview Overview

Ethos  Ethos (Greek for 'character') refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker. Ethos is often conveyed through tone and style of the message and through the way the writer or speaker refers to differing views. It can also be affected by the writer's reputat ion as it exists independently from the message-- his or her expertise in the field, his or her previous record or integrity, and so forth. The impact of ethos is often called the argument's 'ethical appeal' or the 'appeal from credibility.’

Ethos Vidja  Watch this! Watch this!  To 4:28

Satire  The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity, vices, or social issues.  Examples: The Simpsons, Family Guy

“A Modest Proposal”  Who is the author?  Listen for RAFT information  READ “A Modest Proposal”  Annotate as you read  Look for ETHOS arguments  Keep RAFT information and Satire in mind

Homework  1 page write up detailing:  The theme of the piece (what is the author talking about AND what is his/her opinion on it)  4 examples of ETHOS claims AND how effective are they in regard to the THEME