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QUESTION
writing assignment
Remember these tips:
The analysis is not your opinion of the essay; in an analysis, rather than using unsupported opinion, you present an argument that helps to explain a piece of writing based on evidence from the text. The analysis is not a summary of the essay, although it may need some sentences that summarize particular points. In an analysis you show how a writer uses some writing technique or strategy to get his or her ideas across. For example, in the “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uses repetition in a type of emotional appeal to his audience. Most of you have heard or read this speech, and the words people remember are “I have a dream,” spoken in different tones with different metaphorical examples of the dream. In an analysis of this speech, you could use the idea that Dr. King uses repetition to get his message across, and you would follow your thesis sentence with an explanation of how Dr. King uses the repetitions and why they have an emotional as well as intellectual appeal. For example, your thesis sentence might be: “In his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, Dr. King uses repetitions to convey an emotional as well as intellectual message to his audience.” You might then give examples of several repetitions (quoting them briefly) and explain how they have emotional as well as intellectual connotations.
Note that in the analysis paragraph, the thesis sentence is usually the first and/or second sentence in the third paragraph. The thesis sentence comes first in the rhetorical reading response we are writing because this is a short paragraph of analysis, not an entire essay of analysis, where your thesis might appear later in your essay or even be implied. An analysis can consist of many pages; an entire book can consist largely of analysis. In longer forms of analysis, the thesis sentence or sentences may be placed at different places in your text; however, an analysis always needs a thesis to give it focus and unity.
Thus, the analysis paragraph should begin with a clear thesis. To support this thesis, you should give examples that consist of brief quotations from the text you are analyzing. You should discuss how the writer makes his or her argument (the strategies) and why this approach is or is not effective (citing examples). Some examples of rhetorical techniques and strategies include use of imagery, use of dialogue, use of metaphor, plays upon emotions, figurative language, rhetorical appeals, use of scholarly research sources, and anecdotes. For example, you might also write an analysis of the author’s logic, describing how it is effective or ineffective and giving examples.
To brainstorm ideas for your rhetorical analysis, read the work you are analyzing and ask yourself the following questions:
- What is the author’s thesis and how effective is it? Does the writer appeal to your emotion or reasoning?
- What point is this writer trying to argue?
- How does the author feel about his or her topic?
- How does the writer want his or her audience to feel about the argument or appeal?
- What kind of language does the writer use to get the audience to buy into the argument?
- What does the author say that makes you believe in the argument?
- What does the author say that makes you dislike or reject the argument?
- What is the author’s purpose? Is he or she trying to explain, persuade, motivate, entertain, or cause her audience feel an emotion?
- How does the author develop his or her ideas? Does he or she use compare and contrast, description, definition, analogy, cause and effect, or some other method?
- How does the author’s development of his or her ideas and use of language affect the clarity, coherence, appeal, and the logic of the essay?
- If the author uses quotes, paraphrases, or dialogue, what is the purpose of these techniques?
- Does the author convince you of the truth or worth of his or her argument? Why or why not?
- Does the author use terms, metaphors, or images that are striking? What is his or her purpose for this?
Answers to these questions will provide you with clues about the specific techniques/strategies the writer is using to convince his or her audience. Please note that these questions should not be part of the analysis; they are guides for a thinking process you use before you write the analysis. This short analysis should begin with a thesis, not a question. The questions are tools that help you come up with ideas for the paragraph.
- The paragraph should begin with a thesis statement; a topic sentence that makes an interpretive claim about the way the text is written or the meaning of the text. One way to do that is to name the type of support and discuss the impact of the support.
- The paragraph should not include too much summarizing from the text.
- The paragraph should not include the words "I think" or otherwise state your opinion.
- The paragraph shouldn't quote too much. I suggest that you use two quotes from the text.
Always introduce and analyze the quotes you use.
Précis (Paragraph1)
Sentence 1: Name the author, genre, and title of the work, date in parenthesis; a rhetorically active verb, such as "claims," "argues," "asserts," "defines," "explores," and "suggests"); and a "that" clause containing the major assertion, main idea, or thesis statement in the work.
Sentence 2: An explanation of how the author develops and supports the thesis (i.e. evidence) usually in chronological order.
Sentence 3: A statement of the author's apparent purpose followed by an "in order to" phrase.
Sentence 4: A description of the author's intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the writer
| Subject | Literature | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Analysis of The Giver by Lois Lowry
Introduction
The Giver by Lois Lowry is a utopian novel detailing a young man living in a futuristic society to relieve the natives of choices to enhance sameness, fairness, and equality (Lowry, 2004). It is an ethically-driven and exciting story about Jonas. He thrives in a community free of blemishes, crime, or sadness because culturally, every decision is made by parents or the community. Lowry's target audience is society as a whole, as the story's moral touches on the diverse aspects of living that influence every individual. The author's main lesson to people is that life brings both good and awful experiences, without which it cannot be considered to be complete (Albert, 2008). The paper in context seeks to present a detailed rhetorical analysis of The Giver by Lois Lowry by evaluating its thesis, arguments, and general impressions that the write-up creates to its audience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it turns out that The Giver society is not utopic, but rather, a dystopia characterized mainly by citizens who lack choices or control over their own lives. Their feelings are sipped away, even without their knowledge, and their understanding and respect for human life are undermined. The author's thesis is written, and it is highly effective as it resonates with readers' emotions and reasoning concerning societal standards and how they influence people's freedom. The primary point of the author in this text is to highlight is that choices are not destructive. In contemporary society, the absence of decisions or choices is more detrimental. People were meant to make individual choices, and as a result, they act in immoral and inhumane ways that they have no idea about or the consequences of going down such roads.
Lois Lowry has her themes organized properly to ease readers' understanding and comprehension of the text. The writer wanted her audience to understand the appeal that no one can ever be the same as she continually expresses the downfalls of sameness and the need for the society to give people a chance to live a free life and let their emotions free. She further uses the main character to indicate the importance of freedom and the valuable nature of emotions. The text uses a persuasive tone to help parents understand the principal needs or children and why loving them unconditionally is suitable for their health. Lowry is seen as a strategic author who understands how to incorporate vital elements in writing to help reveal the book's core theme throughout the text. Readers are inspired to do whatever it takes to come out of this life victorious.
References
Albert, L. R. (2008). Lois Lowry: the giver of stories and memories. Enslow Publishers, Inc..
Lowry, L. (2004). Lois Lowry. Random House. file:///C:/Users/LESLEY/Downloads/the_giver__giver_quartet_book_-_lois_lowry.pdf