Critical Analysis of an Op-ed article

Assignment #1: Critical Analysis

Pick an op-ed article on a topic you are interested in and make an argument about the effectiveness of the author’s argument and persuasive techniques. First identify and explain the argument of the author, and then analyze how well the author persuades his/her target audience. Your analysis will need quoted evidence from the text as well as your own assertions for support.There are two different approaches:

1. Write your paper in terms of claims that you find problematic. In your critique show how the author’s conclusion does not follow, either because (a) the author’s reasons are false or (b) the author’s reasoning is mistaken, or (c) the author has failed to make other important considerations that tend to undermine the conclusion. Remember that you will need evidence. You can’t just say “That’s not true.”

2. Write your paper in terms of claims and views that you find interesting, but which you are currently disinclined to either fully accept of fully reject. Perhaps the author’s claims are only partially valid. Carefully articulate the strongest considerations in favor of the claims and the strongest considerations against the claims. Then carefully explain why an audience might be left undecided and indicate precisely what sort of information or arguments would be more effective.

You may have one or more of the following goals in coming up with your purpose:

◦ Criticize that argument or thesis
◦ Offer counter-examples to the thesis
◦ Defend the argument or thesis against someone else’s criticism
◦ Discuss what consequences the thesis would have, if it were true to point out issues
◦ Focus on one aspect or section that you find troubling, interesting, or problematic

Some things to look for:credibility, bias, soundness of theory, evidence, implications, misuse of rhetorical techniques (emotion or logic or both), language.

Organization: Introduction, Summary, Critique, Conclusion

Requirements: 4-6 pages, MLA guidelines, Works Cited page