Analyze the various elements of the book “Why Write?” by Mark Edmundson. The goal is to interpret and explain to an uninformed reader what makes the argument work.
Identify and analyze the authors’ argument, audience, context, and goal of the text.
Who is the author’s primary audience? What are they trying to persuade these readers of and why?
What historical, political, social, or cultural events or ideas does an uninformed reader need to know to understand the argument and conversation here?
What does the author hope to accomplish here? What do they hope they can change?
Analyze how the author builds claims by identifying persuasive techniques and connecting them to the author’s rhetorical appeals
Identify claims the author makes
For each claim, identify an argumentative technique used by the author
Connect that technique to a rhetorical appeal. What was the author likely hoping to do with this technique? (appeal to ethos (character), pathos (emotion), or logos (reason))
Discuss the likely reaction from the audience and whether these techniques and appeals were effectively persuasive
Identify of the assumptions and generalizations that shaped the argument
What beliefs or ideas does the author take for granted (or assume that the audience will agree with) and how do these assumptions influence the persuasiveness of the overall argument for the intended audience?
What ways are these appeals are based on assumptions the author makes about that audience?
http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=14AA3FB4B08745C8C2A482207C747CCA
