Your thesis is goin to change as you write–this should happen.
Think of your writing of an argumentative essay (like a Rhetorical Analysis is) as a sort of motion of a tennis match. It goes back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. You write some analysis, you think about your thesis, you write up a thesis, you do more analysis, you change your thesis a little bit, you do more analysis, you tweak your thesis further. It is not a smooth process (like so much of writing!)
Ultimately: Analysis requires careful examination of evidence and as you become more acquainted with evidence you gather, your argument will likely change! Thus, you will likely tweak your thesis as you write.
Analysis is A Big Ol’ String of Claims and Evidence
Analysis requires the joining of claims to evidence.
A thesis is a large claim with the evidence being the entire essay.
The essay is full of smaller claims that are joined with evidence. In a Rhetorical Analysis, the evidence is parts of the text you are analyzing; the claim is what you think about that evidence. The real work is what happens in the space between claims and evidence–how you . You can quote parts of the text or describe them and you’ll do this to show them as evidence for something you are claiming.
The pattern is generally this when joining claims to evidence (the remainder of this section is adapted from Indiana University of Bloomington Writing Tutorial Service):
- State your claim (for a Rhetorical Analysis, this will usually be about how the text you are analyzing functions in respect to a specific perspective you have)
- Give your evidence, remembering to relate it to the claim. (the evidence will often be parts of the text you are analyzing in a Rhetorical Analysis)
- Comment on the evidence to show how it supports the claim. (an explanation of why you the part of the text you are analyzing is an example of your claim)
Example of “meh” use of evidence:
Today, we are too self-centered. Most families no longer sit down to eat together, preferring instead to eat on the go while rushing to the next appointment (Gleick 148). Everything is about what we want.
A better use of evidence:
Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don’t matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence. In fact, the evidence shows that most American families no longer eat together, preferring instead to eat on the go while rushing to the next appointment (Gleick 148). Sit-down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, that connection has become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity.
Using Models
In the Yablonovskiy essay, what do you notice about when Yablonovskiy mentions parts of Nu Pogodi? Look back and see how there are claims right near those descriptions of the text. How does Yablonovskiy join those claims and evidence? Use this as a model for your own writing.
You might also explore other Rhetorical Analyses in the Analysis section of our textbook. It is always good to use several models.
Task
Comment below on this page by following these instructions: make a claim about a text you are (or might be) analyzing. Join that to evidence from the text to your claim by following the state, give, comment formula from above to making claims with evidence.
After commenting below, click the button below to continue the module.
Music can express many different emotions, just like a human can, and a story through the musical components and lyrics. The addition of a music video adds to the sensory experience and meaning of a song to tell a larger story. In Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die: The Paradise Edition” album, she draws out a nostalgic, cinematic sound as she sings about love, sex, drugs, and death. Specifically, in her song “Summertime Sadness,” she alludes to suicide throughout the music video as she spreads her arms out, like Jesus Christ on the stake, before taking a plunge to her death. In her lyrics, she also explicitly states “I know if I go, I’ll die happy tonight” conveying the suicidal theme throughout the song. Overall, “Summertime Sadness” portrays a depressing emotion as the overtones of love and suicide from seasonal affective disorder as the lyrics draw out the hot, sweltering summer and her delivery of the lyrics illustrates a depressed, young girl undaunted by death.
Discomfort, a feeling that we all as human beings stay away from. It’s in our natural instinct to stay away from anything that is uncomfortable, we would rather sit down on the couch and watch a show on television that makes us happy. However, when you look at success and progress, they have a direct correlation to discomfort and struggle. Joe Rogan said “One of the most fascinating lessons I’ve absorbed about life is that the struggle is good”. Progression in life is change, one cannot change without struggling in life. Challenges in life lead to the build up of calluses, both on our body and our mind. Only then, can we facilitate change and affect those around us.
(oops, I kind of did this in my last post)
John Green wrote in Paper Towns “It is easy to forget how full the world is of people, full to bursting, and each of them imaginable and consistently misimagined.”
We are all so bad at seeing one another. We cannot begin to truly perceive another,as much as we know them or love them. Sometimes love can mean fogging the window into another person even more. We may build stories around a person and love an idea rather than a whole person.
(Yea I kind of also did this in my last post sort of)
Music and Videogames for me personally is a take away of stress and releases negative energy for me. It helps me with many things and honestly if you have a lot of stress and issues going on in your life music and videogames might be for you.
Tanjiro doesn’t give up no matter how difficult the situation as he fought. So the same with me, I wouldn’t give up easily no matter the task. There are many instances where one must not give up until they achieve their goal. Through out all the challenges he’s faced, he took them head on until he made it through the final selection. That’s what everyone should strive for. Giving up when you know you can continue is cowardly and weak.
A movie that has a large impact on me is Rocky. The quote that inspires me is “It’s not about you hit, It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward”. Throughout everyone’s life, they face some kind of hardship or struggle but it is only up to them regarding how they react to the situation and what mindset they put themselves in. With a positive mindset, anything can be possible.
The main character would not give up even though he was facing a tougher opponent than him. He knew he has to protect his crew and the people close to him. No matter how long it took he came out on top eventually. this relates to me because even though things may get difficult in the end I gotta try as hard as I can to be successful.