This week's assigned reading from They Say / I Say includes one chapter on "planting a naysayer in your text" and another one on "saying why it matters." For your blog post this week, instead of having you write on your own blogs, I simply want you to respond to this blog post with a comment that explains how you will use some of the concepts from the reading in your next essay. Describe how you will go about planting a naysayer in your essay. Work on crafting a persuasive argument for why your analysis matters.
Remember that your comment is due by Friday at midnight, and that you will then have only one week left to complete your Researched Analytical Argument.
For my essay, the topic I am writing about is largely controversial. This helps me place the sources in conversation as well as to implement a naysayer. Cultural and religious issues are a large part of the plot and themes of Mama Day, thusly, I will establish my perspective in my thesis, and throughout integrate sources who may disagree with my solely to counterpoint these sources with my own beliefs and evidence. This helps put the entire essay into perspective while simultaneously rebuking any and all arguments the contrary side may have.
ReplyDeleteFor why the work matters, I will illustrate the religious and social commentary in Mama Day as contemporary ideas on society and religion. This matters because my audience will be readers in contemporary America, affected by the way religion and society operate.
There are a lot of critics who disagree with the position I am taking regarding my topic so I will use this to incorporate opposing arguments into my paper. I will use the counter argument to help strengthen my argument by answering the objections in a persuasive manner while maintaining my position. Its important to prove why my argument matters because you should never assume the reader knows. You have to approach the topic as if the reader has little knowledge of the subject, and the best way to do so is to appeal to an issue the reader already feels is important.
ReplyDeleteFor my essay, I chose a play by Shakespeare, "King Lear," which is widely discussed by critics around the world. So certainly there are issues on which opinions of critics disagree. Using concepts from They Say/ I Say, I will be able to correctly develop the discourse between my opinion, the opinion of critics with a similar point of view, and also sources with the opposite point of view. I will use persuasive arguments that will help strengthen my point.
ReplyDeleteIn my essay, I will consider the issues of moral and religious values, which Shakespeare raised in his play. It is important to convince the readers of my vision of issues, because the play is based on historical events in England of the 16th century, and I think the reader will be interested to look at different views about the background of the play.
For my essay I am writing about "A Thousand Acres" and how I feel that it was written from a feminist point of view. The source that I am using also goes along with my point of view, but I feel that it will be easy to find a source that goes against my argument because I can see from that point of view just as easily. The way that I feel that ATA might not be written from a feminist point of view is that it was just a coincidence because the main character is a female. I feel that it will be easy for me to find a source that goes against my point of view so I can have a "naysayer".
ReplyDeleteWhat makes critiques effective are the fact that they come from individuals that are very different from one another. Everyone has their own views and ideas that are sometimes controversial. That is where naysayers come in. You can't read every single person's views on what you are writing about so naysayers allow you to recognize what others have written so readers can understand your point more clearly. That is what I want to do with my essay on Mama Day. I want to agree with broader aspects of other critics yet hone in on specific details and take a turn with it that others' may not have seen before that reflect me and my personal thoughts and ideas.
ReplyDeleteIn my essay I want to point out why culture and family are important. I want to do that by finding a recent story/event/article that connects to my argument that could make my argument more timely and intersting to possible readers that don't really connect with Naylor's setting and views. My argument also, should be interesting to contempary readers beacuse Mama Day stresses how vital these components are to life and readers could see how these ideas effect their life and other people's lives across the globe.
In my essay I will incorporate sources that counteract my argument simply so that I can disprove their ideas through my own evidence and other sources. By incorporating a naysayer I can only further my knowledge of what everyone else thinks about King Lear and his sanity or intelligence throughout the play. I will have to focus my essay on writing like the reader has heard the ideas for the first time, so that I answer any and all questions that could be asked to poke holes in my argument. In my essay I will talk about how King Lear has many negative influences that force him to make bad decisions, and also talk about what people say that believe he had already lost his mind. My argument will interest a reader because it will talk about how others negativity can affect a King, or even us all.
ReplyDeletePart of an analytical argument is making sure that you incorporate both evidence to support your argument and evidence that could potentially lead to an alternate route. It's important to juxtapose evidence that could contradict certain viewpoints because it puts your argument in conversation. It creates tension, which is good in analytical arguments. It's analytical in nature, but by being argumentative, you may not be right. It's all about perspective, supporting your points, and working through the issues to gain a better understanding about the topic and what others are saying about said topic. In my paper, I want to focus on the relationships in Mama Day, and how George's somewhat ethnocentric ways ultimately lead to the downfall of his relationships, and his life. Naysayers allow us to juxtapose these contradictory ideas about our argument, so that we acknowledge that there is a presence of conversation and dissection of the evidence. I want to find evidence that supports my argument about relationships and understanding different cultures within Mama Day, but I want to plant an opposing argument, that possibly George's inability to accept Mama Day's "way"/the way of the island was not because of ethnocentrism, but because of some other influence. I am not sure how easy it will be to find a source that argues this, but I definitely want to position my argument in a way that includes a naysayer.
ReplyDeleteFor my analytical argument, I will be writing about "King Lear", specifically Lear's flaws and his eventual downfall. There are many critics that have already considered what the pivotal flaw was, and so there are many varying opinions. Because of this, I will make sure to integrate my opinion from the thesis and throughout each paragraph. I will also utilize the arguments of critics that don't necessarily agree with my opinion and then explain why I don't believe that, thus making my argument stronger. As for why the work matters, I will highlight how identifying Lear's flaws allows a modern audience/reader to understand the play better as well as learn more from Lear.
ReplyDeleteMy analytical argument will be written on the argument of Prospero and if he is actually an evil character or not. There are many critics who agree with the argument that he is indeed an evil character in The Tempest, and then there are some who think the opposite. I agree with the first, that he is "evil", but I definitely plan to include the counter argument, so the reader can see both sides of the argument. I will use these arguments to show how he actually is evil. I think its important to include the counter argument because i can show why their argument is not correct and why my argument makes more sense.
ReplyDeleteMy analytical argument will attempt to answer the question reguarding Prospero's motivation for his action in Shakespeare's Tempest. I will do so by forming a sense of personality and psychology of Prospero by analyzing his role in other characters' roles and criticisms. Ultimately I plan to show that he did in fact change his motive; initially seeking revenge, he observes the love of his daughter and changes his disposition, resulting in a peaceful confrontation. Many other critics argue against this, stating evidence to support the idea that he sought this peaceful resolution from the get go, and never intended to seek revenge. I will use these authors' claims in comparison with my own to convince the reader that when all information is taken into account the evidence shown strongly supports my claim. I do not intend to simply put down his or her argument, but show the holes in it to ultimately benefit my own. In the "why the work matters" section, I will show how this interpretation can be used to fully understand the play and the character dynamics within it.
ReplyDeleteMy essay is about the magic in The Tempest, what kind of magic man Prospero is, and how much the magic affects the plot of the play. There is a wide range of viewpoints on this subject. Some critics think the reader can not think of Prospero as a magician and others go as far as to say his magic is so strong that he is a God-like character. I plan to show how I think Prospero is a real magician, however, I think that his magic is not the real driving force in the plot, and is not what ultimately helps him achieve his goals. By planting a naysayer and talking about how other critics think that magic is the only reason things happen in the play, I can counter that by showing instances in the plot that disprove this theory, strengthening my argument.
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