Arguments of Evaluation and Proposals: An Analysis, Exercises of Music

Download Arguments of Evaluation and Proposals: An Analysis and more Exercises Music in PDF only on Docsity! February 26, 2013 Arguments of Evaluation Evaluations are everyday arguments. Before leaving home in the morning you've made several evaluations: what clothes to wear, food to pack for lunch, music to listen to on the ride... In each case, you've applied criteria to a particular problem and then made a decision. Epideictic: A ceremonial mode of ancient rhetoric devoted entirely to speeches of praise and blame. Making evaluations is a form of entertainment in America, and in fact, generates big audiences (awards shows, beauty pageants, fashion police, literary prizes, American Idol...). February 26, 2013 Arguments of Evaluation Standards/Criteria: Arguments of evaluation can produce simple rankings and winners or can lead to profound decisions about our lives, but they always involve standards. The particular standards we establish for judging anything-- whether an idea, a work of art, a person, or a product--are called criteria of evaluation. Sample criteria: What constitutes a living wage? What makes a professional referee effective? What features make a song a classic? How do we measure a successful college career? Criteria of evaluation aren't static; they differ according to time and audience. February 26, 2013 Formulating criteria is crucial, and can make or break a piece. If you claim, "This band sucks," then you must provide reasonable criteria. General Advice for Developing the Evaluative Argument When stating your claim, a direct evaluative claim with the statement carefully qualified works best. The point of qualifying a statement is to make it responsible and reasonable. For example, which is easier to defend: *Margaret Cho is the most outrageous comedian around today. *Margaret Cho may come to be regarded as one of the most outrageous comedians of her time. The more evidence in an evaluation the better, provided that the evidence is relevant and likely to impress your readers. Arrange your argument to build toward your best material. February 26, 2013 In drafting an evaluation, you should consider three basic elements: Key Features of Evaluations Evidence that the particular subject meets or falls short of the stated criteria. An evaluative claim that makes a judgment about a person, and idea or an object. The criterion or criteria by which you'll measure your subject. ~Tell readers why they should care about your subject and take your opinion seriously. February 26, 2013 Arguments of Proposal Arguments of proposal, whether casual or formal, are important in all of our lives. Sample every day proposals include: suggesting to a neighbor that you clean up the park together, offering to collaborate on a project to save time and effort, calling your best friends to invite them to see a movie... A proposal implies that some action should take place and suggests that there are sound reasons why it should. A should do B because of C. A B Our student government should endorse the Bill of Rights C because students shouldn't be punished for their political views. February 26, 2013 Proposals have to focus on particular audiences, especially on people who can get something done. Identifying your potential audiences is critical to the success of any proposal. Start by showing that a problem needs a solution or that some need is not being met. Then make a proposal that addresses the problem or meets the need. To make a proposal to solve a problem or meet a need, first establish that a need or a problem exists. To Develop a Proposal: Cite some authorities and statistics to prove that the problem you're diagnosing is real and that it touches everyone likely to read your argument. February 26, 2013 Paint a picture of the need or problem in concrete and memorable ways. Show how the need or problem affects the audience for the argument as well as the larger society. Follow these Steps: Explain why the need or problem is significant. Explain why other attempts to address the issue may have failed. **Visit pages 383-384 for how to make a strong and clear claim. February 26, 2013 To be effective, proposals must be feasible--that is, the action proposed can be carried out in a reasonable way. Demonstrating feasibility calls on you to present evidence--from similar cases, from personal experience, from observational data, from interview or survey data, from Internet research, or from any other sources--showing that what you propose can indeed be done with the resources available. Be careful. If a proposal seems crafted to serve mainly your own interests, you won't get far.