Project 2 Outline

The section from Writing Public Lives was more helpful for some sections than others, but there were some helpful tips for all of the sections of the paper.

It is always helpful to remember though that a thesis "...will need to be two things...debatable... [and] supportable (Minnix, 122)." When I'm writing the body paragraphs, I will need to focus on using "strong textual evidence to back up your focus or supporting arguments (Minnix, 124)." Especially in a rhetorical analysis, it is important to directly quote and reference the text that I am analyzing. I think the most important part of the conclusion is to "consider the text as part of an ongoing conversation (Minnix, 125)." A lot of what was said in the chapter was important to keep in mind when writing a rhetorical analysis. The quotes that I chose were mostly things that I need to pay the most attention to when I'm writing my essay.

Image by MIT OpenCourseWare. "A Cube Outline." Uploaded 9/12/07 via Flickr.
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. 

Introduction

• Background Information
• Introduce the Adrain Peterson controversy
• Refer to who Samakow's intended audience is
• Thesis
• "In having an audience that is somewhat aware of her topic, Samakow is able to go right into analysis without having to provide a substantial amount of background. As a result, she is more able to freely explore all of the intricacies of the controversy while providing her audience proper evidence and reasoning to support her stance and beliefs."
• I like this thesis, so I plan to at least start my paper with it. As I get further into writing my paper, I might find that I need to modify it somewhat. 

Body Paragraph 1

• Author/Credibility
• Might be a good place to do more research on Jessica Samakow
• Add in some points about the article's ethos
• This paragraph might be hard to find textual support for, but I think it is important to mention the author's credentials and how they affect her argument. 
• Conclude with how the author relates to her audience
• She writes for a parenting magazine. Is she a parent herself? Would that help her better connect with her audience?

Body Paragraph 2

• Audience and Purpose
• Firstly, who is the target audience and how do we know?
• What is Samakow trying to make her audience think/feel/believe?
• Provide quotes that show how she manipulates her readers 
• "The sad irony is that the more you physically punish your kids for their lack of self-control, the less they have. They learn how to be controlled by external forces (parents, teachers, bosses), but when the boss isn't looking, then what?"
• How effective is her argument at doing that?
• Conclude with how something as analytical as a statistic can change the reader's argument around. Relate to how they affect a reader's emotions. 

Body Paragraph 3

• Statistics
• Start with the shocking statistic 
• "81 percent of 1,000 adults polled believe spanking with a hand should be legal, and almost half think it's an effective form of punishment.
• Discuss how this statistic is meant to shock and horrify readers. 
• Then mention, while most statistics are a good way to provide evidence, if use improperly, they can damage an argument
• Then go to the statistic that somewhat undermines the argument
• "Eighty-eight percent of those whose parents used corporal punishment, but only 69 percent of those whose parents did not, said spanking with the hand should be legal."
• Conclude with how important it is to use statistics that will benefit the argument and back up whatever claim is being made. 

Body Paragraph 4

• Expert Opinion
• Because she isn't a scientist or psychologist, Samakow needs to cite statistics and research that has been done by someone else
• Elizabeth Thompson Gershoff
• Tulane University Researchers
• Sandra Graham-Bermann
• Sarah Kovak
• Child Abuse and Neglect and Pediatrics Journals
• CNN
• Stacy Drury
• Can pull quotes from any of the cited sources to show how she uses their data to form and support her argument. 
• Conclude with what expert research shows about the both her argument and the topic as a whole. 

Conclusion

• In general, Samakow used the rhetorical strategies successfully for the rhetorical situation that surrounds her article. 
• This argument will probably never be fully resolved.
• Even though there is ample evidence that physical punishment is harmful, some parents will do what they think is right regardless of what anyone else says.
• Should parents' pride be able to affect their children in such a negative way?
• Finish with a sentence that spreading awareness and maybe further research could help convince more parents to find alternate ways of discipling their children.

Reflection:

Kelly wrote an amazing outline that will help her a lot in her drafting process. Putting so much effort into her outline will pay off when most of the rest of us are spending hours upon hours writing our drafts. 

Dylan and I both wrote our outlines mostly for our own use. While they might not make a lot of sense to anyone else, they will still serve as a map of where we want our essays to go.