English Assignment: Directed Critical Analysis
Answer the questions below as completely as possible. This assignment is NOT to be written as an essay. In fact, I will not grade it if it is. Use the "Sample Directed Critical Analysis" as an example for both appropriate format and appropriate level of detail.
This assignment is worth double the points for a regular assignment. Put in enough time to develop your answers well, check the models, and polish your writing. Points will be deducted for grammatical errors that interfere with the clarity of your ideas. Please use third person point of view. Don't forget to include paragraph numbers in parentheses for references.
Be sure to offer evidence from the article where appropriate. Write in complete sentences, and support your claims in well-developed paragraphs.
1. In one or two sentences state the thesis of the article (his conclusion).
2. In one or two sentences state the author's primary purpose in writing the article.
3. Outline the structure of the argument by listing the author's main reasons with corresponding evidence. Label the types of evidence, and include paragraph numbers. (Do not evaluate the quality of the evidence here. You will do that in question 4.)
4. Choose one of these two pieces of evidence to analyze and evaluate thoroughly.
a. In paragraph one and two, Jacoby gives several historical examples. Explain his purpose in referring to the Puritans and evaluate the effectiveness of this use of examples. (Is it a good example? Why or why not?)
b. In paragraphs 5 Jacoby says "Fifty-eight percent of all murders do not result in a prison term. Likewise 98 percent of all burglaries. Evaluate his use of statistics in this passage. (How relevant is this data to his argument for flogging?)
5. Choose one of these two pieces of evidence to analyze and evaluate thoroughly.
a. In paragraph 13 Jacoby gives statistics and authoritative testimony concerning violence in prisons. Evaluate the quality of this evidence and its relevance to his conclusion.
b. In paragraph 8 Jacoby makes several unsupported claims. Evaluate the validity of those claims.
6. Describe and evaluate the author's tone or persona in the article. What elements in the essay create this tone? Does the tone help or hurt the argument? Why?
7. Write a critical thesis for this article. (See Blackboard "page" 4 of week three for instructions and models.)