Project 2 Outline

In this post I will be writing an outline that hopefully will make my draft of project two easy to put together when the time comes. At least this is the goal. Fingers crossed that it'll work out that way. I will be analyzing and using the advice from the Writing Public Lives reading. 

Rogers, Eric Allix "I have a plan (187/365)" 01/28/09 via flickr.
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I was able to actually learn a lot from this reading about how I should be approaching this essay. The introduction advice was pretty much what I was used to. In my past writing I have been told to use background info in the introduction, but the text's comprehensive advice on using the intro to "set up [my] particular perspective or reading of the text" was interesting to me (122). I think that thinking about the introduction in this way will help me to keep the needs of my audience in mind. The introduction should basically be background knowledge and claims that lead into my thesis, The Claim of my whole essay. This thesis needs to be in depth and is vital to developing my analytical claim. Something I have a hard time with sometimes is remembering to make sure that the argument is debatable. But looking back at my thesis statement, I did make sure that my claim was debatable, and I will be supporting this claim with good reasons from the text. These reasons come in the form of my analysis of the authors use of rhetoric and what techniques they use to achieve the goal of their article. The body of my essay will have to drastically change from high school. In previous years, I have been encouraged to use the general 1. ethos, 2. logos, 3. pathos essay structure. I know that this is a pretty lame way of doing it, but in high school I was just trying to get the essay done and not worrying about how interesting the structure was. But I realize as the reading said in its tips, I will have to go "beyond simply stating the strategy" and into a different structure (124). The conclusion will be yet another deviation from high school, in that I won't be just giving a summary of my essay. However from previous assignments in 109H I have adapted to using the conclusion to "consider the text as a part of an ongoing conversation" as the reading suggests (125). In my outline, I will have to keep all of this information in mind in  order to create a final project that keeps my audience engaged. 



Particular rhetorical situations are important to this article specifically. I need to make sure to mention the identity of the author, but also since it is only abstractly important to the article I don't want to dwell on it. However what is very important to the text is the author's familiarity with her audience and their cultural values based on the time and place of the article's publication. She draws on the fear of manipulation in the present American public, and she uses it to appeal to all of the rhetorical strategies in a way. 

I am going to include all three of the rhetorical strategies of ethos, pathos, and logos, because I think they all play off of each other in developing the author's claim. However I will be showing that pathos is used more as a gateway to logos than anything else in this article, as in ethos. For example her use of emotional appeal just makes her case that her claim is logical more prominent. 



Below is my outline of my plans for Project 2:


1. Introduction 

     2. Mention that Robin Williams dying led to this particular article.

     2. Quick background on Koko the gorilla

     2. Mention that the author is from the US and therefore is aware and utilizes the cultural values of      the Americans she is writing for. 

         3. State the values of Americans and the implications these have for the author and the text.

         3. Reference manipulation in the media

     2. Thesis: Draw on evidence listed in the intro to cohesively wrap up the author's goals and 
     techniques, as well as her overall effectiveness. 
 In her article "What Do Talking Apes Really Tell Us?", Jane C. Hu emphatically                     claims Koko the gorilla's communication to be over-exaggerated and shaky at best, and               strives to make her audience reanalyze what they have previously been told about Koko's "genius". By providing layers of evidence and playing on the modern American fear of           manipulation, Hu effectively convinces her reader that her claims are the logical truth                 and that their preconceptions were the result of word twisting and human weakness for               implausible whimsy. 


1. Body Paragraphs 

     2. Context of the article and author's understanding of culture (Ethos and Pathos)

          3. American author addressing Americans
                   4. Knows about the fear of manipulation and the corruption seen in America
                   4. Establishes herself as sharing the same values and thereby gains credibility
                           5. Quote about Patterson's manipulation and quote about empathy education 

     2. Understanding of audience in the techniques she uses (Logos) 

          3. Transcript of Koko's chat
                  4. Hard to ignore the evidence
                  4. Hu scathingly addresses Patterson's manipulation and twisting of words
                  4. Appeals to logical side with how she builds her claim then drops transcript on reader
                  4. Scientific topic (slightly scientific audience) means logical claims will be effective

     2. Analytical Claim: How the author effectively utilizes the context and values (Logos Ethos                Pathos)

        3. Through all of this she just wants the audience to doubt themselves
                4. Presents facts and evidence and establishes credibility to make her case
                4. Effectively does this with her understanding of audience and insight into American                           values and beliefs


1. Conclusion

     2. Implications of the analytical claim and effectiveness, restate thesis

           3. Hu understood what needed to be accomplished and twisted the reader to get there
                 4. She addresses the manipulation to get her audience to believe her and turn against                            Patterson, but ultimately it was manipulation on her part that convinced her audience of                        her claims.
                 4. Recognizes Patterson's effective techniques then uses them to make a case against her
                       5. Tricky tricky Jane C. Hu, clever clever



REFLECTION

After reading Joki and Grace's outlines, I saw that we all had very different ways of addressing the information. Grace seemed to have her essay almost already written, which I'm sure will come as a great relief to her in the drafting stage. Joki said that she felt a little unsure of what she was wanting to say, but I think this just emphasizes the importance of the planning process. Even though we may feel unsure now, all of this planning will help us to have confidence in our final piece.