English Composition

English Composition Study Guide

©2018 of 84 specific focus. The writing ends with a conclusion that summarizes the main points of the writing and leaves the reader with a clear understanding of where the author stands on the subject. While the author has a clear grasp on essay structure and basic argument presentation, he could benefit from improving his explanation and refuting the opposing argument. The writing begins with a rhetorical question in the hook when the author asks, “should they or should they not be shown on TV?” While rhetorical questions are sometimes a good way to hook a reader, asking a similar, yet stronger question could begin the writing with a more powerful, thought-provoking question before writing a bridge into the thesis. The author of the writing also understands the importance of using outside support to back up his argument, but doesn’t spend enough time providing an explanation to the reader as to how that outside source further proves his claim. The response lacks analysis after the use of outside sources, which is essential in a strong argument. The author also fails to acknowledge that many people believe that controversial content within PSAs helps to make a powerful point and change the behavior of people. The author should have conceded that there is another side to the debate, and then refuted why his point of view is still correct. On a global scale, the author is able to clearly present ideas to the reader and develop a logical argument. There are no logical fallacies, and the structure and form of the writing follows basic principles of writing. On a local level, the author could stand to improve his word choice. He says, “another quote from” in between his outside source documentation. This is a very weak signal phrase to use before a quotation. It is also repeated throughout the writing, which weakens it overall. The author should vary his diction and work to use stronger vocabulary to help further convince readers to see his point. Overall the author of this writing is able to create an adequate argument. He has a clear thesis, uses outside support to develop his claim, and structures the essay in a way that makes sense to the reader. Readers have a clear understanding of the topic and the argument the author provides, which means the writing is mostly successful. However, with just a few revisions to the writing the author could develop a more powerful argument, leaving a stronger impact on readers. Providing in-depth analysis to connect the outside sources to the thesis of the writing and refuting the opposing arguments would leave the reader feeling as if the argument presented were fully developed, and push them to agree with the author. These minor changes would enable the author to achieve his goal of convincing readers to agree with his stance that controversial PSAs should not be aired on television. Strong Response Analysis: The writing begins by clearly identifying the purpose and audience of the provided essay. The introduction outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the response it is critiquing, and develops those points further in the body paragraphs of the response. The author does a good job of elaborating on ideas within the body paragraphs. The author critiques the strengths and weaknesses of the provided text, using examples as support. The author also provides ample analysis and explanation for their opinion, making the writing stronger. The essay also uses academic vocabulary with words like “global issues” and “local issues” and it is clear the author knows how to structure a good writing and critique the writing of others. The essays concludes with specific suggestions for improvement, showing further analysis and critique. Achieve Page 76