One-Paragraph Critical Analysis Argument English 9 Team

Vocabulary TermSynonymDefinition TaskPromptWhat you must respond to in writing Primary Claim TopicThe statement that must be able to be argued and must require defense through evidence; a thesis statement is the writer’s main claim Secondary Claim SupportOne of three statements you make to support your primary claim EvidenceExampleAn example from the text to support your claim ReasonAnalysisYour explanation of how your evidence/example proves your claim; must be based on more than personal preferences or opinions—demand evidence, information, and logic

Analyze the Task/Prompt Explain the personality of Kay.

Claim/Topic Sentence Includes title and author, and addresses the topic. In The Sword in the Stone, by T. H. White, the author illustrates Kay’s personality.

Three Supports One paragraph of analysis requires three supports that include a secondary claim, a specific piece of evidence/example from the text and your reason/analysis. Ideas for the support might include Needs to be the leader Seeks attention Shows jealousy Is emotional Can be kind

First Support One important aspect of Kay’s personality is that he seeks leadership. Provide a reason of how this character trait is displayed; include specific evidence. When someone suggests an activity, the person who wants to lead will step in. Wart suggests hawking with Cully, but Kay insists on carrying Cully.

Provide Specific Evidence For instance, Wart is feeling adventurous and suggests taking Cully out hawking. At first Kay is against the idea, because... When Wart convinces Kay to go along, Kay insists that he be the one…. Use Transitions!

Give the Reason White illustrates that Kay seeks opportunities to be a leader. He does not want Wart to be the one to hold the goshawk or initiate another good solution. White portrays Kay as one who needs to be the center of attention. Give a reason why your evidence supports your claim.

Second Support Choose something other than the need for leadership Jealous / Emotional / Passionate / Kind Provide two or three sentences explaining the next idea Provide evidence from text Give a reason—analyze that example

Third Support Choose a third idea from the original list Jealous / Emotional / Passionate / Kind Provide two or three sentences explaining this idea Provide evidence from text Give a reason—analyze that example

Transition Sentence This is an optional sentence that can serve as a bridge between your third support and the concluding statement.

Concluding Statement Wrap up the paragraph Connects all the claims and evidence Shows how they support the argument presented in the paper No new ideas Relate to the opening sentence! The various traits of Kay’s personality are clearly illustrated throughout the text.

Organization How the information and ideas are arranged within the document in general and the paragraphs and sentences in particular Should be organized to best support the claims made.

Organization When you are writing, what is the “meat” of your argument? a) Claim b) Evidence c) Reason

Organization You should sandwich your evidence with your secondary claims and reasons—and these should always connect back to your primary claim Secondary Claim Evidence Reason

Example #1 In The Sword in the Stone, by T. H. White, the author illustrates Kay’s personality. One important aspect of Kay’s personality is that he seeks leadership. Another aspect is that he is very passionate. The last part is that he can be very kind. For example, when they go hunting, Kay insists that he be the one to carry Cully. This shows leadership. Another example is when he gets angry that Cully flew away, showing his passion and temper. A final example is when Kay shows he’s happy that Wart is returned, which shows he can be kind. Poor Organization Doesn’t following claim- evidence-reason pattern.

Example #2 In The Sword in the Stone, by T. H. White, the author illustrates Kay’s personality. One important aspect of Kay’s personality is that he seeks leadership. For example, when they go hunting, Kay insists that he be the one to carry Cully. Another time is when Kay says they should fly Cully even though Wart is worried. A third time is when Kay loses Cully and decides that should go back. These all show that he’s a leader. Poor Analysis/Reason Gives secondary claim and lots of evidence, but doesn’t analyze it.

Example #3 In The Sword in the Stone, by T. H. White, the author illustrates Kay’s personality. One important aspect of Kay’s personality is that he seeks leadership. For instance, when Wart suggests they take Cully out hawking, Kay is against the idea. Wart convinces Kay to go along, Kay insists that he be the one to carry Cully. This shows he is a leader. Poor Analysis/Reason Gives secondary claim and evidence, and starts to explain it--but doesn’t fully analyze this.

Example #4 In The Sword in the Stone, by T. H. White, the author illustrates Kay’s personality. One important aspect of Kay’s personality is that he seeks leadership. For instance, Wart is feeling adventurous and suggests taking Cully out hawking. At first Kay is against the idea, because he thinks it is too wet for hunting rabbits and is happy that he “caught” Wart making a mistake. When Wart convinces Kay to go along, Kay insists that he be the one to carry Cully. White illustrates that Kay seeks opportunities to be a leader. He does not want Wart to be the one to hold the goshawk or initiate another good solution. White portrays Kay as one who needs to be the center of attention. A+

Example #3 In The Sword in the Stone, by T. H. White, the author illustrates Kay’s personality. One important aspect of Kay’s personality is that he seeks leadership. For instance, Wart is feeling adventurous and suggests taking Cully out hawking. At first Kay is against the idea, because he thinks it is too wet for hunting rabbits and is happy that he “caught” Wart making a mistake. When Wart convinces Kay to go along, Kay insists that he be the one to carry Cully. White illustrates that Kay seeks opportunities to be a leader. He does not want Wart to be the one to hold the goshawk or initiate another good solution. White portrays Kay as one who needs to be the center of attention. Secondary Claim #1 Evidence #1 Analysis/ Reason #1 Primary Claim

Outline I. Primary Claim I. Secondary Claim #1 I. Evidence #1 II. Analysis/Reason #1 II. Secondary Claim #2 I. Evidence #2 II. Analysis/Reason #2 III. Secondary Claim #3 I. Evidence #3 II. Analysis/Reason #3 II. Concluding Statement

Transitions Take out transition sheet Circle 5 that you feel comfortable using (you also understand what they mean)