I.

Rhetorical situation:
- Inform: give information. (academic)
- Argue: make readers agree/disagree. (academic)
- Urge action: take action. -> rhetoric

- Nothing is purely informative.

- Proceed in steps.
o Exigency: event motivates you to do something.
o Context: time/space.
o Audience.
o Purpose.
 Effecting the structure + language of the essay.

- Argumentative techniques: Evidence (statistics, quotations, examples), concession, refutation,

ethos, logos, pathos, pronouns, word choice, ...

II. Common Sense:

- Context: Before the DoI.
- Purpose: Encourage the citizens to go to the war.
- Audience: Everyone in the thirteen colonies.
- Language: plain -> explain difficult concepts to ppl = common sense and plain language -> to
spread further. Prove that going to war is just right – common sense (don’t need complicated
language).
- Prove:
o The just defines war (justified war) -> willing to fight for it.
o I will win the war. Possibility of winning.
o The future: democratic? What to do after the war.
 Convince ppl what is the right thing to do.
- Society promotes happiness by uniting us. Government is evil, restrains us.
- Reference to the bible (“Government, like dress… lawgiver”).
- Techniques: compare, contrast, simile, evidence (from the authoritative bible), strong word
choice, classification -> elimination, refutation, concession, analogical reasoning, pronoun
(“You”: make it more personal, involve audience, demand attention/participation, evoke
emotions), rhetorical Question (involve audience, evoke emotions)
- Language: vivid, concrete. Family, private, personal losses  establish pathos
- Masculine talk up
- Ethos: credibility, evoke a sense of responsibility, desire for glory
- Emotional: exclamation, appeal to love, to emotions, imperative structure, personification
(feminine qualities, female victim)

III. Previous Essay:

- criteria
- judgement
o how well the essay fulfils your criteria.
 o critique.
o both good and bad points.
o objective, evidence-based, explanation.
- Thesis Statement vs Statement of Purpose vs Research Questions:
o Thesis: answer
o Purpose: intention
- Improving topic sentences/thesis statements -> give me sth to argue for.
- Common criteria.
- Conclusion: Summarize main ideas. If the end (of the essay/ paragraphs) is clearer, put it at the
beginning.
- Better paragraphing: A new idea -> A new paragraph.