Project 2 Outline

In this blog post, I will give a general outline for my paper for Project 2. This outline uses chapter 7 of Writing Public Lives as a guide to develop my ideas.

desenheroulquiorra, "Draw Sketch Design Outline Designer Paper Hand." May 2015 via Pixabay. Public Domain License.

"Sections of the Paper" in Writing Public Lives helped me understand the format and content of this type of rhetorical analysis a little better. The general outline of this essay, as described by this reading, is similar to that of other essays I have written in that there is a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the content of this essay is a bit different from other essays. One thing that really struck me was the fact that no two essays of the type will be the same, and thus each essay is going to be organized a little differently. For instance, the author of this section explains the role of the introduction by writing, "Instead of looking for one single way of introducing your analysis, it is more important to shape your introduction in a way that helps you achieve the goal or purpose of your analysis" (122). This really helped me understand that, as long as I have an analytical claim that I can back with evidence, the content of my essay really depends on what I feel is important to focus on. This holds true for the body of this essay too, since it will be more effective  to focus on a couple rhetorical strategies and provide ample evidence, rather than try to touch on every rhetorical strategy that is used. Finally, the conclusion should give the implications of my analysis, and explain why my analysis proves that the text is persuasive or not persuasive.

1. Introduction

In the introduction paragraph, I plan to give some background regarding the debate about 3-D printing in the medical field. This background will give a summary of both sides of the debate. I will then introduce the author of this essay, and explain his viewpoint on the issue. This contextual information will then be followed by the thesis statement.

2. Thesis Statement

My thesis statement is still being developed and edited, but the main point I want to argue is that the ethical and logical appeals the author of this article uses effectively persuade the audience. The thesis will look something like this:

In Jerome Groopman's article "Print Thyself," the author persuades his audience of the benefits of 3-D printing in medicine by using a series of personal narratives, referencing credible sources, and appealing to the audience's beliefs about the importance of scientific innovation. By predominantly using these ethical and logical appeals, Groopman effectively communicates his opinions regarding the subject, and persuades the audience of the legitimacy of this viewpoint.

Main Claim

As stated in my thesis statement, my main claim is that the author successfully utilizes a few ethical and logical rhetorical strategies to persuade this primarily scientific audience that 3-D printing is an essential tool in the field of medicine. This claim will be supported by the following body paragraphs.

3. Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraph 1: Audience

• Who is the audience?
• What does this audience believe?
• How the author appeals to this audience: Use example of keywords (challenge, achievement, etc.)
• This adds to the article's ethical appeal, especially due to the nature of the audience.

Body Paragraph 2: Personal narratives

• Point: Personal narratives add to the ethical appeal of this article
• Examples: Choose detailed examples and quote from the text. These examples should directly support the author's argument.
• This rhetorical strategy makes the author's point seem to be both ethical and logical, thus adding to the persuasiveness of the author's article.

Body paragraph 3: Credible Sources

• Point: The references to credible sources add to the ethical appeal of this text, and make the author's opinion more persuasive.
• Examples: These example should directly support the aforementioned point. I might choose to quote Jennifer Lewis, an expert in the field directly. Also, I might mention the author as a credible source, since he also uses his own research as evidence.
• This rhetorical strategy makes the author's point seem more legitimate, especially since this particular audience is more likely to be swayed by credible arguments.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion, the use of the aforementioned strategies are successful in persuading this particular audience of the author's point. I might use this paragraph to comment on things lacking from the author's argument (or do this in a separate paragraph prior to the conclusion). This could lead to a "so what" statement that comments on the importance of the rhetorical situation in determining the usefulness of particular rhetorical strategies. For instance, I might answer the question: How might the persuasiveness of this article change if the audience was not primarily composed of individuals of the scientific community?

Reflection

For this reflection, I read Evan's and Victoria's outlines. Both of their outlines are looking pretty good, and it was good to see that we all basically have the same format for our essay. However, I did learn that I have to draw a line between including too much information in my essay, and not enough information. There were parts of the outlines that I thought could use more information, simply because I am not familiar with the topics that my classmates are analyzing. On the other hand, there were other parts that were so well-developed that it seemed like it would be hard to fit all of that information into a 4-5 page essay. The amount of information to include in this analysis will definitely be a bit tricky for me, so I will have to pay special attention to that.