English Language Arts and Reading.8.9.G

The student is expected to

explain the purpose of rhetorical devices such as analogy and juxtaposition and of logical fallacies such as bandwagon appeals and circular reasoning.

author's purpose strand teks talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors' choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances.

Have students read several brief texts that include rhetorical devices, such as analogy and juxtaposition, and logical fallacies such as bandwagon appeals and circular reasoning. Students should discuss the purpose of each rhetorical device and how it adds to the effectiveness of the text. Observe and note whether students understand what the rhetorical devices are and the purpose of each.


Further Explanation

This SE requires students to recognize and describe how writers use specific constructions in phrasing, sentences, and example types to make their argument clear and relatable to the audience. This assessment focuses on rhetorical devices. Students should be able to consider the author's purpose and explain why particular devices are used.

rhetorical device that compares two dissimilar ideas or objects for the purpose of explaining or clarifying an idea; by making an analogy, a writer is able to explain one element by comparing it to another that is more familiar (e.g., “the effect of pollution in our environment is like that of a cancer in the body”)
a rhetorical fallacy that indicates a form of faulty reasoning used to appeal to the “everyone is doing it” mentality
a logical fallacy in which an assumption is made in a definition or argument that includes the very point that one is trying to prove (e.g., I love Mr. Johnson’s class because I’m always happy in there.)
Students should be able to recognize and describe how writers use specific constructions in phrasing, sentences, and example types to make their arguments clear and relatable to the audience. For example, authors might try to make their ideas or descriptions more relatable to an audience by including comparisons (through analogies) or contrasts (through juxtaposition). Students should consider the author's purpose and explain why the author chooses to use rhetorical devices such as these and what is the intended effect.
two or more words, phrases, or ideas placed close together in order to compare or contrast them for effect
an incorrect or problematic argument that is not based on sound reasoning; also known as faulty reasoning (e.g., sweeping generalization, circular reasoning, red herring, hyperbole, emotional appeals, stereotype, hasty generalization, etc.)

Research

1. Battersby, M., & Bailin, S. (2013, May). Critical thinking and cognitive biases. Paper presented at the Ontario Society for the Study of Argumentation Conference, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved from https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ossaarchive/OSSA10/papersandcommentaries/16/

Summary: The authors examine how reasoning and fallacies are easily embedded in writing. The article is an overview of a pedagogy that helps students to identify reasoning errors.

2.Composition Writing Studio. Argumentative essay/commentary. University of Purdue’s Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/05/

Summary: This online resource offers a complete overview of the writing processes and the components involved in each. The overview includes definition of terms, examples, graphs and charts as appropriate, and additional resources. 

3. VanDerHeide, J., & Juzwik, M. M. (2018). Argument as conversation: Students responding through writing to significant conversations across time and place. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 62(1), 67–77. doi:10.1002/jaal.754

Summary:  In this article, the author presents an instructional model that reconnects to the why of writing. The model of information reasoning requires students to learn how to make a claim, provide supporting evidence of that claim, and create additional examples of the claim through the use of analogies and stories. In this study, students were asked to write a letter in response to an ongoing conversation that was of particular importance to them. Personal experience helps to develop the students' ability to advocate for a position through writing. The approach requires scaffolding on argumentative writing instruction. This study includes multiple templates to guide the writing of the responses. This approach fosters the opportunity for students to participate in conversations that have a historical background. In doing so, students engage in topics of debate that have continued over time and in various spaces. Students are invited to participate in these discussions through their writing positions as arguing for or against a position.