Engl 1302
- Submitted by: arihewitt13
- Views: 892
- Category: English
- Date Submitted: 05/21/2010 08:06 AM
- Pages: 4
- Report this Essay
Arielle Hewitt 894wc
Engl 1302-3211
Analysis- Final Draft
HE SAID, SHE SAID
There is no true definition of what it means to be American. The American identity has changed drastically with time. In The Discovery of What it Means to be American (1959)” the author James Baldwin suggest that no ones knows the true sound definition of being an American.
A title is the first thing that audience will notice, so it should be an attention grabber right from the start. Titles too long or bland can lose your audience attention before they even read the first line. Baldwin's The Discovery of What it Means to be American is a strong attention grabber. It's direct and to the point, inviting the reader to want to discover what it means to be American.
A claim is the author's position on an argument. The claim should be strong, direct, and to the point so that the reader is clear on what the author is arguing for or against. Baldwin's claim in the article is, “No one in the world seems to know exactly what it describes, not even we motley millions who call ourselves America” (31). Baldwin's claim is weak because of its wording. Theres no doubt that the claim drives a good point but there can be too many implications with the way its worded. I would change the claim to, “No one in the world seems to know exactly what being American describes, not even we motley millions who call ourselves America”. Just by adding the word “America” to the claim gives it a whole new meaning than it had before. It helps strengthen his claim by giving the audience a clear definition of what his argument is referring to.
The opposition is another part of an argument it entails what the other side thinks of the argument. Baldwin clearly states his opposition as being that other “whites” are no more American than he is by definition of color(31). What he suggests is that color does not have much to do with an American identity. It is clear to Baldwin that with the American...
Engl 1302-3211
Analysis- Final Draft
HE SAID, SHE SAID
There is no true definition of what it means to be American. The American identity has changed drastically with time. In The Discovery of What it Means to be American (1959)” the author James Baldwin suggest that no ones knows the true sound definition of being an American.
A title is the first thing that audience will notice, so it should be an attention grabber right from the start. Titles too long or bland can lose your audience attention before they even read the first line. Baldwin's The Discovery of What it Means to be American is a strong attention grabber. It's direct and to the point, inviting the reader to want to discover what it means to be American.
A claim is the author's position on an argument. The claim should be strong, direct, and to the point so that the reader is clear on what the author is arguing for or against. Baldwin's claim in the article is, “No one in the world seems to know exactly what it describes, not even we motley millions who call ourselves America” (31). Baldwin's claim is weak because of its wording. Theres no doubt that the claim drives a good point but there can be too many implications with the way its worded. I would change the claim to, “No one in the world seems to know exactly what being American describes, not even we motley millions who call ourselves America”. Just by adding the word “America” to the claim gives it a whole new meaning than it had before. It helps strengthen his claim by giving the audience a clear definition of what his argument is referring to.
The opposition is another part of an argument it entails what the other side thinks of the argument. Baldwin clearly states his opposition as being that other “whites” are no more American than he is by definition of color(31). What he suggests is that color does not have much to do with an American identity. It is clear to Baldwin that with the American...