In Class Lab: Analyzing an Argument

Bethany's Paper

1. What is the claim?
a. The main point the reader is trying to make is that it is important to maintain the health of your teeth.
b. There is a clear thesis that describes the consequences of not taking care of your oral hygiene properly, and later describes in detail the two sub-topics of the essay; "causes of and how to avoid oral calamities."

2. What support does the writer offer for the claim?
a. How to avoid oral calamities; picking the right toothbrush, comfort of brush, head size
Causes of oral calamities; consequences of hard bristled toothbrushes, Gum disease
b.soft bristled is most effective, receding gums, exposed roots, source describing the consequences of a hard- bristled toothbrush
c. The reasons are well supported with relevant information from reliable sources from many dental backgrounds

3. How evenhandedly does the writer present the issues?
a. In the third paragraph, she discusses the counterargument of hard bristles dong a better job, then she goes into a rebuttal. She does another counterargument towards the end of the paper when she writes; "Many people say that it takes too much time, effort, and finances to determine what type of toothbrush is the best for them and then to actually find one." She then connects this counterargument personally, and then rebuttals using relevant data to further support her decision.
b. She acknowledges the counterarguments, but uses them to support her position by giving stronger information
c. The writer respects the other arguments, but also makes her position look more positive as it contains stronger support based arguments.
d. The writer is specific to each argument as she backs up her statements with relevant and specific information from her sources

4. What authorities or sources of outside information does the writer use?
a. The writer integrates her sources to strongly emphasize her statements by describing their credibility along with specific information to support such as; "Dentist Caitlin Batchelor from Virginia explains that brushing with a hard bristled toothbrush bites and chews away at the user's enamel, which is a kind of shield against cavities, bacteria, and gum disease.
b. The sources used are all relevant and credible, as they are all either from dental websites or quoted from dentists themselves.
c.Yes, all are within the last three years of publication

5. How does the writer address you as the reader?
a. Yes; the topic is simple and is something that everyone can relate to
b. The author doesn't include the reader directly, merely describes using phrases like "one should", or "people in general"
c. Yes; As I read the counterargument for soft-bristled toothbrushes, what she wrote was exactly my thought process and I felt I connected with her position in that moment.


Anthony's Paper

1. What is the claim?
a. There is no clear claim that relates to the title of this essay. The main point may be that it is important to manage stress?
b.There is an implied thesis. Again, since I did not see a clear statement, I have nothing to really correlate it to.

2. What support does the writer offer for the claim?
a. education; physical and mental, managing healthy stress levels, meditation.
b. Statistics throughout, quotes form scientific studies and one from a teacher.
c. The reasons are plausible and sufficient to support his position.

3. How evenhandedly does the writer present the issues?
a. There are two counterarguments that are addressed and rebutted positively
b. Acknowledges them and reasonably responds supporting his belief
c. The writer respectfully discusses other points of view and describes his own position to coincide with them
d. The writer is specific with multiple quotes and statistics to back up his claim

4. What authorities or sources of outside information does the writer use?
a. The writer uses relevant sources such as psychologists, educators, and meditation study results to support his claims
b. The writer includes the reader by using phrases like "one of the primary ways of helping us navigate..."
c.  I can relate to the author's beliefs and position on this subject because the way he presented the information made me re-asses what I previously thought and opened my mind to other ideas