A Checklist for Analyzing an Argument.
What is the writer’s claim or thesis? Ask yourself:
- What claim is asserted?
- What evidence is imagined?
- What assumptions are being made – are they acceptable?
- Are important terms satisfactorily defined?
What support (evidence) is offered ion behalf of the claim? Ask yourself:
- Are the examples relevant and convincing?
- Are the statistics (if any) relevant, accurate, and complete? Do they allow only the interpretation that is offered in the argument? [Logos]
- If authorities are cited, are they indeed authorities on this topic, and can they be considered impartial? [Ethos]
- Is the logic – deductive and inductive – valid? [Logos]
- If there is an appeal to emotion (e.g., if satire is used to ridicule the opposing view), is this appeal acceptable? [Pathos]
Does the writer seem to be fair? Ask yourself:
- Are counterarguments adequately considered?
- Is there any evidence of dishonesty or of a discreditable attempt to manipulate the reader?
- How dos the writer establish the image of himself or herself that readers sense in the essay? What is the writer’s tone, and is it appropriate?
