Class Six

Homework Review Discussion: (Suggested: 5 minutes)

What are some interesting examples of class that we found in “The Untold Lie”?

Class Discussion:(Suggested: 5-10  Minutes)

         New Concept:

• Setting: The geographic and social situation within which action occurs.

Group Work: (10 Minutes)

Find examples of setting in the story and talk about how it relates to play and class.

Mini-Lecture on Précis Drafts:

In this class, I may or may not note all of the writing issues in your work.

• This mirrors real professional life, where no one has the time to hold your hand every step of the way.

However, I will always, always mention the major issues that I am looking for in class, and talk about how to address them.

• It is your responsibility to fix both the issues that I point out as being wrong on your papers _and_ to correct the parts of your papers that do not meet the standards I discus in class (so good note taking is key!)

Here are some issues in today’s writing:

1. We should be citing every paragraph, and generally several times per paragraph, in MLA format.

2. Sentence Structure

3. Paragraph Structure

Let’s review what the precis _is_.

The Argumentative Précis (Pray-SEE): General Notes

• As you learned in Eh 124, the point of a précis is to detail a work for an audience that needs to know about a text without reading the entire document. 

• The goal is to inform the audience without “dumbing down” or oversimplifying the material.

• To complete this assignment, you will need to incorporate direct quotations from the story. You will do this to express points that are better articulated by the author than you yourself could articulate them.

• Do not use “I” anywhere in this piece.

The Argumentative Précis (Pray-SEE): Structure

• There are three simple parts to a Précis: Situation, Issue, and Thesis
• Each section should be titled as such. This is okay in a précis.

Part 1: The Situation

 

In your first section, you will be analyzing the situation of the writing. This may require some limited research (confined to the book).

You will answer all of the following questions to the extent you are able.

• What is the rhetorical situation for this piece of writing?

1. When (be specific) was the piece written, by whom, and for whom?
2. Who is the intended audience?
3. What would this audience’s educational background, age, nationality, likely be?
4. Where was the piece published? What kind of readership does (did) this publication have?
5. What do you know about the author?

• Sometimes you will be able to answer all of these questions. Other times, you will not.

The key is to think about how these things impacted the piece of writing. Give examples when possible from the text. _You always need to be citing!_

Other questions to addressed if possible:

1. What situation does the author address?
2. What is the specific event that prompted the writing?
3. What is the general purpose of this piece – is it to persuade, argue, suggest, evaluate, theorize, discuss, debate, or contribute to a discussion?

Think of your writing in this section as a kind of long introduction to your précis, as you are providing both context and purpose for the piece.

 

It will be about 3/4 of a FULL page long.

Part II: The Issue:

• In this section, you will be identifying issues (questions) the author answers in the piece that relate to income and play.

• Identify the major questions the author raises about the relationship between play and income as these concepts impact the life of a specific character (in this case, either Hal or Ray, one or another — not both).

• You will also need to define terms in this section. Any relevant term that would be either archaic or unfamiliar for a general reader should be defined here. You can do this with bullet points, but must write in complete sentences.

• This will be about 1/2 to 2/3rds of a full page.

Part III: The Thesis

 

• In this section, you will be thoroughly addressing the answers the author appears to be offering for the questions he raises about how income and play impact the life of a specific character (Stick with the same character you considered in the Issue section).

• Your goal here is to describe how the author explores these realities with specific details, and what it is he appears to say about them. This requires you to make an argument, which will begin with a THESIS and follow the TOULMIN STYLE argumentation format you learned in Eh 123/124.

Additional Notes:

• The document is a full three or four pages. This will be a detailed analysis and is not an abstract, book report, or anything of the kind

• This piece will challenge you both as a reader and writer, and will also force you to engage with the story in a way that many of you have never done before.

• The production of knowledge happens in relation to other knowledge. That is why it is important to understand context and to work to develop a deeper understanding of the texts we read. An exercise such as this will provide you with the tools to both analyze and then later produce knowledge, important skills regardless of your field.

Homework:

Revise Précis Draft for next class