Writing Assignment 5—Counterargument
Grady and Cable, Washington
and Du Bois
Winter 2013
Introduction
The previous
paper engaged secondary sources about Goethe’s Faust that reflected on
the extent to which Faust can be considered a positive character. Alberto Destro
argues that Faust, the character, participates in an “immoral ‘morality’” based
on values of individualism—that though he may be considered a “negative”
character when judged by conventional morality, he
becomes “positive” when evaluated according to the laws of action and progress
that he establishes for himself. This conception of individualism instigated
and situated the many declarations of independence that Professor Jarratt
analyzed in lecture, each of which performs action and
progress by reconstituting tradition.
While these
declarations rhetorically highlight the positive effects of individualism, our
subsequent readings complicate this ideal perspective by demonstrating the
negative effects of an individualized logic. They remind us that Faust’s
striving comes at the cost of others’ lives and well-being and that declarations of independence often foreclose upon the
rights of certain groups of people.
Your class
debate encouraged you to think in terms that go beyond easy “pro” and “con”
dichotomies. Humanistic study asks you to make original arguments that engage
your opponents and make even those who agree with them think about the subject
in a new way. You will be using your skills of definition, debate, rhetorical
analysis, and narrative analysis to present a counterargument that takes on
such a humanistic perspective.
Assignment
In this
assignment, you will explain why you agree or disagree with the main argument
in a specific passage from either Henry W. Grady’s “In Plain Black and
White” or Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Exposition Address.”
The passage
will be chosen by your section leader. Do not choose the passage yourself.
Steps in
the Process:
Begin by
carefully reading the passage several times.
Interpret the passage as containing
an argument. Paraphrase the main argument. Then state clearly what the
structure of the argument is. You should be able to identify premises (both
explicit and implicit), conclusions, and intermediate steps in the argument of
the passage.
Identify
the counterarguments that are made by each writer’s interlocutor. If writing on
Grady, articulate Cable’s counterarguments to the assigned passage; if writing
on
Evaluate both arguments—the
assigned passage and the interlocutor’s counterarguments. To do this, you can
use the list of logical fallacies in the section on "Logical Fallacies" and the strategies
discussed in the section on "Counterarguments" in the Writer's
Handbook.
Explain why, given your evaluation of both positions, you agree or disagree
with the claims being made in the assigned passage. Your response must counter the arguments made on
the opposing side and must provide your own reaction to the arguments
that you are evaluating. To integrate the parts of your essay together, you can
review the ways to acknowledge a counterargument in the section of the Writer's
Handbook on "Counterarguments."
A successful essay will do the following:
a) Demonstrate an understanding of the logical principles, types of arguments,
and logical fallacies at work in the assigned passage.
b) Offer a thorough "reading" of the argument in the assigned
passage, and its relationship to the counterarguments made by the opposing
author.
c)
Account for the rhetorical effects of the arguments you analyze and the ones
you develop.
d) Develop
a convincing thesis in the form of a thoughtful, clearly articulated
counterargument.
e) Offer
persuasive evidence and well-articulated warrants.
f) Produce a developing argument, where each paragraph is part of a progressive chain of reasoning.
The final essay should be 5-6 pages in length.