General Terms
Types and Examples of Claims
Wild Card: Rhetorical Device or Evidence?
Rhetorical Devices
Evidence
100
The author's attitude towards the subject s/he is writing about. Her attitude may fall under the broad categories of negative, positive, and neutral, but should always be described with a more specific word within that category, such as critical or optimistic.
What is tone?
100
A statement about whether something is true or untrue, but there must always be the potential for controversy and conflict. In other words, there must be two sides to it. In this sort of claim, the author is asking readers/listeners to THINK something. This type of claim often challenges stereotypes or social beliefs.
What is a claim of fact?
100
What has violence ever accomplished?
What is a rhetorical question?
100
The war was sucking up men and resources like some kind of demonic, destructive suction tube.
What is a simile?
100
This type of evidence often appeals to readers' emotions. It is convincing because it uses readers' feelings (pity, fear etc.) to persuade them to do something.
What is first-hand evidence (anecdotes and observations)?
200
An author or speaker uses this form of persuasion when he appeals to the audience’s reasoning and intellect by using the most convincing evidence, disproving the other side of the argument, and organizing the argument in a problem-solution or cause-effect manner. Every argument must use this form of persuasion in some way in order to be at all convincing.
What is logos?
200
a statement that evaluates the worth of something - it states whether that thing is good or bad and just how good or bad it is. In this sort of claim, the author is asking readers/listeners to THINK something.
What is a claim of value?
200
“Our bodies need darkness to produce the hormone melatonin, which keeps certain cancers from developing, and our bodies need darkness for sleep”
What is a fact?
200
If America’s soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read: Vietnam.
What is personification?
200
A commonly used type of first-hand evidence. These are very short narratives about the author’s own personal experience or the experience of someone the author knows. These are stories used as support for the claim.
What is an anecdote?
300
Greek for “character." Having to do with the author’s trustworthiness and credibility. Established both by who you are (reputation and credibility!), what you say (accuracy of information!), and how you say it (tone!).
What is ethos?
300
This type of claim provides a solution to an existing problem. In this sort of claim, the author is asking readers/listeners to DO something. This is also known as a CALL TO ACTION.
What is a claim of policy?
300
But now, when 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way, I worry we are rapidly losing night’s natural darkness before realizing its worth.
What is a statistic?
300
Surely this bond of common faith, this bond of common goal, can begin to teach us something. Surely we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our hearts brothers and countrymen once again.
What is anaphora?
300
Evidence accessed through research, reading, and investigation.
What is second-hand evidence?
400
Greek for “suffering” or “experience.” Speakers/authors use this form of persuasion to appeal to an audience's emotions. Authors who use this try to emphasize the experiences, values, and interests they have in common with their audience.
What is pathos?
400
Global warming is a serious issue, so we must cut back on our use of products and machinery that produce greenhouse gasses.
What is a claim of policy?
400
It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it's not the end of disorder.
What is a rhetorical device - parallel structure?
400
“In a world awash with electric light… how would Van Gogh have given the world his ‘Starry Night’?”
What is an allusion?
400
This type of evidence should never be the only type of evidence used to support a claim, because it only provides evidence that one or a few people did something or benefited from something.
What is an anecdote?
500
The emotions, ideas, and images most people associate with a word. This definition goes beyond the dictionary definition.
What is the connotation?
500
Women are better at communicating than men.
What is a claim of fact?
500
Violence against women is a stain on the moral character of a society, in any society in which it occurs.
What is a metaphor. It also happens to be the claim of Joe Biden's speech, "Combating Violence Against Women."
500
A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled, uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of the people.
What is antithesis?
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