Praise for Rafaella's Argument Essay!

            Rafaella’s Argument Essay (“Banning YA Books Argument Essay”) was effective and sophisticated. She achieved this “grown-up” tone in many ways.

            First of all, in order to get her point across effectively, Rafaella used a very sophisticated vocabulary. Some “power words” she used are: “…questionable…worrisome…intricate…daunting…gruesome…” and many others. A strong, mature vocabulary makes the reader look at the author on a whole new level. I never hear words like “daunting” come out of Rafaella’s mouth, and it really caught me off guard for a moment! Rafaella’s vocabulary helped create a sophisticated tone.

            Second of all, Rafaella’s use of statistics in her introduction made her seem professional, and brought our attention right to the text. She writes: “There was a daunting total of 307 challenged books reported in 2013, many of these being very popular and considered extremely touching.” We hang on to every word she writes after this, all the way to the conclusion. Statistics are like an attention grabber. Rafaella’s use of statistics makes her seem very professional.

            Lastly, Rafaella’s unique quote choices give her a personal tone. Rafaella consistently uses quotes that relate back to “the average American”-someone’s daily life. For example, “Mother Amy Freeman from Maryland agrees.” We associate ourselves with “Amy Freeman,” and therefore feel as if this essay relates to us, also. By doing this, Rafaella can secretly push her ideas into our brains without us knowing-a very smart technique. Quote choice can be an effective way to deliver your ideas.

            Overall, Rafaella’s essay was truly incredible. Her use of vocabulary, statistics, and quote choice made her seem very “grown-up.” I’ve noticed this sophisticated tone in lots of her writing, and I think it’s really great. I’m going to try to incorporate some of this maturity in my own writing. Personally, I disagree with Rafaella’s opinion (I believe that YA books should be free of all restraint), but the techniques she used to get her point across really swayed my views. I can easily tell why Rafaella’s argument essay was chosen as one of the “All-Star Argument Essays!” Good job!

Click here to see her Essay!!!

Non-Fiction Critical Analysis!!!

Sometimes, we’re shown someone’s opinion without even realizing it. However, other times, it is clear what the author(s) are trying to say. In “Packaging Boyhood” by Lyn Mikel Brown, Sharon Lamb, and Mark Tappan, and “Packaging Girlhood” by Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown, the authors get their points across very clearly. The authors use many techniques to get their points across.

First of all, the authors show statistics to clearly get their points across. Some statistics include: “These [inappropriate] tees account for 20 percent of T-Shirt Hell’s sales,” and “90 percent of sex education classes don’t cover [sex terms that kids soak in through the media],” and many others.  Based solely on these statistics, it’s clear to see that the authors are against the media and the stereotypes it produces. Statistics show that something was proven, and therefore their opinion has valid evidence. Statistics help the authors get their points across.

Second of all, persuasive language/loaded words help the authors get their points across. The authors use persuasive language such as: “questionable”, “phony”, and “unfair” to sway the readers’ opinions of the quotes or statistics towards their point of view. Words like “questionable” put us under the illusion that the source isn’t credible or doesn’t have truthful evidence. Words like “phony” and “unfair” just bluntly show us the authors’ opinions, which can still be an effective persuasion technique.

Lastly, the authors effectively use punctuation and text formatting (italicizing etc.) to their benefit. Examples of this include: “the way they choose contestants,” (“they” meaning the media) and “boys and girls are seen as “types” and often cruelly judged.” These techniques clearly show how the authors doubt or dislike the formatted/punctuated terms. They also let the reader in on the authors’ crafts, showing us their opinions. Punctuation and text formatting isolate key topics.

Overall, In “Packaging Boyhood” and “Packaging Girlhood,” the authors use many techniques to help get their points across. If we paid more attention to how we state our arguments, then maybe we’ll win our next disagreements!