Argument Analysis Essay Assignment
Objective: To summarize and analyze the effectiveness of two arguments presented in the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”
Directions: Read the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Then, write a three-paragraph essay (approximately 500 words) following the organizational pattern described below:
Paragraph One: Write a paragraph summarizing Nicholas Carr’s argument.
Paragraph Two: Write a paragraph summarizing Peter Norvig’s argument.
Paragraph Three: Write a paragraph explaining which argument you found more convincing and why. Be specific!
General Requirements:
1. Format your essay in standard MLA style (See the MLA format resources in the Unit 1 folder).
2. Organize your essay into three complete paragraphs of approximately 500 words total.
3. Provide specific details and quotes from both Carr and Norvig’s arguments to support your ideas. Any time you use the exact words from one of these authors, you must enclose them in quotation marks. Introduce your quotes with signal phrases such as Carr writes, or Norvig asserts, before the quotation.
4. Proofread carefully for grammar and spelling errors.
5. All essays must be typed and saved in Microsoft Word and submitted to the dropbox for the assignment as a .docx, .rtf, .pdf, or .odt file.
6. Only use the primary source (“Is Google Making Us Stupid?”) for this assignment. No secondary sources (websites, use of AI such as Chat GPT allowed). Any evidence that secondary sources have been used for the assignment may result in a disciplinary referral for academic misconduct.
Tips on Writing Your Argument Analysis
For paragraphs one and two,
1. Start by writing your topic sentence. Use phrases such as the following: Carr believes that…, Norvig argues that…, Carr would argue that…, Norvig insists that…
2. Cite evidence from the text using starter stems such as these: “Norvig states,” “According to Carr,”.
Explain the how/why of the evidence and how it connects to the topic sentence using one of the stems: “Basically, this means…,” “In other words,” “The point is, …”
3. Write out the concluding sentence. This sentence should summarize the author’s perspective on the topic.
For paragraph three,
1. Provide a topic sentence that states your opinion regarding which argument is more effective.
Use phrases such as “Ultimately, I believe ____’s argument is more convincing because ______.”
2. Explain methods used by the authors you found to be effective or ineffective. Provide specific details and quotes from each article to support your opinions.
3. Provide a concluding sentence that summarizes and reinforces your opinion of which argument is more effective.
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