THE PW MODELPART 3 EVALUATION PROCEDURESIn developing your paper, you begin with your evidence and youconclude with your arguments, i.e., the statements that you are able toprove given the evidence you have available.In writing your paper, on the other hand, you begin by presenting thereader with your arguments and you conclude with your examples.In other words, a good argumentative paper consists of arguments thatmatch the examples or evidence you have available.It is possible to have a sound logical structure that fails because you lackthe appropriate evidence to support it. Your examples don’t match.It is also possible to have good pieces of evidence but a logical structurethat does not allow you to draw the correct conclusions from thatevidence.EVALUATIONAll “real” arguments are addressed to a specific audience. They aredesigned to answer a question that the audience has asked or wants tohave answered.An argumentative paper is designed to present arguments and reasonsfor that audience to accept your thesis, your answer to that question.You can use the same PW model that you used to write a paper of yourown to evaluate a paper that someone else has written. However, to dothis effectively, you need to reformat the essay in terms of our model.2STEP ONEIn evaluating an argumentative paper using the PW model, you alwaysbegin with organization, since it is the organizational structure thatconnects the argument and evidence to the thesis statement and thethesis to the question or topic.If the organization fails for one or both of the two reasons pointed outabove, the argument fails, regardless of how potentially “good” theevidence might be.If the organizational logic of a paper is sound, then you can go on toevaluate the development of the paper.STEP TWOThis step consists of two parts. First you evaluate the background of thearguments. Has the reader given you as the reader the facts andinformation you need to understand or make sense of his/her arguments?Second and most importantly, you must evaluate the relationshipbetween each individual argument and the evidence being offered tosupport it. Other things being equal, the strength of an argument rests onthe strength of its evidence.The strength of an example is based upon how well it matches theargument (e.g., it should not be too specific or too general) and its“objectivity,” the degree to which you, as the reader, are willing to acceptit as true or as a fact.NOTE: Our CT model will provide you with the specific tools you need tocheck the logic of both the organizational and the developmentalstructure of a paper.3REFORMATTINGAny paper written for our section of English 20 should not have to bereformatted before it can be evaluated. In fact, a paper that does notfollow formatting guidelines will be considered unacceptable.However, argumentative papers that were written by writers followingother models should always be reformatted before you try to evaluatethem. An essay that cannot be accurately reformatted using the followingoutline probably has problems with organizational and developmentallogic.However, before you can reformat an essay, you must determine itsgeneral type. Only argumentative essays can be reformattedfollowing our PW model.A. In an argumentative essay, the writer argues for a thesis statement thathe or she wants the reader to accept. In other words, the writer tries topersuade the reader to share his or her point of view or at least accept it asa reasonable position to hold. Argumentative essays attempt to providelogical reasons and explanations defending the writer's position or opinions.They are not simply statements of opinion.B. In an analytical essay, the writer tries to objectively analyze or describeone or more arguments often focusing on a specific question or topic.However, none of the arguments are those of the writer, and the writershould not make or imply any judgments of the arguments in question.Feature stories in newspapers and newsmagazines often take this form.Analytical essays are easily confused with argumentative essays, so becareful.C. Narrative or descriptive essays are objective, factual discussions of atopic or objective descriptions of events. Their purpose is to inform asopposed to persuade the reader so they do not follow the argument format.4SAMPLE OUTLINE OF ANARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYA. THESIS STATEMENT [BACKGROUND] B. Supporting Argument 1 Example 1 Example 2 C. Supporting Argument 2 Example 1 Example 2 C. Supporting Argument 3Example 1Example 2The thesis statement and supporting arguments must be stated as completesentences. Our model dictates that there should be a minimum of twosupporting arguments.The thesis statement should be placed at the top of the outline regardless ofwhere it is found in the original essay. However, the background sections, ifthere are any, and the arguments should be placed in the order in which theyoccur.If possible, the thesis and argument statements should be stated as they arepresented in the original essay. However, their logic may sometimes have to be5clarified or “tweaked” to fit into this format. But you should not distort themeaning or intent of the original.The supporting examples do not have to be stated as complete sentences.BACKGROUND sections usually go between the introductory paragraph and thefollowing arguments or before each argument. Most arguments require somebackground information, but it is not part of the argument as such, even thoughit may be of great importance in respect to the reader and the reader'sacceptance of the argument.A WORD OF CAUTIONThe general guidelines and rules stated in the PW and CT models aredesigned for use in English 20. They are not intended to be definitively oruniversally true or accurate. This is the reason they are called "models."In the "real world," there are many ways to write a paper and structurearguments. However, these are the sets of rules that we will be using inour course assignment this semester. They may or may not be familiar toyou or correspond to what you have been taught in the past.English 20 is designed to build upon what you have learned in 1A, notduplicate it. For this reason, we are just as concerned here with yourability to learn and apply a set of general rules to solve new sets ofspecific problems as we are with your "writing skills." (See Group A of theBerkeley model.) So you should not let your past
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