Project 2 Outline

In the following blog post I will write an outline with the help of Writing Public Lives.

When writing my rhetorical analysis, it is important to keep in mind that I am writing an analysis and not merely a summary. For my introduction, I should introduce and "focus the bulk of my writing on the text itself rather than on the general ideas about the issue that it addresses" (Minnix 122). I am analyzing why the author has crafted a successful argument, I am not analyzing the topic of that argument. My body paragraphs should focus on "one or two of the strategies" that I "feel are most essential to the persuasiveness of the text" (Minnix 124). I should try to avoid breaking each body paragraph up into each rhetorical strategy, as that doesn't lead so as successful of an essay.

OUTLINE
Thesis:

In the article "Why open architecture competitions are good for Architects, a counter argument" from the website ArchDaily, author Karen Cilento acknowledges counterarguments, appeals to values shared by her audience, and uses specific examples such as the Vietnam Memorial to convince her peers of the importance of architecture competitions and their positive impact on creativity and innovation in the workforce. Cilento successfully constructed an argument in which she appears credible; her understanding of her audience and acknowledgement of other's ideas strengthens her viewpoint into a convincing article.

Main Points:

• acknowledgement of counterarguments
• appeals to vales shared by her audience
• use of specific examples

Introduction:

• Background Information (Talk about architecture competitions, the pros and cons that are considered).
• Thesis

Body 1(acknowledgement of counterarguments):

• Context from Clogger

This text is a direct response to a blog post written by another author. This article is presented in a way that readers are expected to know the background of competition hiring in the architecture world.  This article was written in 2010 however architecture competitions are still thriving today, so her argument is not out of date.

• Author's credibility and background

Karen Cilento is from the greater New York City area and is an architectural designer for Marvel Architects. She is a graduate from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

• Credibility/character (author's public image)

 "they are a staple in our profession which pushes the field forward."

Body 2(appeals to values shared by the audience):

• Audience from Clogger

This article was posted on the website ArchDaily. Because of this, the intended audience is completely people involved in the architecture world as ArchDaily is a very specialized website. The author is trying to move the readers to feel a certain way, and it is understood that the readers are very familiar with the concept of architecture competitions and the controversy involved.

• cultural analysis from Clogger

The author believes that although competitions are demanding, and at times may seem unfair, they are "a staple in our profession which pushes the field forward." Key words used are competition, freeness, and idea.

• Credibility/character (uses visual arrangement)

• mention how website is strictly architectural (ArchDaily).

"in the hope that we can persuade and inspire you to keep listening to your instinctive competitive nature and keep compiling those entries."

"Hopefully, architects will not loose their motivation and will continue to see the value of the competition."

if we were purely concerned with the monetary side, few of us would be in the profession. 

Body 3(use of specific examples):

• logic from Clogger

"Without competitions to spur creativity, a young woman would have never submitted her graceful yet powerful black line…and we would be without the Vietnam Memorial"

"But, probably one of the greatest things about competitions is that they provide a way for the non-architect to relate to what we do.  Just take the competition for Ground Zero in New York."

The author uses arrangement of images/text and the use of specific examples such as the Vietnam memorial in Washington, DC as support for her argument. This establishes legitimacy and the examples help the readers agree with her argument as they can see examples of successful projects from architecture competitions.

Conclusion:

• Restate thesis in a new way, mention how the author used a unique format to knowing her audience (pictures)
• mention how author could write freely because her opinion isn't widely popular/unpopular with anyone.