ARCS p. 318 #2 & 3

2.) Through examining the speech delivered by Susan B. Anthony after being convicted of voting in the 1872 presidential election, I discovered example usages of the parts of discourse described in the chapter. Anthony begins her powerful speech by getting straight to the point. Her opening lines state:
Friends and fellow citizens: I stand before you tonight under indictment for the alleged crime of having voted at the last presidential election, without having a lawful right to vote. It shall be my work this evening to prove to you that in thus voting, I not only committed no crime, but, instead, simply exercised my citizen's rights, guaranteed to me and all United States citizens by the National Constitution,beyond the power of any state to deny.
This opening serves as a narrative, in which Anthony clearly states her issue as simply as possible. She also shows obvious favoritism towards her stance on the issue of women suffrage when she explains that it is her work to prove that voting as a woman is not a crime. I believe that Anthony’s narrative functions as a definitive narrative, because her argument is based on facts rather then the values of her audience. After offering facts and background information to support her case, Anthony concludes her case by claiming that all women are persons, and therefore should be given equal rights as citizens of the United States. In the peroration of her speech, Anthony also casts those who oppose women’s suffrage by stating, “Hence, every discrimination against women in the constitutions and laws of the several states is today null and void, precisely as is every one against Negroes.” By comparing those who discriminate towards women to those who discriminate towards African Americans, Anthony is portraying persons who disagree with her argument through a negative perspective. Anthony does not precede her narrative with an insinuation, nor does she include a partition in her argument. The absence of the insinuation in Anthony’s speech is likely because she did not feel that she was speaking to a hostile audience. I also believe that she did not include a partition because she is arguing one, clearly stated point. It seems that Anthony did not want to overcomplicate her speech. Therefore, her speech remains short, concise, and to the point. While the speech may lack some of the parts of discourse discussed in the chapter, I feel that she still argues her point effectively and provides a quite convincing case.



3.) I feel that Judith R. Shapiro arranges her arguments effectively in her editorial, “Keeping Parents Off Campus.” Since Shapiro is writing towards all readers of the New York Times, She must first introduce the topic of her argument in her introduction. Since many of her readers may not be college students or parents of college students, she then explains the situation she is addressing in detail. In her confirmation, Shapiro offers examples that describe her relation to the topic and why she is a reliable source of information. She then turns to addressing the reasons behind parents’ over involvement in their children’s’ college careers in the refutation portion of her editorial. Shapiro recognizes that not all of her readers hold the same opinions towards parents’ roles in the education of their children. Therefore, she addresses these differing viewpoints to emphasize the importance of allowing college students the freedom to grow and learn independently. Finally, Shapiro concludes her editorial by stating the positive outcome of adhering to her suggestions.
If Shapiro were writing towards the alumni of Barnard college, she would be addressing an audience with a greater degree of familiarity to the issue. Therefore, she would not have to begin her writing with a description of Barnard College in the fall because readers would have already experienced this situation first hand. Instead, she could include in her exordium a reminder of how things were when former students entered Barnard College. I do not feel that Shapiro would need to include an insinuation if she were writing to Barnard graduates, because these persons have already gone through the college experience and are not hostile towards the topic of parent involvement.

Exordium towards Barnard graduates:
Years ago, I joined our dean and faculty to welcome you and your families to Barnard campus as you prepared to begin your first year at our university. For many of you, it was a bitter-sweet moment, leaving behind your proud parents to begin new chapters in your lives. While your parents likely felt remorse at seeing you go, they also knew that they had to begin to let go and let you learn to live on your own. Just as parents of Barnard graduates once had to learn to let go, parents today must learn to back off.