Propaganda Analysis Zobel Fall 2008

Handout #2
The purpose:
This worksheet has several goals. First, it helps you—individually and as a group—identify
which parts of a standard persuasive essay are present or missing. Rather than just feeling or
thinking that those elements are there, this requires you to actually identify and indicate what
different elements in your draft are doing. Second, this worksheet encourages you to communicate
with your colleagues about what, exactly, you have written so far. While you may not all agree on
what you have written, you need to have some common ground. As a group, you also need to
become more aware of exactly what else is required of you to reach the goal: a completed
assignment. Third, comparing the standard model of a persuasive essay with what you drafted out
should give you a sense of how close your SFDs are to meeting the assignment.
It is vital to remember I do not expect your SFD to meet all or the majority of the criteria.
Instead, the entire purpose is to help you understand where you are with your writing—as an
individual and as a group—is so that you know what you need to do in order to meet your goal. If
you know what you are missing, if you know what you have, then it makes it easier to plan and your
work-flow is more efficient. Similarly, you are training your writing awareness to be more effective
and efficient in the future.
Directions:
1. Sit down with your group.
2. Take your group’s SFD and set it next to this work sheet.
3. Number each paragraph of your essay.
4. Go through each item on this list.
5. Look at your SFD, highlight or underline the element and LABEL IT (I, IA, IIB, and so on).
On the work sheet, write which paragraph the element is located in.
6. If the element is not present or your group cannot agree which element is there, write
MISSING on this section.

I. Introduction:

A.Get the readers attention by using a "hook."

B.Give some background information if necessary.

C.Thesis or focus statement.

II. First argument or reason to support your position:

A.Topic sentence explaining your point.

B.Elaboration to back your point.

III. Second argument or reason to support your position:

From: http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/persuasive_writing.htm
Propaganda Analysis Zobel Fall 2008
Handout #2
A.Topic sentence explaining your point.

B.Elaboration to back your point.

IV. Third argument or reason to support your position:

A.Topic sentence explaining your point.

B.Elaboration to back your point.

V. Opposing Viewpoint: (This is optional, however highly recommended, so that the

reader will know you have considered another point of view and have a rebuttal to it.)

A.Opposing point to your argument.

B.Your rebuttal to the opposing point.

C.Elaboration to back your rebuttal.

VI. Conclusion:

A.Summary of main points or reasons

B.Restate thesis statement.

C.Personal comment or a call to action.

You should now have a solid idea about which elements are missing from your paper, what
you need to develop, and where you need to gather specific and supporting evidence.
Many students write and turn in their work without checking their work against the
assignment, expectations, or grading criteria. This is akin to dropping a fifty dollar bill on the
sidewalk and hoping that the PG&E person sees it, picks it up, and applies it to your power bill. If
you want to succeed, you must have a vibrant, clear, and focused picture and understanding of what
your goal is. If you do not know what the goal is, you cannot map your course there. No map = no
plan = poor grade.
From: http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/persuasive_writing.htm