Short Writing Assignment #5: Analyzing another Writers Analysis

Short Writing Assignment #5: Analyzing another Writer’s Analysis

Just as we began our work on narrative writing by looking at a variety of published narratives, we have been looking at a variety of analyses this week. Indeed, one of the best ways to come to understand a genre of writing is to analyze samples—identify the conventions that are evident in that kind of writing—so that we can better understand genre expectations as we write our own.

With that in mind, this short writing assignment asks you to analyze another writer’s analysis: “Why Pharrell’s ‘Happy’ Has Grabbed the Nation” by Eamonn Forde (221). You will begin by reading the essay, making notes about the text. Then, you will think about the “Thinking about the Text” questions that follow it. Once you have some foundational ideas about the text and how you might analyze it, you will work on your own analysis.

For your analysis, write out your own notes for each of the following tasks:

1. Identify Forde’s central claim about the appeal of “Happy” for its contemporary American audience. Provide at least two specific passages that make this claim.

2. Describe the secondary claims and evidence Forde uses to support that central claim. Provide at least two specific passages to illustrate his use of evidence.

3. Explain how Forde establishes ethos (authority and credibility) in the analysis. Point to at least one specific passage in which he presents himself as a qualified author.

4. Explain how Forde uses pathos (appeals to the reader’s emotion) in his essay. Point to at least one specific passage in which he seems to address the audience.

5. Evaluate the effectiveness (and, if you are familiar with the song, the accuracy) of Forde’s analysis of “Happy.”

Compile your answers in a Word document and post it through the assignment link in Moodle.