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ANALYSIS OF AN ARGUMENT

Examining models

ANALYSIS OF AN ARGUMENT

For a class assignment on rhetorical analysis, Matthew James Nance chose as his subject the award-winning feature article “Can’t Die for Trying” by journalist Laura Miller — who later would serve as mayor of Dallas. In the essay, Nance explains in detail how Miller manages to present the story of a convicted killer who wants to be executed to readers who might have contrary views about capital punishment. Nance’s analysis is both technical and objective. He does an especially good job of helping readers follow the argument of “Can’t Die for Trying,” a fairly long and complicated article.

Reading the Genre

Nance skillfully handles an important technical feature of many rhetorical analyses: quotations. Read this piece with a focus on the ways he introduces material from Laura Miller’s “Can’t Die for Trying.” Note how smoothly he merges her words with his and how strategically he introduces quotations to make or confirm his analyses.