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As you read the selections in this chapter, you will see how different writers argue for an evaluation:

Analyzing how these writers present their subject, assert and justify their judgment, respond to alternative viewpoints, and organize their writing will help you see how you can use these techniques to make your own evaluations clear and compelling for your readers.

Determine the writer’s purpose and audience.

Although writing a review usually helps writers better understand the criteria they use when making evaluations, most writers also hope to influence people as well. As you read the evaluations that follow, ask yourself questions like these:

What seems to be the writer’s main purpose?

What does the writer assume about the audience?

Assess the genre’s basic features.

As you read the evaluations in this chapter, consider how different authors make their evaluations helpful and convincing. The examples that follow are taken from the reading selections that appear later in this Guide to Reading.

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A WELL-PRESENTED SUBJECT

Read first to identify the subject of the review, which is often named in the title (for example, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: A Hell of a Ride”) and described briefly in the opening paragraphs. Look also to see how the writer classifies the subject in terms of its genre. Here’s an example from the first reading selection in the chapter, by student William Akana:

From start to finish, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World delivers intense action in a hilarious slacker movie that also somehow reimagines romantic comedy. (par. 1)

Even if readers don’t recognize the title, Akana makes clear that the film he is reviewing combines elements of three different kinds of movies (or subgenres), so readers can determine whether he is using appropriate criteria, as you will see in the next section.

Knowing the genre is also important because readers need different kinds of information for different genres. For example, most readers of film reviews want to know what the story is about but do not want to know how it turns out. Film reviewers, therefore, try not to give too much plot detail, as you can see in this concise plot summary from Akana’s essay:

Pilgrim’s life takes a dramatic turn when he falls in love with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who is, quite literally, the girl of his dreams. However, he soon discovers that Ramona’s former lovers have formed a league of evil exes to destroy him, and he is forced to fight to the death to prove his love. (par. 2)

A WELL-SUPPORTED JUDGMENT

Identify the judgment the writer asserts, and determine whether the reviewer thinks the subject is good or bad, better or worse than other things in the same genre. Typically, writers announce their judgment in a thesis statement early in the evaluation. Below are a couple of sentence strategies typically used for thesis statements in evaluations, followed by examples from reviews in this chapter:

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Examine the thesis to see whether the writer asserts an overall judgment and also note the features of the subject that are being praised or criticized and the reasons supporting the judgment. Finally, consider whether the reasons are based on criteria you would expect to be used for evaluating something of this kind. For example, one of William Akana’s reasons is that the film uses “special effects” that are “inventive.” To support this reason, he devotes two paragraphs to detailing some of the film’s special effects. He also gives examples of “video-game-like gimmicks” such as “gamertags,” describing them and also providing a screen shot to show what they look like (par. 3).

Consider the types of evidence provided, such as examples and visuals, and whether the writer cites sources by quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing source material. Also notice whether the writer uses a signal phrase to identify the source and establish its credibility.

A businessman laments that he no longer has colleagues at work. He doesn’t stop by to talk; he doesn’t call. He says that he doesn’t want to interrupt them. He says they’re “too busy on their e-mail.” But then he pauses and corrects himself. “I’m not telling the truth. I’m the one who doesn’t want to be interrupted. I think I should. But I’d rather just do things on my BlackBerry.” (Turkle, par. 2)

How writers treat sources depends on the rhetorical situation. Certain formal situations, such as college assignments or scholarly publications, require writers to cite sources in the text and document them in a bibliography (called a list of works cited in many humanities disciplines or a list of references in the sciences and social sciences), as we can see in Akana’s essay. In writing for a general audience — blogs and newspaper articles, for example — readers do not expect references to appear in the article, but they do expect sources to be named and their credentials to be identified in a signal phrase.

Notice also whether the reviewer uses comparison and contrast. Malcolm Gladwell, for example, sets up his evaluation of the ranking system used by U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” guide by comparing it to the system used by Car and Driver magazine. Similarly, Emily Nussbaum compares and contrasts Game of Thrones with other programs to support her judgment:

Like Mad Men, Game of Thrones is elementally concerned with the way that meaningful consent dissolves when female bodies are treated as currency. (par. 8)

Artistically, Game of Thrones is in a different class from House of Lies, Californication, and Entourage. (par. 10)

AN EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO OBJECTIONS AND ALTERNATIVE JUDGMENTS

Notice how the writer responds to objections to the argument or to alternative judgments readers might prefer. Writers may concede (accept) or refute (argue against) alternatives, providing a transition or other cues to alert readers.

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The basic structure of a concession is:

The basic structure of a refutation is:

A CLEAR, LOGICAL ORGANIZATION

Read to see if the reviewer provides cues to help readers follow the logic of the argument. Notice, for example, if the reasons are forecast in the thesis or elsewhere in the opening and, if so, where they are brought up again later in the essay. Here are examples from William Akana’s film review:

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World can be appreciated and enjoyed by all audiences because of its inventive special effects, clever dialogue, and artistic cinematography and editing. (par. 2)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World shines bright with superb special effects that serve to reinforce the ideas, themes, and style of the film. (par. 3)

Another strong point of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is its clever and humorous dialogue. (par. 6)

The best attribute by far is the film’s creative cinematography and editing. (par. 7)

Also notice how the writer uses logical transitions— such as because to introduce reasons and another to indicate the next reason in a list.

Finally, where visuals — such as film stills, cartoons, screen shots, and diagrams— are included, determine how they are integrated into the text. Akana, for example, uses the conventional phrase “see fig. 1” in parentheses following his written description and includes a descriptive caption with the visual. In contrast, writers publishing in newspapers and magazines may simply intersperse screen shots following their descriptions to illustrate their points.