writing about a song

/in /by

Assignment:

This will be a 5-7 page paper analyzing the arguments made in/by a song. This is your chance to demonstrate that you can recognize and/or put into practice the concepts of argumentation . You will use each chapter of the textbook as well as things we discuss in class to complete your paper.

the song name ( Run the jewels, Crown (E)

Specifics:

  1. Your final paper should have 9 short sections (1 per chapter), plus a brief introduction and a conclusion.
    1. For each chapter what you write should be based in the song itself, with minimal or no outside research required (except for Ch 8). Tell me where in the song your answers to these questions come from.
    2. You should write in paragraphs that answer these questions, but don’t just type your answers as though the reader knows what the questions are and that you are answering them. That is, use these questions to guide you but your paper shouldn’t just be a list of your answers.
    3. Depending on the song you might not have answers for all of the questions, and how long each section is will vary from person to person based on the song.
  1. Introduction:
    1. The name of the song and artist, and your sense of what the song is about before you start the assignment.
  2. Chapter 1:
    1. What is the overall message/argument of the song?
    2. What values does the song/argument appeal to the most?
  3. Chapter 2:
    1. What story is told in your song?
    2. Does the song have Narrative Fidelity and Narrative Probability?
  4. Chapter 3:
    1. What audience would be most persuaded by this song and why?
    2. What ideas does the song give presence to?
  5. Chapter 4:
    1. What language choices carry important connotations?
    2. What are the important metaphors in your song?
    3. How does the song use abstract or concrete language choices?
    4. Identify important characters, scene(s), and events in your song.
  6. Chapter 5:
    1. What is the central proposition of the song, and is it one of fact, value, or policy?
    2. If it is a policy proposition, does it address each of the stock issues?
  7. Chapter 6:
    1. What types of arguments can be found in the song? Not just the main proposition, but supporting arguments as well.
    2. Try to lay out the main argument of the song in a formal deductive or inductive structure.
    3. Identify the parts of the toulmin model that are in the song.
  8. Chapter 7:
    1. What premises does the song start from and are they based on personal or cultural knowledge?
    2. Are there other grounds presented in the song to support the claim(s) being made? If so, what type, and do they pass the tests for that type of grounds?
  9. Chapter 8:
    1. Research your song. Use the best available research to make an argument about your song. Is it good or bad? Is it right or wrong? Write about whatever the best research on your song talks about.
  10. Chapter 9:
    1. Refute the argument you just made in part 8.
    2. Evaluate the reasoning–look for fallacies in logic
    3. Evaluate the Narrative and the grounds
    4. Deny, Mitigate, or refute by additional consideration the argument from part 8.
  11. Conclusion:
    1. Did your feelings about the song change after you analyzed it?
    2. What is the main takeaway about the song?