Quote Sammies!

 

quote sammies

Ah, the quote sammy! 

This is a visual mneumonic to help you balance your summary with your analysis. For the RATIONAL ARGUMENT, it may be helpful think in terms of an intro, some narrative, analytical glue, a conclusion, and in between all that, a tray of sliders. I'd write 2-3 quote sammies for your academic journal article, and 1 or 2 for your other sources. 

Essentially, you DO need 2 buns -- no low carb versions will do. The top bun creates context (name of author, publication - unless already given in initial attributive tag -- and a hint of how you are analyzing the main idea. You provide here a summary of the *particular* phrase or idea you are gonig to analyze. 

The stuff in the middle (veggies, chicken, tofu, whatever) is the QUOTE. The direct quote. 

The bottom bun in where you articulate your sense of the degree to which the passage supports the main claim of the whole argument ... or not. That is, here, you are evaluating the rhetorical (persuasive) effectiveness of this passage, and you are making sure to relate it to your overal inquiry or thesis. You might write a bottom bun that begins, "Here, Smith powerfully supports his main claim by using an inartistic proof in the form of factual details. [then, go on to talk about how Smith does this, specifically. Point to the actual points of agreement between the facts and the claim]. The bottom bun may also be a place to argue for how this factual claim also argues effectively as an appeal to LOGOS [unpack and explain], or any of the other appeals. Alternatively, the bottom bun may simply hold space for your narrative glue, helping you to explore how the quote supports your argument, or some aspect of your argument.

When you provide an overall summary including full attribution, frequent framing and reframing at paragraph introductions, and then detailed analysis of those passages that best support your analysis of the effectiveness of the overall argument, you are arguing. Rational Argument helps us think together through complex problems and concerns. So, learn to do this well, and you'll have such a great basis for further argumentative writing!

Below is the example we explored in class. Google it and see how many verions you find! Find one that works for you!