Identifying Claims Assignment

Argument exists everywhere. Writers can choose to explicitly or implicitly state their views. It’s valuable to be able to identify a writer’s claim, and the type of claim, for any given piece so that we can understand how the evidence included works, too.

Locate a recent, opinionated review published in a reputable source. Examples would include film/movie reviews, reviews of recent technology, album reviews, book reviews, concert reviews, painting or sculpture exhibit reviews, graphic novel reviews, spoken word performance reviews, or other opinion- and fact-based reviews done by writers with the authority to speak on this time. Reviews posted on sale sites (like Amazon.com) generally won’t work for this assignment.

Evaluate the review’s major claim (or claims) using the Claims reading as a starting point. Then, write a paragraph where you discuss what the writer’s claim is, what type of claim (or claims) the writer is making, and why she or he holds this opinion.

You should choose one of the following types of claims: