Word Part of Speech Meaning Synonym
1. surfeit noun an excessive amount of something overabundance Sentence: In a surfeit of sleeplessness, I suddenly felt in sleep. 2. gadget noun a small, useful device appliance Sentence: My kitchen is equipped with many latest gadgets.
II. Important Information …show more content…
Graham Hill believes that we tend to be imprisoned by the lots of furniture, appliances and electronics in our house. So we should learn how to live with less and eco-friendlier. Then we can find more happiness with little but amazing things in our life.
2. Who is the intended audience? What are some of the writer’s assumptions about the reader, about his ethics, about his values, and about the issues?
His intended audience would be those people who pursue lots of material products and neglect the ecosystem performance of nature. He assumes that those people can learn his value of living less from his own experiences on these material objects.
3. What is the author’s purpose or motivation for writing his/her argument?
Our stuff can be a burden, which waste our time and energy, consume our focus and cause problems for the environment. So he wants to help us rethink the meaning of our life and regain our happiness from life. Also, decreasing the consumption of material objects may help the decrease the energy consumption and the ecological problems for the environment.
4. What is the author’s bias? Cite examples from the article to support your …show more content…
Evaluate the logic and validity of the writer’s arguments by applying the structure of Toulmin analysis (Write in paragraph format). Do the author’s conclusions follow logically, and why do you think so? Are there any missing pieces in his arguments; what are they? Could the argument be made stronger?
Toulmin analysis contains six elements, including claims, warrant, evidence, rebuttal, backing and qualifiers. The writer clearly states his claims, evidence, warrant and backing in his article. However, it would better to add rebuttals and qualifiers with his argument, to show exceptions that can overturn the claim and the limits of scope of it. Also, I consider that he can add more research that shows many lots of people are bound by their possession currently, to made his argument stronger.
IX. Respond to the issue and to the author’s arguments. DO NOT SIMPLY agree OR DISAGREE. Challenge the author’s assumptions, view point, arguments, and facts. Pretend you could ask the author questions; what would you