Summarizing Arguments
[The following method of summary supplements Chapter 2 from the book They Say/I Say (on Dropbox)]
Step One: Mapping out the Argument
One useful method for working toward summarizing the argument of a text, whether an essay, film, picture, or advertisement, is to first determine the central concept on which the argument of the piece hinges.
A clue for that may be in the title, but not always. For instance, for McKee's chapter "Structure and Meaning," perhaps the central concept is "meaning," and then the argument will have to do with how the quality of structure impacts the meaning of a story. Once you have a candidate for the central concept, next try to map out the steps the author takes to demonstrate what the audience should value and not value concerning that concept. Here you are trying to show what the author considers "good reasons" to support her or his claims. So for McKee, what kind of structure does he value and why does he think his audience should value what he does? What kind of structure does he not value and why? |
Sample Summary of Schopenhauer's "On Education"In the essay "On Education," Arthur Schopenhauer argues that only through direct observation of experience is it possible for someone to practice making judgments that shape concepts adequate to such experience. He terms this "natural education," which he contrasts with"‘artificial education," that is, an education that begins with the inculcation of ready-made concepts that may or may not have any real bearing on actual experience. The consequence of the latter is a high degree of superficiality through the lack of any real development of judgment, while the former allows for the maturity of thought and the development of real wisdom.
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To begin:
On a sheet of paper, place the central or "main" concept within a circle in the center, and draw two circles, one at each end of the sheet of paper. One will be titled “good” (the valued), and the “evil/bad” (the unvalued) will be on the other side.
Then provide the argumentative steps, the claims that support arguments going either way. In essence, you are aiming to articulate all the reasons and kinds of evidence (warrants) the author uses to make the case for what should be valued and what should not be valued.
Here is an example of a concept sphere diagram using Schopenhauer's essay "On Education" (click on the diagram for the Power Point presentation). You do not need to have read the essay. This is merely to show how writing out the concept sphere diagram might look. Some arguments will be complex, requiring many steps and drawing from different kinds of evidence to support the argument. Other arguments will be quite simple, perhaps even repeating the very same argumentative move using similar kinds of evidence.
Then provide the argumentative steps, the claims that support arguments going either way. In essence, you are aiming to articulate all the reasons and kinds of evidence (warrants) the author uses to make the case for what should be valued and what should not be valued.
Here is an example of a concept sphere diagram using Schopenhauer's essay "On Education" (click on the diagram for the Power Point presentation). You do not need to have read the essay. This is merely to show how writing out the concept sphere diagram might look. Some arguments will be complex, requiring many steps and drawing from different kinds of evidence to support the argument. Other arguments will be quite simple, perhaps even repeating the very same argumentative move using similar kinds of evidence.
Step Two: Distinguishing a Network of Controlling Values
This next step asks you to bring into a single statement what the author values and how the author believes that value will lead to a good end, and how not valuing that value will lead to a negative, undesirable end.
A general rule to think about is that any text projects toward what it values (the "purpose" of the argument) as a way to compensate or avoid what it does not value (the "context" of the argument). Please read through the lecture notes on "Controlling Value" to help in understanding how to crystalize an argument into its context and purpose. |
Step Three: Writing the Summary
For the most part, begin the summary by writing the title and author in the first sentence. Also in this first sentence, try to capture the thrust of the argument, using verbs such as: claims, asserts, argues, objects, attacks, defends, contends. There are many more. Experiment with the possibilities. From the get go, show what the author is arguing for and against. Then show how the author argues for and against.
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Once you've gotten the first major statement where you introduce the author and title of the text and present the central claim, then you will need to lay out in more explicit detail what the author values, and what exactly the author claims will bring about the expression of this value. What good reasons does the author have for the audience to accept her or his claims?
You will also need to lay out what the author does not value and what, if left unaltered, would produce this undesirable value. In the process of laying these two sides out, you will need to define key terms the author uses.
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