To do this I must know the five types of evidence and be able to notice and name them. I must also be able to use strategies to help me infer or determine the author's claim.
I will demonstrate this by annotating excepts for claims and types of evidence. (Assignment below)
TYPES
OF EVIDENCE
1.
QUOTES:
direct statements from experts on a topic, a source, or someone directly
related to the story or new topic.
Read
the following excerpt from an argument on “stop and frisk.” Annotate examples of where the author is
using quotes as evidence:
The New York City Police Department’s use of the
controversial stop-and-frisk tactic plunged 80 percent over the last few
months.
In the time between July and September, officers made
a little over 21,000 stops under the stop-and-frisk tactic. During the same
time period in 2012, though, that number was sitting at 106,000 stops.
Not only are there fewer stops, but the Associated
Press also reported that police are recovering fewer weapons, too. This year,
the NYPD recovered 99 firearms and 463 knives in the third quarter. Last year,
the 198 guns and over 1,000 knives were collected.
John McCarthy, an NYPD spokesman, told the AP there’s
no “correct number of stops” that officers should be making.
“Ultimately, police officers make their decisions
based on real-time observations from the field — and those stops are based on
reasonable suspicion,” he added.
New York City is currently on track to record its
lowest number of annual murders in history this year, and Donna Lieberman, the
New York Civil Liberties Union head, said these numbers prove stop-and-frisk is
not necessary to ensure the safety of residents.
“Even as (Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s) administration
doggedly defends its stop-and-frisk program in court and in the public, these
numbers are tacit recognition that it’s misguided and not necessary for the
public safety,” she told the AP.
The massive drop in police stops has been revealed in
the wake of an August ruling by a federal judge that declared stop-and-frisk
unconstitutional for unfairly targeting minorities. The judge ordered that the
policy undergo major reforms, but that ruling is on hold while the city
appeals.
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2.
ANECDOTE:
a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an
interesting or amusing nature.
Read
the following excerpt from an argument on gun control. Annotate examples of where the author is
using anecdotal evidence:
Gun-control
advocates wasted no time before using the tragedy at the Century 16 theater in
Aurora to highlight their big issue. New
York Mayor Michael Bloomberg offered
a useless statement about gun violence: “It’s just gotta stop.” CNN host Piers Morgan took
to Twitter to advise, “America has got to do something about its gun laws. More Americans will buy guns after this, to
defend themselves, and so the dangerous spiral continues.”
Mr. Morgan’s
comparison between violent psychopaths and responsible gun owners is shameful
and misplaced. The contrast is
well-illustrated by a recent event in Ocala, Fla., in which 71-year-old Samuel Williams broke
up an armed robbery attempt at an Internet cafe using a legal, concealed
handgun. The event was vividly captured
on store security cameras and became an Internet sensation. It showed what can happen when people have
the means to defend themselves and the gumption not to be victims.
There was
no return fire at the theater in Aurora because apparently no one other than
the shooter was armed. While Colorado
has good concealed-carry laws, Cinemark cinemas don’t allow guns on their
premises. The Cinemark massacre
illustrates the ineffectiveness of this private gun-control policy. Granted, the circumstances of the two events
were different. The cafe robbers came to
steal, not slaughter. They were teenage
punks, not psychopaths. The Batman
shooter was wearing body armor, and the scene in the theater was dark and
chaotic. An armed audience member may
have shot another patron by mistake. But
he may also have found his mark, and the shooting rampage could have been ended
with far fewer casualties. Those who
argue that tighter gun control would have prevented this tragedy should
consider the possibility that gun control made it as deadly as it was.
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3. COMPARISON: using metaphors, similies, or analogies to
support a point.
Read
the following excerpt from an argument on using force to discipline your
kids. Annotate examples of where the
author is using comparisons used as evidence:
The
relationship between small children and their parents is just like the
relationship between dogs and their owners. When a dog, and likewise a small
child, wants something badly and does not get it, he or she will repeatedly
make demands in ways that often irritate those who take care of them. For
instance, when a dog wants a walk but the owner is busy doing something else,
the dog will bark and bark and bark nonstop so that the owner gets the message
and the dog eventually gets a walk. Likewise, when a small child wants a toy
but the parent refuses to buy, the child will repeat his of her demands nonstop
by whinging, crying and yelling so the parent gets the message and the child
eventually gets the toy. The worse thing in both cases is that dogs, and
likewise small children, are not creatures that adults can reason with: they
simply don't listen or understand. That is why dog owners are often irritated
by and get angry with their dogs in just the same way that parents are often
irritated by and get angry with their small children. Furthermore, dogs and
likewise small children cannot really tell what is right from what is wrong. It
is dog owners and parents who are morally (as well as legally) responsible for
the bad behaviour of their dogs and small children, respectively, if that
causes damage to the interests of other people. Finally, the worst thing that
could happen to a dog, and likewise a small child, is for it to be ignored: it
is better to be cruel to it than to be totally indifferent to it as if it
doesn't exist. For the reasons given above, it is morally permissible for dog
owners to beat their dogs if that is necessary for disciplining them.
Therefore, likewise, it is morally permissible for parents to beat their small
children if that is necessary for disciplining them.
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4.
FACTS/STATISTICS: using relevant and credible facts and/or
statistics (numbers, percentages, data) to support a claim.
Read
the following excerpt from an argument on the effects of legal marijuana in
Colorado. Annotate examples of where the
author is using facts/statistics as evidence:
Federal
drug abuse officials called out Colorado by name Wednesday in releasing a new
national survey of illicit drug use among teenagers, saying marijuana
legalization efforts are clearly changing youth attitudes in a dangerous way.
In 12th-graders, for example, use in the past month was 22.7
percent of respondents, little changed from 22.9 percent in 2012 or 22.6
percent in 2011. A similar flat trend held among 10th- and eighth-graders in
those years.
The federal officials cited changes from 2008 to 2013 to make
their point: Past-month use by 12th-graders nationally rose from 19.4 percent
to 22.7 percent; among 10th-graders, use went from 13.8 percent to 18 percent.
Meanwhile, the perceived risk of using pot is near all-time lows.
High school seniors who view marijuana as a risk fell to just under 40 percent
this year.
More teenagers now smoke pot than smoke tobacco cigarettes, the
federal officials noted.
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5.
HISTORICAL/CURRENT
REFERENCE or COMPARISON: when a writer
compares someone or something from the past or present to emphasize the
negative or positive aspects of their argument.
Read
the following excerpts and annotate examples of where the author is using historical/current
references or comparisons as evidence:
a. "There is a great deal of parallel," Johnson told AFP, between
the young Martin Luther King Jr. going to divinity school -- preachers being
strong voices of the civil rights struggle – and Nelson Mandela opting for law
school, "preparing himself to be a leader and understanding the law he
wanted to fight." Upon his release from prison, Mandela embraced the
non-violent tenets of King and India's Mahatma Gandhi, while recognising the
value of youth in pursuing change.
b.
The Aurora mass murder and similar tragedies
prove that super villains exist, but there is no real-life Batman who will
swoop to the rescue with a fancy gadget and ensure a happy ending. In a culture that increasingly glorifies
violence, citizens — more than ever — need to have the means to exercise their
right to self defense.
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