Analogies for Analysis

Directions: (1) At the top of your Google Doc file that is shared with me, paste your visual argument.

(2) Under each image, use the ABC strategy to identify and analyze the components of the analogy or analogies that are present. Be sure to also identify the literary or rhetorical element or elements that are used to create each analogy (e.g., metaphor, simile, allusion, juxtaposition). Be aware that these elements can sometimes work together.

(3) After you have analyzed the analogy or analogies contained in each image, create an argument in standard form. Be sure to identify all relevant premises and conclusions, stated explicitly or implicitly. Be sure to place implicit premises (assumptions) and implicit conclusions in parentheses to show that they are not directly stated but implied. Also, try to avoid committing a straw man fallacy, so try to avoid oversimplifying the argument, misrepresenting information (e.g. taking information out of context), or taking the argument past its original bounds. Make a serious effort to understand the argument in the way it was intended. Use the following logical form:

Premise 1: A has properties C1, C2, C3, etc.

Premise 2: B has properties C1, C2, C3, etc.

(Premise 3: B has properties C4, C5, C6, etc. as well.)

Conclusion: A has properties C4, C5, C6, etc.

(4) Evaluate the analogy. The strength of an analogical argument depends on three factors. To the degree that an analogical argument meets these standards it is a strong argument. First, the more properties A and B have in common, the better the argument. Second, the more relevant the shared properties between A and B, the stronger the argument. Third, it must be determined whether X and Y have relevant dissimilarities as well as similarities. The more dissimilarities and the more relevant they are, the weaker the argument.

You may work on this collectively, but be sure that a copy of the standardized (reconstructed) argument is present in each member's Google Doc file.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20