Write a critique of Chapter 2 “The Tour” from Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed by Patricia Cornwall. Your work during in-class activities and for homework will help you attack this assignment from experience.
Summarizing and paraphrasing provide the necessary background; however, since you are writing a critique, your critique arguments do the “heavy lifting.”
That is, your critique should comprise at least half of your paper.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
Your critique will assess how well or to which degree Patricia Cornwell successfully makes her case against Walter Sickert.
Your standards for this critique are logic, sound reasoning, and rational thinking (criteria).
• Has Cornwell avoided logical fallacies?
• If not, which ones has she committed?
Your thesis will identify those arguments by Cornwell that do not measure up to these standards, as well as incorporate the type of logical fallacies Cornwell commits (your judgment).
We have already determined that Cornwell’s claims do not meet standards of logic, and your job is to explain why.
The skills you develop through this assignment are also useful when you evaluate sources for your research paper.
COMPONENTS
I. Introduction
A. Include a technique discussed in class.
B. Include transitional information that logically leads to Cornwell’s message and purpose.
C. Make a statement about Cornwell’s message and purpose.
D. Include your thesis statement that expresses your overall analysis of Cornwell’s arguments. This statement should include your judgment and criteria.
II. Body–For each of Cornwell’s points—one at a time.
A. State Cornwell’s claim about one of her pieces of evidence against WS.
B. Summarize each of her points regarding each piece of evidence.
C. State her assumption that connects her claim to her evidence.
III. Body—Your claim + evidence + assumption.
A. State your claim about this particular claim + evidence + assumption from Cornwell
B. State your evidence to support your claim.
C. Include your assumption that connects your claim and evidence.
Repeat II and III until you have a complete analysis of Cornwell’s argument.
III. Conclusion
A. Leave your reader with a final, pertinent point about the level of logic, accuracy, etc. regarding Cornwell’s arguments.
