Ch. 13 Rhetorical Precis

In "Proposal Arguments," authors Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer explain how to properly structure a proposal argument. The authors use different sections including understanding how proposal arguments work, recognizing components of proposal arguments, how to build proposal arguments, and a sample proposal argument. The purpose of this chapter is to inform the audience how to properly structure a proposal argument in order to educate the audience on the topic. The intended audience is college students  because of the tone and the overall content of the chapter.

Precis 7: The Authorship of Shakespeare's Plays

In "The Authorship of Shakespeare's Plays," author Jonathan Hope throughly examines the plays of Shakespeare and uses the plays as evidence. Hope uses through examinations of the plays to uncover any hidden clues that could lead the audience to believe that Shakespeare was not real. The purpose of this book is to show that the plays of Shakespeare could in fact hold clues to the real authorship of the famous writer. The intended audience includes mainly historians because of the tone and the examination and explanation of the plays.

MLA Citation 8

Wilson, Ian. Shakespeare, the evidence: unlocking the mysteries of the man and his work. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994. Print.

Precis 6: Shakespeare by Another Name

In "Shakespeare by Another Name," author Mark Anderson chronicles the life of Edward De Vere, the Earl of Oxford who became the main suspect in claiming Shakespeare's name. Anderson uses facts and evidence collected over ten years to show the life of the man who claimed and is suspected to be the real name behind Shakespeare. The purpose of this book is to chronicle the life of the famous Earl of Oxford in order to give information and answers to the controversy surrounding the writer. The intended audience   of this book includes historians and people who have questioned William Shakespeare.

Precis 5: Shakespeare; The Evidence

In "Shakespeare; The Evidence," author Ian Wilson gives a chronicle of Shakespeare's life and carries out an investigation on the authorship controversy. Wilson uses previously undiscovered documents and rarely examined historical evidence concerning the life and controversy regarding William Shakespeare. The purpose of this book is to examine new evidence and documents pertaining to the life and controversy surrounding Shakespeare and his works. The intended audience includes other historians and people who have previously questioned Shakespeare's authorship.

Precis 4: Contested Will; Who Wrote Shakespeare?

In "Contested Will; Who Wrote Shakespeare?" author James Shapiro explains why people have questioned the famous writer and when they began doing so. Shapiro uses examples of forgeries, deception, false claimants, ciphers and codes, and conspiracy theories to come to a conclusion. The purpose of this book is to examine the plays and poems of Shakespeare and to explain what the questions mean. The intended audience of this book includes historians and people who have questioned the authorship of William Shakespeare.

Precis 3: Who Were Shakespeare?

In "Who Were Shakespeare," author Ron Allen gives facts about possible men who could have been or claimed to have been the author of various works known to be written by William Shakespeare. Allen uses individual biographies of different men who lived the same time as Shakespeare and he also compares this information to the plays and poems. The purpose of Allen's book is to chronicle the lives of several men who either claimed to be or have been suspected of being the real Shakespeare and to compare the lives of those men to the life and works of Shakespeare. The intended audience of the book includes historians and people who are Shakespeare fans.

Precis 2: Players; The Mysterious Identity of William Shakespeare

In "Players; The Mysterious Identity of William Shakespeare," author Bertram Fields claims that Shakespeare is not just one man but a collaboration of at least two men. The author uses evidence, facts, and unanswered questions about the life of the famous writer. The purpose of this book is to show people and historians answered questions and factual evidence about the many questions on Shakespeare's authorship. The intended audience of this book includes Shakespeare historians and people who are interested in Shakespeare's works.

MLA Citation 7

Hope, Jonathan. The authorship of Shakespeare's plays: a socio-linguistic study. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print.

MLA Citation 6 (non-scholarly)

SATCHELL, MICHAEL. "Shakespeare - Mysteries of History - U.S. News Online." US News & World Report | News & Rankings | Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, and more. US News & World Report Inc., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mysteries/shakespeare.htm>.

MLA Citation 5

Shapiro, James S.. Contested Will: who wrote Shakespeare?. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010. Print.

MLA Citation 4

Fields, Bertram. Players: the mysterious identity of William Shakespeare. New York: Regan Books, 2005. Print.

MLA Citation 3

Anderson, Mark. "Shakespeare" by another name: the life of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, the man who was Shakespeare. New York: Gotham Books, 2005. Print.

MLA Citation 2

Allen, Ron. "On Shakespeare Claimants ." Who were Shake-speare?: the ultimate who-dun-it. San Diego, Calif.: Silverado, 1998. 173-178. Print.

MLA Citation 1

McCrea, Scott. "Motive and Means."The case for Shakespeare: the end of the authorship question. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2005. 166-180. Print.

Precis 1: The Case of Shakespeare

In the book "The Case of Shakespeare" by Scott McCrea, the author gives evidence and historical records to the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. The author gives specific references to the plays and poems of Shakespeare, he recognizes the claims and questions of opposing authors, and the author gives specific evidence to the conclusion that Shakespeare was the real deal. The author's purpose in writing this book is to argue and claim that William Shakespeare existed and wrote the plays and poems that he is originally credited for in order to create a suffecient case of evidence and details. The intended audience include the Shakespearian historians, authors who question the identity of Shakespeare and the general audience of people who do not believe that Shakespeare was real.

Working Thesis

The William Shakespeare authorship debate has presented itself as an open opinon topic. Many historians and Shakespearian professors have voiced opinons on whether the argument is in fact true. However, suffecient evidence does not currently exist on the topic and research is purely based off of opinon rather than fact.

Questions for MWP 1

Who is presumed to be the real author? What evidence exists? Why is William Shakespeare being questioned? Was Shakespeare's identity stolen? Who is questioning Shakespeare? Why is the topic being brought up after all these years? What do historians think about the questioning? Is the evidence credible? What credibility does the author of the article hold? Are there any other sources that pertain to this topic? Should people believe the author and the evidence? Is it true?

Shakespeare: Author or Fake?

In the article, "Hunting for Good Will; Will the Real Shakespeare Please Stand Up," author Michael Satchell argues the question of William Shakespeare's authorship. Satchell's claim is that proof of Shakespeare's authorship does not exist and many people do not tend to question it because of the popularity throughout history. The purpose of the article is to educate the audience on a controversial topic in order  to create a different point of view on a historical figure. The intended audience of the article are Shakespearian historians and fans because of the overall content of the article and the use of facts and examples.

Chapter 7 Precis

In "Putting Good Reasons into Action," Faigley and Selzer discuss the different topics used to create an appropriate argument. The authors' support this thesis by giving four well developed examples on how to use an argument in a different way. The authors' purpose is to educate the audience on how to organize arguments with different approaches in order to construct successful arguments. The intended audience of the chapter are college students because of the tone and the overall content of the chapter.

Chapter 4 Precis

In "Drafting and Revising Arguments," Faigley and Selzer discuss how to correctly organize a thesis statement and how to organize a draft. The authors support their claim by giving specific examples of what to do with the thesis and how to revise it and other well organized examples on how to draft and organize a paper. The authors' purpose is to educate the audience on how to properly organize a draft and how to create a well developed thesis statement in order to create a organized draft. The intended audience of this chapter is college students because of the tone, organization, and overall content of the chapter.

Response to Scholarly and NPR Story

    The scholarly article "How do High School Students Justify Internet Plagiarism" and the NPR story about music sampling have many similarities. The scholarly article discusses internet plagiarism in high schools involving the students. In the article the author discusses several reasons as to why the students plagiarize. One reason involves the lack of fundamental knowledge in library based research methods. Many students in today's society rely on the internet and the accessibility of it. The author also adds that most students lack the ability to search for books through databases and basic search methods in libraries. The majority of the students interviewed in the article either purchased papers that have already been written off of the internet, copy and pasting, or improperly citing their sources. The author states that many of the students who were interviewed on plagiarizing, claim that there is no clear policy on plagiarism in their schools.
    In the NPR story on music sampling, the focus is very similar to the focus in the scholarly article. Music sampling is discussed between several experts in different fields and what the consequences are for sampling. Sampling is basically plagiarism in music because it means that artists are taking snippets of other artists work and making it into a completely different song. One topic discussed in the program is how copyright laws do not cooperate with the music industry and sampling. This directly relates to the claims of the students saying that the schools do not clearly state the policy on plagiarism in schools. The bottom line for both of these topics is many people have many excuses concerning plagiarism; everyone knows that plagiarism is wrong and there is no excuse for it in any case.

Scholarly Article Precis

In "How do High School Students Justify Internet Plagiarism" by Dominic A. Sisti, a study is done on high school students and how they justify plagiarism using the internet. Sisti uses studies and interviews with the high school students to complete his study and he also uses studies that research the accessibility of web sites. The author's purpose is to inform his audience about plagiarism in high schools in order to show how plagiarism is easily accessible through the internet. The intended audience is most likely high school students and parents because of the tone of the article and the content of the article suggests it is directed at the intended audience.

Music Sampling and Plagiarism

    The radio program focused on sampling, a type of musical technique that takes snippets from other artists and uses it in a new song. The show focuses on the consequences of sampling. The problem with sampling is that other artists are doing this without a license. In order to "borrow" music from another artist, artists need to obtain a license. Without the license, artists can be held for illegally using other pieces of work. One subject covered was on the process of congress with developing copyright laws. Congress has genuinely increased the copyright laws throughout the years, making it stricter and harder to use other pieces of music. One of the men interviewed on the radio show stated that congress needs to conform the copyright laws to what has evolved over time in sampling. In other words, he believes that since sampling is becoming popular with the public and the consumer, then congress should relax the laws that are currently in place. In the end, the consumer will decide what the consumer wants to hear and will decide the ratings of sales in sampling.
    The article about plagiarism, many professors are appalled at the fact that more college students are giving in. Many students are finding it easier to use other authors' work as their own, instead of creating an original piece of writing. One topic discussed in the article is how easy it is to plagiarize with the internet as a distraction. The internet makes plagiarism a piece of cake due to the numerous links and the quick access. Not only are students plagiarizing but parents are even willing to plagiarize for their children. One father admitted to plagiarizing for his child after he was caught. Plagiarizing in all has become one of the easiest things to accomplish. The sources are available and as students become more lazy and desperate they turn to "stealing" other authors' work.

Ch. 3 Rhetorical Precis

In "Finding Arguments," Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer claim that arguments are found everywhere and that evidence needs to support those arguments in order for them to be good arguments. The authors then discuss sources in arguments and how sources can and cannot support certain arguments. The purpose of the chapter is to inform the audience about how arguments are created in order to create even better arguments. The audience is most likely a college audience simply because of the tone of the chapter and the use of examples directed toward college students.

Ch. 2 Rhetorical Precis

In "Reading Arguments" by Lester Faigley and Jack Selzer, the authors say that the ability to read and analyze arguments is a very valuable skill. The authors explain how to find arguments and how to take notes on the arguments and they explain how to comprehend the arguments as you read. The authors' purpose was to inform the audience on reading and comprehending arguments and how to analyze arguments correctly. The audience is directed towards college students because of the the tone and the word usage in the chapter.