Rhetorical Rhombus Exercise 7.2

Exercise 7.2

Purpose- Based Questions
1. What is the thesis of my essay? There should not be a new law for texting while driving.
2. What is the ‘big picture’ I’m trying to convey? Inattentive or reckless driving should be enforced and prosecuted no matter what the reason.
3. What is the opinion I want my audience to be persuaded is the right one? Texting and driving is wrong but inattentive and/or reckless driving is already illegal.
Audience- Based Questions- your readers expectations about the subject, ways they might respond to your assertions, how you might counter respond
1. Who are the readers I’d like to reach? The general public, those that will contact their representatives.  People who don’t take driving seriously and see how deadly it can be.
2. What is my audience’s opinion on texting and driving? What is my audience’s knowledge of laws already on the books? Do I need to convince a hostile public that being killed or injured by a texting driver is worse than it being caused by a person changing the cd player. What is their experience with texting and driving?
3. How does my audience benefit from reading this essay? They learn what law’s are already in existence and what they can do to help with the enforcement or strengthen them.
Writer- Based Questions – concentrate on existing knowledge of the subject, whether need to gather more info and where
1. Which issue am I more passionate about? Anti Texting and driving or not establishing new laws.
2. Where will I find the most reliable sources? Government sources, stories of people that have been affected.
3. Who would I like to interview? Politicians? Family members of the injured by texting and driving? Law enforcement?
Subject-Based Questions- facts that can be verified and tested
1. Where am I going to get the statistical data? DOT accident reports and statistical charts?
2. What do I need to research to debate that a new law is not needed because the old one is not enough?
3. Does the audience see texting and driving as worse than inattentive or reckless driving? How will I debate that? Is there a difference?

Best ways of dealing with Sexual Harassment in the workplace?
Purpose- Based Questions
1.  What constitutes Sexual harassment?
2. Is prevention a way of dealing with it?
3. What training is needed or required?
Audience- Based Questions- your readers expectations about the subject, ways they might respond to your assertions, how you might counter respond
1.       What exactly constitutes Sexual harassment? What can we do if we are sexual harassed? Or think someone is?
2.       Why is sexual harassment different than a hostile work environment?
Writer- Based Questions- concentrate on existing knowledge of the subject, whether need to gather more info and where
1.       What do I know about sexual harassment?  Is there a clear and definitive line? What’s offensive to one is not offensive to another? Is it a harassment of sexual nature which one has a power over another and makes a hostile situation at work?
Subject-Based Questions - facts that can be verified and tested
1.       What is the legal definition? What does the labor law or OSHA say about it? Can I go to the women’s studies research and find out more information?
3. Revise each of the following assertions so that they can serve as strong thesis statements:
a)      Water quality needs to be improved.
a.       What water? City, State, local?  Improved how? Tested regularly for waterborne diseases? Smell or taste? Local Rivers, lakes or streams so that people can swim?
b.      What guidelines such as federal rules? Why should we have good quality of water-we are what we drink?
c.       Water is essential for human life and we should take steps to ensure that it is of the highest quality.
b)      Males are the dominant sex because they are stronger.
a.       What are they stronger in? Physically? Mentally? Are we talking about humans only or the animal world?  Examples of countries where it is more equal.  Perception of power?
b.      What is dominant, the opposite of recessive?  Or is it oppression? What exactly are we talking about with dominant?  Physically the male specie is more dominant.
c.       Males of the human species are the dominant sex in physical stature and strength; it has exaggerated their role in society.
c)       The university should offer more courses for minorities.
a.       Which university? Why should it offer more? What type of courses? Which minorities? Whose decisions about which ones? Students? Academic courses?
b.      Universities should be culturally diverse in their offerings?
c.       Universities should offer additional courses for all types of cultural to reflect and promote the diversity of its student population.