Introduction to Argument Analysis Worksheet
Directions: There are three parts to this assignment. Read the instructions carefully.
Part 1: Use the
... [Show More] S.M.E.L.L process to read and annotate the op-ed piece “The Grant Shapps Affair Is
a Testament to Wikipedia's Integrity and Transparency” (below).
Part 2: Answer the S.M.E.L.L. questions below, using complete sentences and evidence from the
text:
1. Who is the writer?
The writer is Justin Anthony Knapp
2. Who is the audience?
The audience is Every one especially people who are knowledgeable.
3. What is the writer’s purpose?
The authos purpose is to persuade people to start or continue editing and patrolling Wikipedia
pages because of potential abuses happening everyday.
4. What is the overall issue, problem, and/or subject?
The overall issue is the misuse of Wikipedia for self gain or to satirize someone’s work.
5. What is the historical context surrounding the subject?
The historical context is James Madison’s Federalist No. 10 and the situation concerning
Grand Snapps.
6. What is the claim? What is the counterclaim?
The claim is “Common goods such as democracies or free cultural repositories can only exist
through the hard work and goodwill of a large majority who dedicate their time and effort to
cultivating them.” The counterclaim is that Wikipedia pages should be permanently closed
because the option to edit to everyone is poisoning the website, its making it less credible.
7. What evidence is used to support the writer’s claim?
“Wikipedia is largely self-policing and investigates itself as members find inaccuracies,
potential libel or petty vandalism, but it is also policed by the greater community that we hope
to serve: the public. This encyclopedia only works if others read it, contribute to it, criticize it,
and engage with one another to do the same. We need a mixture of lay people and
professionals who can go about fixing tedious typos, update statistics, or add media to plain
text, and a small few who are willing to act as custodians with access to the tools that ensure
the encyclopedia has integrity by blocking and investigating potentially abusive users.”
8. What evidence is used to refute the opposition’s position?
“The American ecologist Garrett Hardin popularized the idea of the "tragedy of the commons,"
drawing upon the work of the British economist William Forster Lloyd. He argued that public
goods such as land would be ruined by selfish interests as well as apathetic welfare. It is only
through the careful and active management of these goods by the many that we can truly
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benefit the many. I'm grateful when someone finds a problem with Wikipedia because that
means the system works. It also has the added bonus of attracting more eyes to potentially
abused articles: this kind of scrutiny results in better articles and serves to eliminate undue
bias.”
9. How would you rate the credibility and validity of the evidence?
I rate it an 9/10 because even though the real Wikipedia pages that were edited aren’t
available now, theres still plenty of articles about the same issue. If you go on Wikipedia now,
you can see that you can edit pages and create them.
10. Is the writer’s claim reasonable?
Yes, the writers claim is reasonable.
11. Are the writer’s reasons logical?
Yes the writer’s reasons are logical.
12. How is the argument structured? Which argument styles does the writer employ?
I believe the author use both the Aristotelian and the Rogerian argument. He begins to use the
James Madison comparison to Introduced Wikipedia. He introduces his claim and then
continues to support it while coming up with a compromise to the trolls of Wikipedia. He shows
the opposite side of the view and says it basically necessary for the platform to be open
because people can openly show there knowledge while correcting others. He ends his
argument by making the attempt of recruiting people to help clean up Wikipedia.
13. Where are the holes in the writer’s argument?
Even though the article is supposed to be about Grant Snapps, it doesn’t really provide more
information about the event. The author could have also included the benefits of Wikipedia,
and how it contributes to society.
14. What type of tone is created through the writer’s diction?
The author includes a persuasive, logical tone that is meant to condemn people who mess up
others work.
15. Which stylistic elements and rhetorical strategies are employed?
The author uses diction in order to sound credible, he use logos such as the inclusion of the
words of Garrett Hardin and list of people who contribute to the website. He also uses the
rhetorical devices personification “common goods will be spoiled” and anaphora “This
encyclopedia only works if others read it, contribute to it, criticize it, and engage with one
another to do the same”. The author also uses pathos at the last paragraph to employ the
readers to help with patrolling of Wikipedia.
Part 3: Write a response explaining whether the writer’s argument is effective. Use at least three
pieces of evidence from your S.M.E.L.L. analysis to support your position. Your response should be
between 150 and 200 words.
I think Justin Knapp’s argument about the everyday editing and publishing of Wikipedia pages
should continue through the micro-management of the “self-policing” platform is effective . The
author uses both the Aristotelian and the Rogerian argument. He begins to use the James Madison
comparison to introduce Wikipedia. He introduces his claim and then continues to support it while
coming up with a compromise to the trolls of Wikipedia. He shows the opposite side of the view and
says it is basically necessary for the platform to be open because people can openly show there
knowledge while correcting others. He ends his argument by making the attempt of recruiting people
to help clean up Wikipedia. He addresses the entire world at the end saying “Will you help us?”, this
quote adds on to the effectiveness of the article because it directly establishes a connection towards [Show Less]