Critical Thinking Analysis- "Analyzing the Logic of an Article (Coursework Sample)

Critical Thinking Analysis- "Analyzing the Logic of an Article 1 What is the main purpose of this article? (Why might the article have been written? Looking at the title ought to tell you quite a bit.) The article's main purpose is to highlight the lack of proper recognition of the civil rights struggle in Mississippi in the 1960s when blacks organized movements to fight for black workers and students and increase voting and public participation in the community. 2 What is the key question the author is addressing? (This may look like the purpose, but it isn't. Is there a question that the writing addresses and tries to answer? Is there a problem the writing addresses?) The author tries to bring to attention the forgotten history of significant civil rights liberators in Mississippi that are not well recognized or mentioned in media and scholarly works. 3 What information does the author use to support their argument? (This is always the longest part of your analysis because here you'll be listing the support the author calls upon to convince you of what's argued. Think of the structure of evidence that the author builds to reach his/her conclusion. Write the most significant 5-6 items here in such a way that I can see that you understand them – not just a list, though you can use bullet points.) The author uses several incidents and facts to support his conclusions as below: * Establishment of interstate meetings to encourage black to participate in freedom votes * Establishment of freedom summer schools to teach about leadership, social integration, and non-violent expression * Bringing in white volunteers from Stanford and Yale Universities to attract media attention * The rejection of Fred Shuttleworth speech in favor of Dr. King * Lack of scholarly attention on blacks who contributed more than presidents. 4 What is the author's main argument? (So what did it amount to? What is the conclusion of the author?) The efforts of COFO, SNCC, and other black movements in Mississippi contributed significantly to black people's liberation, even if it is overlooked in today's history. 5 What are the key concepts we need to know in this article? (What are the important ideas contained in the article? Often this might include unusual terminology/nouns that the author uses. Simply list at least five of them. Think keywords or phrases here.) Key concepts include: * Freedom vote as proof of black people's will to vote * Freedom Summer for enlightening others about issues affecting blacks * Media's bias in capturing mock elections * Freedom schools for young blacks * History of blacks who were better than presidents but neglected in history 6 What are the main assumptions underlying the author's line of reasoning? (This is often the hardest part for students. What is the author taking for granted [that might be questioned]? Are there things that the writer seems to be taking for granted that we might question? Are there unstated parts of the author's argument that you can identify? Do not use 'prior knowledge' assumptions, e.g., "The author assumes we know…" Another way to think about this is simply, are there any weaknesses or holes in the author's article?) The main assumptions of the author include that lack of fair media coverage in the Mississippi civil rights struggle is the main reason the leaders and their contributions are little ...