Introduction to Causal Analysis Writing: Cause and Effect Causal Analysis falls involves analyzing "Why?"or "What's the result or consequences?" Both do not need to be addressed in an essay. These are some of the most common sorts of papers that are written for longer thesis or research papers because the questions involve common ways to investigate issues. "Why did such-and-such happen?" "What caused it?" "What effect would that have?" "How can the consequences be addressed?"And since there are often multiple reasons, or at least different ways to examine the issue, the causal analysis paper is developed along the lines of an argumentative paper that states a claim and provides evidence that builds through to the conclusion. For this paper, I am asking you to examine the issue of “ rudeness in society.” This issue is often argued in public media forums, such as Oprah, and in articles such as Deborah Tannen’s. I provide a number of outside sources for research All sources are all listed in the Weekly Folder, as the activities this week are focused on how topics are developed through the formula below. Claim + Evidence = Thesis All essays have a thesis, and as I’ve said before, the thesis statement can be seen as a statement of opinion, or a major assertion that needs to be proven to the reader. This is what sets essays apart from reports and some articles that are primarily factual in nature. An essay (like a job application letter or a research paper) has a point to prove, highlights the writer’s opinion, or offers a hypothesis to develop. What this formula is saying is that the thesis can be seen as an individual claim the writer makes PLUS the evidence that is used to prove that claim. But how does that equal the thesis? Claims (or assertions), are the initial ideas a writer has toward a topic. For example, you may have the opinion that loud cell phone users in Wal-Mart are rude, or inconsiderate drivers on the road are rude. You may also have an opinion that rudeness is worse today than it was in the past. The first two examples above are personal opinions. Those can be developed through personal examples. That last assertion, though, is an opinion about the culture we live in. That statement needs evidence to support it, as it is either true or false and can be proven through investigation and research. It is important, as a writer, to know what can be proven by personal examples (your opinions about how you feel), and what requires outside evidence for proof (statements of facts about other people and the world itself). This is where Evidence is required to build a research paper. Outside evidence is used to validate your opinion and increase your credibility with readers. The use of evidence from outside sources allows you to avoid the use of overly general or imaginary examples, which prove nothing. The search for evidence allows you to find polls, discover statistics, and modify your opinion based on credible and accurate information. The addition of useful information to your initial claim will change it slightly (since you never quite know what information you will find). A good writer is sensitive to that. Researching evidence will sometimes lead you to “proving” what you intended to prove all along. Other times, research reveals that your initial claim is wrong. Usually, though, the reality lies somewhere in the middle. Source hunting provides most writers with some credible information that supports the claim, but other information that is either not important, or off-topic. What the formula of Claim +Evidence = Thesis suggests, then, is that good writing begins with a statement of opinion (claim), then relies on research and evidence to determine the strongest point that can be made on a topic. Hints on writing the paper: The Causal Analysis paper requires a certain level of detail to establish credibility in the discussion. It requires the writer to not only establish what rudeness is, but also take a stance that does not suggest that everyone who reads the paper is at fault. What is rudeness? Our sources offer a number of examples of rude behavior, and if writers use personal examples of rudeness witnessed or performed, then that helps define what “is” and “is not” rude. The difficulty is that rudeness must be defined, not because everyone in the world is a boor, but because rudeness is relative. If I accuse someone of talking too loudly on their cell phone, is that rude? It depends. If it is a EMT who has received a duty call, maybe not. If it’s a spouse calling to say he has been in an accident, maybe not. Since everyone uses cell phones now, receiving calls in Wal-Mart is not unusual. My point is that circumstances determine rudeness. This is why the use of imaginary examples clarify nothing. Anyone can make up examples to prove a point. That was the point that Deborah Tannen made in her article. And this is why civility needs to be learned. Thirty years ago, cell phones were not around, so there was no issue. Now we have them everywhere, and who has written the book of etiquette on their use? Should people be accused of being rude if no rules have been established? In a way, writing about rudeness helps to define what it is proper and what is not. This should be the goal of the writing. If a writer exaggerates and overdramatizes for effect, credibility is lost. As I think the evidence shows, some people can be inconsiderate, some can be stressed, some believe that hurrying makes a person feel more productive, but no one really thinks he or she is rude (and I think that means “intentionally” rude). And, probably, if someone is rude, they believe there is a good reason to be rude (even if they are wrong). But then, I think people are basically good. I hear there are some who believe people are basically evil…. In writing, as in most things in life (even politics) reasonableness is valued. One might not realize this by watching the media, but it is true. Reasonable says that people are not all that different, and habits can change by being thoughtful. For the paper, then, it might be worth consideration to focus on why people think certain things are rude, and whether they are to you, the writer, or not (my problem is with profanity, but only because I feel it serves a worthy cause in the human psyche). The use of “we” and “you” in writing. I’ve mentioned this before, but in an essay such as this, the use of “we” and “you” must be controlled. The use of the plural first person suggests what I referred to above: either that everyone is rude and heartless, or that everyone dislikes rudeness. It stereotypes, too, grouping all people into categories. The second person “you” accuses the reader of being a saint or sinner, “Think about it the next time you stand in line shouting into your phone” (I never shout into a phone, nor answer one in a store). Or “Wouldn’t you love to kick that rude person in front of you?” The use of these points of view are common in speech, but fail miserably in writing. One of the reasons I designed this topic was that it reveals the exaggeration in writing when writers use “we” and “you” in the paper. And mixing the two makes it worse: “We don’t like to stand in line and hear you rant.” It sounds like the narrator is getting ready to incite a mob.
