Jonathan Malesic, “The Key to Success in College Is So Simple, It’s Almost Never Mentioned”

PART ONE: One-Sentence Summary

Use the following template to summarize Malesic’s overall argument in his essay:

In his article [insert title of article], Malesic addresses the topic of _student success_________ and argues that _the most important facor is consistent disciplined work habits rather than innate intelligence or talent_______________.

PART TWO: Rhetorical Moves and Structure of Argument

I have divided Malesic’s essay into 4 sections by grouping together paragraphs that are focused on the same main idea or that work together to convey a main point in his essay.

For each section:

a) list the main rhetorical moves Malesic makes in that section (be as specific as possible; you can create a bullet point list)

b) in your own words, describe the main claim(s) he makes (his main point or points) in that section in support of his overall argument. Write in complete sentences (no more than 2-3). You may identify more than one main point/claim in each section. That is fine! Just remember that your goal is to identify the most important points he makes in each section.

Essentially, I am asking you to summarize and paraphrase chunks of Malesic’s essay as the first step in writing a cohesive summary of the entire essay.

Section 1 (paragraphs 1 – 8):
a) rhetorical moves:

b) main claim(s):

Section 2 (paragraphs 9 – 12):
a) rhetorical moves:

b) main claim(s)

Section 3 (paragraphs 13 – 18):
a) rhetorical moves:

b) main claim(s):

Section 4 (paragraphs 19 – 23)
a) rhetorical moves:

b) main claim(s):