Scribd
Upload
399 views1 page

Claim Data Warrant Paragraph Style

The document outlines the Claim/Data/Warrant (CDW) paragraph structure for analytical writing. It explains that the CDW structure contains a claim supported by two pieces of data from a source text with a warrant analyzing each data point. The claim is an opinion about a literary work, each data is a quote from the text, and each warrant explains how the quote supports the claim over two to three sentences. Using this structure helps provide strong evidence and analysis to support an essay's central argument.

Uploaded by

UVCW6
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
399 views1 page

Claim Data Warrant Paragraph Style

The document outlines the Claim/Data/Warrant (CDW) paragraph structure for analytical writing. It explains that the CDW structure contains a claim supported by two pieces of data from a source text with a warrant analyzing each data point. The claim is an opinion about a literary work, each data is a quote from the text, and each warrant explains how the quote supports the claim over two to three sentences. Using this structure helps provide strong evidence and analysis to support an essay's central argument.

Uploaded by

UVCW6
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Claim/Data/Warrant Paragraph The CDW paragraph is a way of writing analytical paragraphs in which the writers opinion is supported by textual

evidence and a detailed analysis of the textual evidence. The purpose of the CDW form is to assure that the central statement of a paragraph (the CLAIM) is always strongly supported (by DATA and its WARRANT). Any suggestion by the use of the acronym that there is only 1 data and 1 warrant per paragraph is accidental. Most if not all CDW paragraphs have 2 data and a warrant that accompanies each one. CLAIM: This is a statement of your topic (what your paragraph is about) AND your specific opinion or observation about it. It is one sentence (usually) and includes the author and title of the literary work you intend to cite in your DATA (punctuated correctly). It is as detailed and specific as you can make it! Example: In Edgar Allen Poes Cask of Amontillado, the ending is foreshadowed both by Montresors malice and the obviously elaborate scheme that unfolds in the plot. DATA: This is a quote, statistic, or other evidence taken from a source that supports your CLAIM. It is introduced by a sentence or partial sentence that indicates how it may relate to your claim or earlier statements. This introduction is called a transition statement. It will end in a comma if it contains a reporting verb (he says, she says, the author writes, Romeo whines, etc.) or a semi-colon if the quote introduction is a complete idea (that is to say, if you feel like using a period, but the sentence really does set up a quote, you probably want to use a :). Your DATA is cited using parenthetical referencing, which is a form of MLA documentation. Example: Montresor reveals the malice he feels towards Fortunato when he says, The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge (5). Note that in the example, only the page number goes in the parenthesis, and the period goes AFTER the parentheses, not after the last word of the quote. WARRANT: A warrant is the analysis of the textual evidence used to support your claim. It includes a statement of what the quote says if necessary AND what it means (this latter part can never be skipped or assumed!). Moreover, you MUST indicate how this meaning supports, that is to say proves the claim. You cannot merely state this quote shows that ____ is ____. You must, rather, suggest that the passage illustrates your point for some reason that YOU supply. The use of a because or similar analytical word will force you not to skip this step. A warrant is the real analysis of an analytical paragraph, therefore it should be 2-3 sentences (AT THE LEAST) and should leave the reader sure of the writers point. Note the extensive ANALYSIS of the previous quote in the following example. Example: Although we have no idea from the plot what injuries Montresor has experienced, we can tell by this passage that some insult has been exchanged and that Montresor means to repay Fortunato for it as well as the thousand injuries he has suffered. The foreboding sound of vowed revenge clearly suggests a deep malice. However, the use of the past tense in this opening also allows the malice to foreshadow the ending, since the use of the past tense would suggest that the ending has occurred in actual time before the narrator begins to tell his story. And how many data/warrant sets are expected in a well formed analytical paragraph? TWO! No one believes ANYTHING when given a single example! Perhaps you could come up with a good data that represents a clear example of the complex plot Montresor has dreamed up to take his revenge on Fortunato. Then you must explain how the passage shows evidence of a complex scheme, and then why this particular complex scheme suggests that the end is a foregone conclusion. Conclusions: Very often you will want to sum up the content of your two warrants, knitting your whole point together once more. Example: Taken together, Montresors opening expression of malicious intent phrased in the past tense and the obviously premeditated scheme that unfolds during the plot foreshadow Fortunatos terrible death at the end of Cask of Amontillado.

You might also like