Kwame Anthony’s Cosmpolitanism

Source Analysis
Introduction:
What is the topic, issue, or problem the author addresses? Why is it a problem? For whom is it a
problem? How did it become a problem? Whom does it affect, how, and why? Where can this problem
or issue be seen most clearly? What are the signs and symptoms of this problem or issue? Why is it so
difficult to solve? What will happen if the problem remains unresolved? Which author specifically
addresses this issue (i.e. which author are you choosing to analyze? Introduce the author without saying
“The author I plan to analyze is…).
First body paragraph:
In-depth explanatory summary of the author’s text, speech, or video. What is the purpose of the text?
What is the author aiming to achieve or do? What action or belief is the author attempting to get his or
her target audience to take or accept as reasonable or true and why? Can you quote a sentence or two
that shows the main idea? What does the author do throughout the text to convey his or her ideas? How
does he or she begin, open, or introduce the text? What does he do next? What does he propose,
illustrate, describe, explain, theorize, claim, analyze, categorize, point out, recall, etc.? How does the
author conclude, close, or end the piece? Who is the target audience of the piece (hint: not the general
public)? What types of evidence does the author use to support his or her perspective? Can you quote an
example of the type of evidence he uses? How effectively does that evidence support the main idea or
argument? Why is the evidence sufficient or insufficient?
Second body paragraph:
What does the author overlook or assume about the issue he or she is writing about? What perspective
seems to be missing from the text? How does that assumption create a problem for understanding the
issue he is writing about? I.e. why is that assumption flawed, misguided, or problematic? Can you quote
a statement that illustrates his assumption? Or is the assumption correct? Why or why not? Where does
the author make a generalization? And is that generalization? Can you quote evidence of this
generalization? Why is the generalization problematic? Where is the author unclear? Or what concepts
need to be further defined or clarified in order to understand more fully the concept or issue under
investigation? Why does this concept need further clarification or definition?
Conclusion:
Overall, has the author achieved his or her purpose with the piece? What else could the author have done
to address the issue more clearly and effectively? What seems to be missing from the discussion of the
problem or issue? What perspectives are necessary for revealing, illuminating, or shedding more light on
the problem? How and how effectively? What do you want to say about this issue that the author is
addressing? What has been your own experience with this problem or issue?