Types of claims discussed

Definition- to define something

Analogy- similarities between one thing and another

Categorical- categorize something (ex. symptoms)

Factual- indisputable evidence supports this claim

Evaluative- involves judgment of characteristics, arguable

Ethical or Moral- places judgment elsewhere, with social situation concerns

Quantitative or Numerical- factual or evaluative, relies on measurements

Comparative- “best” vs “worst,” “most” and “least,” etc.

Causal- cause and effect

Recommendation or Proposal- persuasive, includes “should,” or “must,” or “demand”

Observations: 

It’s to help kids like that that Brannan and her volunteers put together an informational packet on secondary trauma for parents to give to teachers, explaining their battle-worthy idiosyncrasies and sensory-processing sensitivities.

The first sentence alone includes multiple claims. The list includes:

Factual: The author starts off strong, mentioning “(they) put together an informational packet on secondary trauma…” This could be considered a factual claim because there is indisputable evidence to support this claim. We could find the packets as proof, if we must. 

Definition: The second half of the sentence defines the purpose of the packets as “explaining their battle-worthy idiosyncrasies and sensory-processing sensitivities.” 

Categorical: The second half of the sentence also categorizes secondary trauma of PTSD. Including “battle-worthy idiosyncrasies and sensory-processing sensitivities” adds further explanation to the category of secondary trauma.

 In a black leotard, pink tights, and shiny black tap shoes, she looks sweet as pie.

Though this claim is short and sweet, it holds some of the claims we commonly see.

Evaluative: The listing of her outfit, followed by “she looks sweet as pie,” includes judgment of the characteristics of Katie. This claim is considered arguable because someone else may believe that the outfit makes Katie seem intimidating, rather than sweet. It all depends on perspective. 

Categorical: Similarly to evaluative, the listing of Katie’s outfit allows the author to categorize her as “sweet as pie.” Adding the “black leotard, pink tights, and shiny black tap shoes” followed by “she looks sweet as pie,” forces the reader to categorize her tap class outfit as innocent.

“One time, a bad guy in Iraq had a knife and my dad killed him,” she says, apropos of nothing.

Causal: To me, this would be considered a causal claim. As Katie proclaims, her father killed a “bad guy in Iraq” who had a knife. The reason her father killed that man was because he had the knife and likely did not have good intentions. However, I do not understand what caused Katie to make this claim, and it appears that the author was left with the same confusion.

We later learn that her father confiscated the weapon from an insurgent, not killed him. 

Sometimes, at bedtime, she asks her mom to pray with her that her teacher will like her. Once, she asked Brannan to take her to a hypnotist, so he could use his powers to turn her into a good girl.

Recommendation or Proposal: Though Katie does not specifically say the words “should,” or “must,” or “demand,” she is asking her mother if she could pray with Katie for her teacher’s approval. Similarly, she asks Brannan to take her to a hypnotist with similar intentions, to become a “good girl,” as many people, including her teacher, think she produces bad behavior. By insisting on praying or seeing a hypnotist, Katie is proposing what she believes are solutions to her problems.