To argue deductively is to

Question

It’s literary analysis 

Answer 1

You arrive at a conclusion from the general to the specific.  You probably heard of the Socrates example in class:

 

"All men are mortal.

Socrates is a man.

Therefore, Socrates is mortal."

 

That is deductive reasoning.  It started with the general, which is "All men are mortal", and concluded that a specific man, Socrates, is mortal.