rhetorical analysis essay

Composition 201 Academic Essay, Part Two: Rhetorical Analysis For this assignment, you will use rhetorical analysis in order to better understand how persuasion is used to support a reading’s argument. The goal of this essay is to conduct original study through the thoughtful critique of the article you chose (from our class readings) on which to base your research. Successful papers will: • Provide context— o Using information from your Literature Review as a starting point, what does your reader need to know in order to understand your essay? • Offer a thesis— o Does your thesis offer a unique interpretation/analysis? o Does your thesis outline the subject(s) of your analysis? o What is your interpretive framework? • Rhetorically analyze— o What claims are you analyzing? o What evidence does the author/creator use to support that claim? o What is clever, intriguing, wrong, or insightful about what the author has presented? • Support your analysis— o What are your claims? o What SPECIFIC evidence can you offer to support those claims? o What might a suspicious reader say about your claims and/or evidence? o What might you say to pre-empt those kinds of comments? • Organize claims— o Does your essay proceed logically? o Does every paragraph address a particular claim? o Does that claim relate to your thesis? • Support claims— o Do you offer evidence and examples to support your claims? o Is that evidence thorough, reasonable, and successful? o Does every claim have support? o Do you consider ways that a suspicious reader might criticize your evidence? o Do you attempt to answer those criticisms? • Mindfully consider the audience— o Did you remember that your audience is composed of other scholars? o Did you maintain an academic and professional voice ( no “I,” no contractions)? • Follow appropriate format guidelines— o Is your essay 5-7 pages? o Did you proofread and spellcheck? o Did you use MLA format?