Rhetorical Analysis Essay
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102_RhetoricalAnalysisEssay4.docx
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Objectives:
· Use techniques for critical reading
· Evaluate how personal context influences your own and others' perspectives
· Understand how perspective and bias can influence argument
· Summarize sources effectively
· Practice responsible use and correct citation of sources
· Write a rhetorical analysis
Instructions: For this assignment, you will apply the techniques of rhetorical analysis we discussed in class to a persuasive essay that I will assign to you. Be sure to explain how your source is a credible one. You’ll be writing as yourself, with your audience being someone who is critical of your ideas.
Choice of articles:
· The NYT opinion piece: "Terror's Purse Strings" by Dana Thomas
· “Violent Media is Good for Kids” by Gerard Jones
Tips:
· Start by brainstorming your ideas and then crafting a thesis statement. Once you have your thesis blueprint, you already know what your body paragraphs will focus on.
Requirements:
· Approximately 1200 words, plus a Works Cited page in MLA Format.
· Please use standard 12-point font and a standard font such as Times New Roman or Arial.
· Number your pages (I’m not picky about where the numbers appear).
· ALWAYS double-space your work.
Due: (Submit electronically!) Friday, Week 4 before 11:59pm. Please upload a Word document for this assignment and submit in the proper place – the assignment dropbox (Not to my email!) Where do I post my work? In the Week 4 Module, you will see a page that says, “Submit Rhetorical Analysis Essay Here!” Please upload your essay as a Word file on this page. The Word file should be named: "LASTNAME_RhetoricalAnalysis" and then attached as a file. For example: SMITH_Rhetorical_Analysis.docx.
Tips for Organizing The Rhetorical Analysis Essay Here’s one way to translate the paragraph elements into essay elements:
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Introduction |
-How the essay begins -Who and where -Problem the author identifies -Rhetorical context of the issue -Audience |
Introductory paragraph that includes the author’s opening strategy, the problem(s) the essay addresses, major points in the essay, the personal context of the intended audience, and the author’s purpose in writing the essay.
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Thesis statement |
(Goes at end of intro) |
Assessment of whether the author’s rhetorical strategies are effective |
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Body Paragraph 1 |
Main strategy – Rhetorical appeals? (logos, ethos, or pathos), Word choice? Organization? Visuals? |
Main method of appeal, quotations that illustrate this method, and commentary connecting your support to the overall judgment of the essay you made in your thesis, and how your personal context plays into this judgment
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Body Paragraphs 2 and 3 |
Another main strategy of appeal – Rhetorical appeals? (logos, ethos, or pathos), Word choice? Organization? Visuals? |
Secondary method of appeal, quotations that illustrate this method, and commentary connecting your support to the overall judgment of the essay you made in your thesis, and how your personal context plays into this judgment
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Body Paragraph 4 |
How the author addresses and then refutes opposing views The author’s overall conclusion
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Here is where you will judge whether the essay is persuasive. In addition to analyzing how the author addresses and refutes opposing views, you need to decide whether these opposing views are fairly represented (or does the author skip over points a critic would find important?). In addition, you will need to decide whether you are satisfied with the writer’s refutation and overall conclusions.
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Conclusion |
Overall impression of whether the argument is effective or ineffective, and why
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Overall impression of whether the argument is effective or ineffective, and why. Which elements of the strategy do you think would be most persuasive to a reader who (like you) agrees with the argument? Do you think this strategy would also be persuasive for a reader with a different viewpoint? |
