Brief Rhetorical Analysis

Week 4: Crafting Arguments Across Rhetorical Context

Brief Rhetorical Analysis: Evaluating Multimodal Arguments Assignment Sheet and Grading Rubric

Instructions: Choose one visual argument. It can be a meme, an advertisement, a cartoon or comic panel, or a visual Public Service Announcement (PSA). Spend a few minutes close reading the text, paying attention to all visual and textual elements such as colors, diction, font and writing choices, composition, etc.

Take notes and think deeply about what the text is trying to do. What is the text’s claim, and what are the underlying assumptions? Who is the audience? How well does the message suit that audience? Craft a thesis statement that makes a claim about the text’s argument, making sure to focus on how the text is making its argument, rather than solely on what the argument is. Next, elaborate on that thesis by writing an analysis of the text, taking care to evaluate the text’s effectiveness. Include the original visual text in your document.

Requirements:

• 500 words, single spaced • MLA formatting (header and proper heading information) • Insert the image you are analyzing and a link to find this image. I do not require any particular formatting

requirements other than I need to be able to see the image clearly and I want the working link to retrieve it online

• Mention the source you retrieved it from, if the author is known or unknown. This doesn't have to be a formal MLA attribution, something as simple as the following examples:

1) This is the cover from Times Magazine's August 18, 2017 issue, the cover artist is unknown...

2) This is Graffiti Artwork from the English Street Artist, Banksy...

3) This is a comic strip that appeared in the Omaha World-Herald on July 31, 2018....

Resources to use when doing this Brief Rhetorical Analysis: Using Chapter 9, Making Visual Arguments and Multi-Modal Arguments (155-188), describe how the visual text you are analyzing is making its argument. I encourage you to draw upon the rhetorical appeals we’ve covered from weeks 1 and 2.

Step #1: Choose a Visual Argument you want to Analyze using my resources to guide your choice, options below:

• Popular and/or Problematic Advertisements (Social Issue Ads)

• Movie/TV Show Poster, Comic Book, Book covers (what is the implication surrounding gender/sex/performance do you notice? What visual elements enforce this?)

• Critical Memes, Circulated Photoshopped ads, Joke Advertisements aimed at character defamation or Satire (often targeting political figures or popular figures)

• Food Advertisements (i.e. sexists, funny, problematic, etc)

• Activist Artwork i.e. Fairey or Banksy

• PSAs (i.e. don't drink and drive, don't drive distracted, stop animal abuse, stop testing drugs on animals, anti-bullying campaigns, etc.)

• Bumper Stickers

• Comic Strips from political or news outlets (i.e. The New Yorker or The Week)

• Magazine Covers (i.e. TIME Magazine)

• Social Critiques on Popular Issues (i.e. Guns and Mental Health, Drug Use, Technology and Choice)

• You may choose another option with Instructor approval

Step #2: Read the text closely and determine what the main claim or argument is. Consider the following Questions: What is the text’s claim, and what are the underlying assumptions? Who is the audience? How well does the message suit that audience?

Step #3: Craft a thesis statement that makes a claim about the text’s argument, making sure to focus on how the text is making its argument, rather than solely on what the argument is.

Step #4: Elaborate on that thesis, taking care to evaluate the text’s effectiveness. Include the original visual text in your document and a sentence that describes where you retrieved this image from or who the author is.

Criteria Below

Expectation (0-9)

Meeting Expectations

(10-18)

Outstanding (19-25)

Total Points

Image

Is the visual text you are analyzing included in the word document you turned in? Is it an appropriate size? Is it clear to see?

__/ 5

Source Information

Did you provide a link to the original visual text? Did you explicitly say where this text came from in your rhetorical argument? Did you appropriately attribute a source or author (if known)?

__/ 3

Nuts and Bolts

Times New Roman 12-point font, 1-inch margins, double-spaced, MLA heading, header (last name and page numbers in upper right corner, 500word minimum)?

__/ 5

Title

Did you come up with an original title that is informative and descriptive, specific to your visual analysis? EX: "Composition II Analysis Assignment" or "Brief Rhetorical Analysis" or "Visual Argument" are not original titles.

__/ 2

Thesis

Statement

Did you identify the main argument of the visual text? Did you write a thesis statement detailing the main claim/argument or the visual text?

__/ 5

Quality of Analysis

Does it seem like you 'read' your text critically and carefully? If applicable, did you comment upon font choices, color choices, or other textual elements including diction, or composition? Did you mention what kind of rhetorical appeal might be relevant to this visual argument (logos, pathos, ethos, kairos)?

__/5

See Student Example on next page.

Jane Doe

Instructor: Jedi Master Mace Windu

ENGL 201

18 September 2020

Taking More Than a Knee

This visual text comes from the September 2018 Nike Advertisement from the “Are You Crazy Enough?” Nike

campaign. This advertisement depicts public figure, Colin Kaepernick’s face, and the composition banner

simply reads, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” At a glance, an audience might

simply recognize the iconic “Nike Swoosh” accompanied with the athletic supplier’s long-time company logo,

“Just do it,” leading someone to think this is just another fitness advertisement. With a closer visual analysis and

keeping in mind the rhetorical appeals of pathos and kairos, a careful audience will notice much more.The ad

depicts a clear and closeup headshot of former professional football player, Colin Kaepernick’s face, his eyes

looking directly at the audience, likely to incite an honest connection between the ad’s message and viewer’s

engagement level and emotional sensibilities. The tone of this visual argument is somber and serious, reinforced

by the simple black and white color scheme. The timeliness of this advertisement comes after the 2018 NFLs

decision to require professional football players to stand during the National Anthem; Kaepernick made

political waves in 2016 when he and many other football players began to kneel during the National Anthem.

This advertisement’s layout is simple, and the script is clear and easy to read. While the ideas of sacrifice and

believing in something align with Nike’s fitness mantra, this ad likely signals to another meaning. Kaepernick’s

choice to kneel during the National Anthem was faced with severe criticism and this ongoing debate highlights

the larger issue of racial inequality in the American justice system, once again reinforcing why the authors of

this advertisement chose a dichotomous black and white color scheme.

Source: https://justdoit.nike.com/