research paper for university on prison education programs

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

LIB.111 - Fall 2017 - Wells

RHETORIC

The use of communication to alter or modify an audience’s perspective. It is an awareness of the language choices that we make.

There are five core elements:

● Text ● Author ● Audience ● Purpose ● Setting (context)

RHETORICAL APPEALS

Pathos: appeal to audience’s needs, values, and emotional sensibilities

Ethos: the character, credibility, or reliability of the writer

Logos: the logic and reason of the text

Rhetorical Situation

The events, contributions, dialogues, histories, etc. that give rise to a text. Remember, writing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Every piece of writing addresses a particular purpose and audience.

● What is the rhetorical situation writer is responding to?

● What is the conversation they’ve entered? What is being said? Who is saying it?

● Is there a gap in the conversation that their text seeks to fill? Something unsaid or misrepresented?

● Are there key voices in this conversation?

● Do any key events, figures, or works influence the writing?

● Is there an immediate event, problem, dialogue, etc. that specifically gives rise to the text?

Author

The experiences, identity, personal history that inform a writer’s perspective, thereby informing their writing.

● What is their orientation as the author to the issues in the text?

● Do they have a personal stake in the issues being explored?

● An expert in the field? A concerned citizen? A researcher? A staff reporter? A firsthand witness? Etc.

Audience

Simply put, who is the writer trying to communicate with through this text?

● Who is the intended primary audience? A secondary audience?

● Who is most likely going to have access to the text?

● Who is most likely going to be invested or have a stake in the ideas expressed in the text?

● What seem to be the expectations for how the audience should react or respond?

Purpose

The intent or aim of the text; we might also refer to it as the writer’s “project.”

● What is the purpose of the text? Once audience is determined, it’s easier to determine a purpose.

● What personal purpose might the author have for writing it?

● What are the larger implications of what the writer has to say?

● What will this text contribute to the ongoing conversation about this topic?

Genre

May be thought of as simply categories of writing, but they are more than this. Genre is socially constructed; it comes with audience expectations of specific conventions.

Each genre has its own uses and advantages in the right situation.

● What types of appeals are employed (logos, pathos, ethos)?

● What rhetorical choices are made to achieve the purpose? Consider: diction, structure, design, methods, materials, etc.

EVALUATING SOURCES: CRAP

C → CURRENCY When was the source published? Check date!

● For contemporary subjects, avoid outdated information. Keep within last 5 years.

● If your subject requires historical context, was that information published around the time of the event? Or written in retrospect?

● If it’s an online source, is it current? Make sure the website is being kept up-to-date; there should be a copyright date at the very bottom of the site.

R → RELEVANCE How applicable is the information?

● Does all of the information apply to your research question or only part of it?

● Is the information general or detailed?

● Is the information balanced or biased?

● It should be clear to a reader why you’re utilizing a source in your essay, so checking for relevance is important.

● Cherry-picking a single quotation out of a source when nothing else is relevant is not responsible research.

A → AUTHORITY Evaluate the credibility of the author.

● Who is/are the author(s)?

● Check their credentials--what education or experience makes the author qualified to write on this subject?

● Where does this author go to get information? Do they have a list of reliable references? Assess their materials.

● Was the text peer-reviewed by members of the field?

● Does the author or publication have anything to lose or gain from the information presented in the text? Evaluate bias.

● What outlet published the information? Evaluate the publication’s About section.

P → PURPOSE What is the source trying to accomplish?

● Identify the audience the writer wants to reach.

● What is the author’s intent?

● What does the author want the audience to do with the information?

See the tables on the next slide for more information on Author vs. Audience purpose.

to inform to persuade

to describe to convince

to define to influence

to review to argue

to instruct to change

to announce to urge

to explain to defend

to notify to recommend

to advise to advocate

to demonstrate to justify

to receive notice to examine

to feel a sense of unity

to assess

to be entertained to make informed decisions

to receive instruction

to interpret

to enjoy to evaluate

to be inspired to resist change

to review to criticize

to understand to ridicule

to learn to disprove

to hear advice to judge

Author’s Purpose Audience’s Purpose INFORMATIVE PERSUASIVE PASSIVE ACTIVE