DCENGL1302Week5LectureNotes_RhetoricalAnalysisEssay1.pdf
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
A Quick Recap of the 3 rhetorical appeals
Ethos, Logos and Pathos are important components
of all writing, whether we
are aware of them or not.
By learning to recognize
Ethos, Pathos and Logos in
the writing of others and
in our own, we can create
texts that appeal to
readers on many different
levels (LSU 2023).
2
3
ETHOS PATHOS LOGOS
● Credibility makes arguments credible or believable
● Writer has qualifications
● “Experts in field” or brand ambassadors support the argument
● Appeals to morals, values, personal principles
● Emotion ● Stories of personal
experience ● Values or beliefs ● Emotion persuades
audience ● Pulls on your heart
strings ● Example: SPCA
commercials
● Logic/Reason ● References to reliable
and verified studies, statistics and artifacts
● Tangible evidence/references
● Facts
ethos, pathos, logos: A further breakdown
4
Other important rhetorical devices
Tone
● Tone is the writer’s attitude about the topic
● The tone has to be appropriate for the audience
● A strong writer also knows whom he is trying to convince and considers what attitude would appeal to his audience. It may be to arouse fear or disgust around the topic, or sympathy and/or motivation.
Figurative Language
● This can be the use of things such as descriptive imagery, repetition, metaphors, etc.
5
So, when you are analyzing how rhetorical devices are
used within a text or visual media, ponder the following :
Speaker: Who is the writer or speaker?
Purpose/Claim: What is the purpose of the text? What is the author’s claim? What are they trying to
get the reader to believe?
Audience: Who is the intended audience?
Tone: What is the tone of the author?
Appeals/Strategies: Examine the rhetorical appeals, devices and strategies that the author uses to
convey their ideas. (Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Tone and Figurative Language)
6
Taking a look at a situation with rhetorical appeals/devices in mind
7
Taking a look at a situation with rhetorical appeals in mind
Speaker: Calvin
Purpose/Claim: What is Calvin’s CLAIM or ARGUMENT?
What does he say in his poem that suggests it? What is
Calvin’s PURPOSE in making this argument? What does
he want to accomplish?
Audience: Who is Calvin’s audience? What kind of a
person is she? How can you tell? What is their
relationship like?
Tone: What is Calvin’s tone?
Appeals/Strategies: Examine the rhetorical appeals and
strategies that the author uses to convey their ideas.
HOW does Calvin present this message? What rhetorical
devices does he use specifically? (Ethos, Pathos, Logos,
Tone, Figurative Language)
8
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
What is it?
● It is an analysis of someone else’s writing and how they use not only words, but also rhetorical techniques to influence their audience in a certain way. This includes Ethos, Pathos, Logos, as well as other rhetorical devices such as tone and figurative language.
● A rhetorical analysis is less interested in what the author is saying and more in how they present it, what effect this has on their readers, whether they achieve their goals of convincing their audience, and what approach they use to get there.
● It analyzes speaker, purpose/claim, audience, tone, and rhetorical devices- 3 appeals and other strategies
9
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Where do I start?
● Select a Wicked Problem or Controversial Hot Topic. ● A Wicked Problem is something that is going on in
the world around us that you deem wicked, bothersome or that you wish something could be done to fix or improve. What thing do you see on the news or hear about often that angers you? What is something that you see or hear about in the news that really makes you want to fight for it?
● Take a look at the list of Wicked Problems and pick one. If it is not on the list, it must be approved by me. You do not want to pick something that you will not be able to find research on.
1. Abortion 2. LGBTQIA+ Rights/Issues 3. Police Brutality 4. Immigration / The Border Crisis 5. Inflation 6. Social Media and its Contribution to the Body
Image Epidemic 7. Foster Care System Crisis 8. Banned Books 9. NCAA Athletes Earning Money in College
10. War (Ukraine, Palestine/Israel, other countries) 11. Climate Change / Environmental Issues 12. Religious Freedom / Religion in Schools 13. The Rise of A.I. 14. The Death Penalty/Capital Punishment 15. Cash Bail Reform 16. Legalization of Marijuana 17. Human Trafficking 18. Free Lunch in Schools Nationwide
10
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Pick a side!
You cannot straddle the fence on your wicked problem. You must pick a side. Are you FOR or AGAINST the issue?
11
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay:
Brainstorming your wicked
problem form
Click HERE to access the form. You will need to simply make a copy of it
and add your name to it.
Complete and upload this today before you leave. Your wicked
problem must selected and this information needs to be completed prior to class on Thursday when we
begin our actual research.
12
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
STOP HERE FOR TODAY
13
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Now that you have picked a topic, you will need to find ONE scholarly journal article from the databases
that takes your side about your wicked problem and analyze how the author effectively uses the 3 rhetorical appeals- ethos, pathos
and logos, as well as other rhetorical devices (tone, figurative language)
to sway their readers/audience.
You will examine your scholarly source for the following:
Speaker: Who is the writer or speaker?
Purpose/Claim: What is the purpose of
the text? What is the author’s claim?
What are they trying to get the reader to
believe?
Audience: Who is the intended audience?
Tone: What is the tone of the author?
Appeals/Strategies: Examine the
rhetorical appeals, devices and strategies
that the author uses to convey their ideas.
14
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Now that you have your source, it is time to read and analyze it. I would recommend highlighting or labeling it. After you have finished reading it in its entirety, analyze it
for these elements:
Speaker: Who is the writer or speaker?
Purpose/Claim: What is the purpose of the text? What is the author’s claim? What
are they trying to get the reader to believe?
Audience: Who is the intended audience?
Tone: What is the tone of the author?
Appeals/Strategies: Examine the rhetorical appeals, devices and strategies that the
author uses to convey their ideas. (Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Figurative Language.)
15
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Now that you have your source, it is time to read and analyze it. I would recommend highlighting or labeling it. After you have finished reading it in its entirety, complete
the Rhetorical Analysis Essay Graphic Organizer linked HERE.
This is due Sunday 2/18 by 11:59 PM.
Please upload it to Brightspace.
16
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Once you have finished your
Rhetorical Analysis Graphic
Organizer, start working on
your rough draft. But, before
you begin your rough draft, take
a look at this student example
linked HERE to provide you a
guide to writing your essay.
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
In-text citations
▸ Go in parentheses after the cited material ○ (Last Name Page #)
○ Some have complained that alcoholism is treated as a humorous topic in popular culture (Gumble 87).
○ Gumble argues that popular culture often treats alcoholism as a joke (87).
▸ Note that punctuation goes after the parenthetical citation, and that there is no comma, “page,” or “p.” between the authorʼs name and the page number
18
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
In-text citations
Do you have non-traditional in-text citations - quotes
quoted from someone other than the author or a quote from a source with multiple authors? Make sure to refer to the OWL
Purdue guide linked HERE.
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Works Cited Page
▸ Your Works Cited must go at the end of your essay and start on a separate page
▸ Type “Works Cited” at the top and center it ○ No italics, underline, bold, quotation marks, etc. ○ No “References,” “Bibliography,” “Sources,” etc. ○ No “Works Sited,” “Works Sighted,” or “Works Citied”
▸ Double space the entire page, and do not put extra spaces between entries
▸ Indent all lines of an entry after the first line ▸ List entries in alphabetical order by authorʼs last name
Sample Works Cited Page
Works Cited
Gumble, Barney. “Media Representations of Alcoholism.” Springfield Review, vol. 12, no.
2, Feb. 1991, pp. 37-44. JSTOR, doi 13.1560/spr.1991.12.2.37. Accessed 13 Apr. 2016.
Moleman, Hans. A Life in Spectacles. Lemontree, 1995.
Simpson, Lisa. “Winning Friends with Salad.” Vegetarian Quarterly, vol. 3 no. 1, May 2009,
pp. 12-26. Project MUSE, doi 17.4214/vgq.2009.3.1.12. Accessed 10 Oct. 2015.
21
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
So, what will next week look like?
Tuesday 2/20 Work on finishing your rough draft
● Finish working on your rough draft. You need to make sure that it includes proper in-text citations, as well as a Works Cited page with your one source listed. You can work on it in the library or from home. This is not a day off, but a work day.
Thursday 2/22 In class peer editing day
● Rough drafts due. (They must be printed and in hand; not on a computer or device. You will not be able to participate in peer editing/review without a hard copy.)
● I will conference with each group and look through your rough draft. This is a grade.
The final completed draft of your Rhetorical Analysis Essay is due Sunday 2/25 by 11:59 PM. I do not accept late submissions for any reason.
22
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Specific Requirements:
● Quality is more important than quantity. If you are doing the assignment correctly and including all of the necessary elements, there is no way this essay should be less than 4-5 pages. It can absolutely be longer. Make sure that you include ALL of the things that I asked for and provided an example of in the student example.
● MLA format- MLA heading, 12 point font (cambria, lato, arial, times new roman)double spaced, running header, in-text citations, indented paragraphs
● A completed Works Cited page (It should be on a page by itself and also include MLA formatting.)
● Click HERE to access the full essay requirements sheet.
The final completed draft of your Rhetorical Analysis Essay is due Sunday 2/25 by 11:59 PM. I do not accept late submissions for any reason.
