reading

[RHETORIC] Rhetoric provides a method for studying the work that language and writing do.

[ACTION] Writing is a form of action. Through writing people respond to problems and can create change in the world.

[CONTEXT] The meanings and the effects of writing are contingent on situation, on readers, and on a text’s purposes/uses.

Watch the YouTube video below from CBS news about 'Cancel Culture," then read the following articles:

Cancel Culture is Chaotic Good by Chi Luu

https://daily.jstor.org/cancel-culture-is-chaotic-good/

Why Cancel Culture by Anyone is Harmful and Wrong by Steven A. Hassan, PHD

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-mind/202103/why-cancel-culture-anyone-is-harmful-and-wrong

Link

The purpose of this assignment is to examine how authors can potentially tap into the same or similar rhetorical strategies to present two contrasting positions. This assignment can also help you identify biases and stay focused on analyzing the texts' rhetorical strategies -- how they were written and why -- instead of merely writing on the subject matter.

Who wrote each of these texts? Expect to do a little research finding out and be specific about these authors and their profiles. How authoritative on the subject matter do you think each of these authors was regarded at the time? How do these authors try to establish credibility in the texts themselves?

Who do you see as the intended audience for each of these texts? Yes, each text potentially has more than one audience, but choose one that you think is particularly important for the authors to persuade. Describe the audience for each text in detail, again being as specific as you can.

What do you think is the main persuasive purpose of each text? How is the text intended to persuade the audience to change their beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors? Again, be specific about the intended change.

What is each text's main idea? How do the authors go about supporting their claims in each text? Look for support designed to appeal to reason, or emotion, or to build or reinforce the author's credibility. This will give you practice analyzing for rhetorical strategies you will learn more about next week and will need to use in your major assignment for this unit, the rhetorical analysis. Try to find support in each text that comes from different appeals.

How does the language being used contribute to the overall tone of each text? In your opinion, does the tone interfere or aid in helping you accept the author’s position? Do you think it would interfere with or aid in the intended audience accepting the author's position?

One of the threshold concepts for the class is [CONTEXT], which tells us that to understand a text we need to understand the situation where it was created. Name at least two specific details about the historical period -- the time and place -- where each of these texts were created that have some bearing on how you understand the impact these texts made when published. Focus on conditions at the time of the texts' writing or just before. Be sure to explain how you think that context shaped the way people at the time would understand each text.

Respond to all the questions above in at least 300 words or more.