Rhetorical Analysis

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Essay 3 Rhetorical Analysis Preview

THIRD MAJOR ESSAY – Yarnell ENC 1101, Fall 2020

Rhetorical Analysis of Argument – 800 word min.

topic: Flexible Workplaces--you will read assigned articles on the topic and then choose one to analyze using terminologies and concepts taught in lessons on rhetorical analysis

rubric: the grading rubric for this paper appears at the bottom of this page

Due Dates

WEEK 14 HOMEWORK DUE DATE: For 20 points, post the introduction or first paragraph of your rough draft for Essay 3 on a discussion board. For lecture that week, you'll read other's draft paragraphs and respond to them.

WEEK 15 HOMEWORK DUE DATE: You will need to submit your FINAL DRAFT of ESSAY 3 on the homework due date. This is the week of THANKSGIVING BREAK, so there will be NO second due date that week. ALL THAT WILL BE DUE for Week 15 is this final draft.

Basic Description:

For this essay, you will write a rhetorical analysis that examines an argument made by a writer. I will be teaching you what a rhetorical analysis is, and you will need to use some of the vocabulary from those lessons in your essay (a list of the vocabulary is on this page). Sections 7d, 7e, 8b, and 8c of your textbook have excellent teaching material on the analytical thinking and vocabulary that we do when we are doing rhetorical analysis.

The essay should be written in third person. You will only be discussing one source. I will not worry about documentation EXCEPT that you should name the author and title of the source and use signal phrases to keep your reader mindful of when you are presenting material from that source, and use quotation marks when you are quoting words from the source. Our topic is "flexible workspaces", and you must choose an article as described under “Sources” below.

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Your thesis statement, presented in your first paragraph, should state your assessment (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assessment) of the strength of the argument you have read, and preview the reasons for your assessment. It will say something like this: In the article called “Learning Online is Easy for Most,” Smith succeeds in creating a strong emotional appeal; however, the article is not strong in ethical appeal, and it contains several logical fallacies.

IMPORTANT: You will not be making an argument yourself about workspaces, but you will be using the terminology we learn in class and the guidelines about making arguments in your textbooks to examine one writer's strategy for argument.

ABOUT FLEXIBLE WORKPLACES:

The controversy on this topic is that many employees are offering their employees flexible work schedules (and even workplaces, as in allowing them to work from home). You can read about the controversy in making workplaces more flexible by reading the "Overview" at the top of the Opposing Viewpoints page on the topic. READ THAT. It will inform you about multiple sides of the argument so that you can better judge the effectiveness of the SOURCE article that you choose to analyze, using the instructions below to find a qualifying article. UNDERSTANDING the overview information is a key to being able to analyze an argument on either side.

SOURCES:

For this paper, you may choose to do your analysis on any article of over that is listed as a “Featured Viewpoint” on Online Education in the Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints database. This link may get you to the right page: Gale: Opposing Viewpoints on Flexible Workspaces (https://link.gale.com/apps/portal/FBXUVR023319484/OVIC? u=lincclin_bcc&sid=OVIC&xid=687dc54d)

If not, instructions are below.

Here are brief instructions for those of you who can easily find the Gale “Opposing Viewpoints” under “databases” at the library website, then—

Next: In Opposing Viewpoints, browse issues to find the page on “Flexible Workspaces”. On that page, scroll down to “Featured Viewpoints" and "Viewpoints." Read through them and choose one that is over 800 words. Choose one that gets your attention! Choosing a longer article may give you more to say.

Here are more detailed instructions for choosing a source:

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1. Find the “research guide” for Composition 1--Cocoa at the library website. One way to reach it is to go to EFSC’s main webpage and choose “Library” at the top.

2. Then look for the words “Research Guides” (there’s a picture of a book and magnifying glass there).

3. Then choose “Communications,” and after that “Composition 1 – Cocoa.” 4. Then choose “Articles in Databases” on the left, and then you’ll see 3 suggested databases for

ENC 1101. 5. Choose the one that says “Opposing Viewpoints (Gale)”. 6. Once you are on the Opposing Viewpoints page, you’ll see a lightbulb icon and a button that says

“browse issues.” That will bring you to a page that lists issues in alphabetical order. 7. In Opposing Viewpoints, browse issues to find the page on “Flexible Workspaces”. 8. On that "Flexible Workspaces" page, scroll down to “Featured Viewpoints" and "Viewpoints."

Read through them and choose one that is over 800 words. Choose one that gets your attention! Choosing a longer article may give you more to say.

Purpose and Requirements

In the next couple of weeks, we will learn some terminology and ideas about argument that will help you analyze one. Your audience is this instructor. Your purpose is to show me that you can evaluate (assess) an argument’s effectiveness based on the ideas we learn in this class. So, remember that yes, the essay will demonstrate your judgment, but I am not just looking for your opinion. I am looking for your informed evaluation that demonstrates you have learned and can use terminology and ideas taught between Weeks 12 and 14 of this section of ENC 1101

(1) Your essay must contain a thesis statement in the first paragraph that states claim about how well the writer or writers have made their main point, and what strategies they have used to do so (an assessment (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assessment) ! with detail). A sample student thesis would be “In their argument for more security in campus buildings, Jones and Smith frequently use pathos to stir up fear in the reader, and although they use some impressive statistics about violent crime, they fail to address any of the opposition's main points; therefore their argument is not completely successful.”

(2) The rest of the essay should present and support the thesis, using topic sentences at the beginning of each paragraph to introduce what part of the thesis that you are addressing in that paragraph.

(3) You must use terminology from the “Argumentation terminology” page in the module for Week 12 and/or the fallacy page.

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(4) You must use examples to support your topic sentences. As examples, you use quotes paraphrases, and other specifics from the essay you have chosen to analyze. In other words, if you say the writer chooses vocabulary to frighten the reader, you must support that by showing where the writer uses those words in the original essay.

(5) Your essay must be written in third person – you may not use words like “I” or “me” in this essay.

A rubric for grading will include thesis and introduction, organization (including smooth transitions and topic sentences), specificity and correctness of support, word choice / wording, and grammar.

Here is the vocabulary to use--you don't have to use all of it, but use

some for a strong support grade:

FROM OUR EASYWRITER TEXTBOOK, CHAPTER 8 (starting on

page 48)

Notice also that Section 7d and 7e discuss analysis writing and show an example of a rhetorical analysis.

emotional appeals (also called “pathos”)

ethical appeals (also called “ethos”)

logical appeals (also called “logos”)

claim

warrants

evidence

consideration of alternative arguments (page 54)

FROM THE INTRO TO RHETORICAL ANALYSIS LESSON IN WEEK

12 MODULE

speaker

occasion

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purpose

subject

tone

ethos

logos

pathos

style details

analogies

figurative language

repetition

diction

effective

ineffective

evidence

support

Rubric—Essay 3: Rhetorical Analysis

QUALITIES

1. 40 MASTERY / EXCELLENT 2. 33 GOOD 3. 28 COMPETENT 4. 20 TO BE IMPROVED 5. 0 NEEDS ADV

40 x 5 = 200 (100%); 33 x 5 = 165 (82.5%); 28 x 5 = 140 (70%); 20 X 5 = 100 (50%)

thesis and introduction, organization (including smooth transitions and topic sentences), specificity and correctness of support, word choice / wording, and grammar.

Thesis and Introduction

1.Establishes exigency of topic, introduces reader to article’s author, title, and purpose, makes a specific, narrow, grammatical thesis statement in one or two sentences that assesses specific

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rhetorical strengths and/or weaknesses of the topic article. Intro may also weave in information to help map the student’s organization in advance for the reader.

2. Shows topics importance, presents info on article’s author, title, and purpose. Makes a clear thesis statement in one or two sentences that assesses named rhetorical strengths and/or weaknesses of the topic article.

3. Introduces the article’s author, title, and subject or purpose, makes a thesis that is clearly a rhetorical analysis statement about the tactics of the writer of the article.

4. Thesis may be difficult to find or interpret, or may not be in the introduction; introduction may be undeveloped.

5. Essay may appear from the intro to be a summary of the article rather than an analysis, with no discernible thesis.

Organization

1. The topic of each supporting paragraph is clear from a topic sentence that connects to the thesis; topic sentence need not be the first sentence of the paragraph, but must be usefully present. Transitions from one paragraph to another likely use more sophisticated techniques than simple transitions. Conclusion goes beyond a restatement of main points.

2. Essay contains intro, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, with coherent transitions and clear/appropriate topic sentences, likely at the beginning of each paragraph. Transitions may be simple but are appropriate.

3. Essay contains intro, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Attempts at transition are clearly present. Topic sentences are usually present.

4. Organization has been attempted but is difficult to follow for one or more reasons (missing topic sentences, mis-matches to thesis statement, ununified paragraphs, for instance)

5. Severe deficits in organization (no paragraphing, for instance)

Support--

1. Excellent support proves the student’s points, contains many terms from the vocabulary taught in lessons about rhetorical analysis, may bring to light more subtle elements of the chosen article that most students notice, connects style elements particularly well to the appeals. Support specifically references elements of the original article.

2. Support contains assigned vocabulary beyond only “ethos, logos, and pathos,” accurately supported by specific elements of the original text.

3. Specific elements of the text are almost always used accurately to support the student’s thesis, and uses some of the vocabulary required by the assignment.

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4. Support may fail to include specific elements of the chosen text or deficits in the vocabulary required by the paper (in quantity or accuracy)

5. Support may mostly summarize the argument and completely fail to support a thesis appropriate for rhetorical analysis.

WORD CHOICE/AUDIENCE

1. See “good.” Student also employs precise, correct, and sophisticated vocabulary; “to be” verbs and passive voice are rare, used only as required

2. Student’s establishes ethos by using academic language (no colloquialism) and word choices that are nearly always correct; student uses only third person throughout the essay.

3. Student’s word choices are occasionally colloquial or incorrect; student uses first or second person occasionally

4. Student’s word choice seriously compromises the quality and ethos of the essay which can mean persistent use of first or second person, persistent colloquial word choices, or frequent incorrect word choices.

GRAMMAR, MECHANICS, PUNCTUATION—ESSAY 1

1. Writer makes no errors or very minor occasional errors in grammar, punctuation, and mechanics. 2. Writer has up to three major errors in grammar, punctuation, and mechanics (whether the same

error or multiple types of error, such as fragments, run-ons/comma splices, spelling, incorrect sentence structure, faulty parallelism, misplaced/dangling modifiers) or several minor errors such as typos, semicolon use, comma errors.

3. Writer makes no more four to six major errors in grammar, punctuation, or mechanics (whether the same error or multiple types of error) and/or frequent minor errors indicating lack of effective proofreading.

4. Writer makes seven to ten major errors in grammar, punctuation or mechanics (whether the same error or multiple types of error).

5. Writer’s errors in grammar, punctuation, or mechanics make it very difficult to read and understand the work.