Rhetorical analysis essay

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ENGL/LLD 100A (adapted from S. Berghoff)

Outline for Rhetorical Analysis Assignment

I. INTRODUCTION a. What is rhetoric, in general? Why/how do writers use rhetorical writing

strategies to achieve their purpose? Provide a general /brief explanation of this.

b. What is rhetorical analysis? What is the purpose of the Rhetorical Analysis (RA) assignment?

c. Introduce the article you are analyzing: 1- Why did you choose this article? (Your discourse community) 2- What is the full title of the article? 3- Who is the author? 4- When was it written? 5- Where was it first published? 6- Who is the intended audience? Describe the discourse community

the paper was written for—connect this to your discourse community 7- What is the author’s purpose in producing this piece of writing? What

does he/she want to achieve? What do you think the author wants the reader to think or do after reading this paper? (to inform, to persuade, etc.)

d. Thesis/Preview Statement: Indicate the rhetorical strategies you will discuss in the rest of this RA. Strategies include style, tone, organization, use of rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, pathos), development of ideas (narration, description, exemplification, process analysis, cause and effect analysis, comparison and contrast, definition, classification and/or division, etc. ), flow/transitions, presentation/format, etc. (look at the handout on “Framework for Analyzing Genres and Rhetorical Strategies.”) Connect this to your evaluation of the article and to your larger goal: to understand how authors can use rhetoric effectively to achieve their purposes.

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II. ANALYSIS OF RHETORICAL STRATEGIES (details of the strategies

mentioned in “d” above)

You will begin each paragraph with a topic sentence, and the paragraph will have a unified focus. You should write one or more paragraphs (use more than one if you have multiple detailed examples of a particular appeal or strategy) on each of the rhetorical strategies you mentioned in the introduction. Here is how you should develop your paragraphs:

a. Define the rhetorical strategy you will be discussing in that paragraph (you can quote or paraphrase from your course readings). You must define each appeal or strategy clearly before discussing specific examples of it.

b. Quote or paraphrase 2-3 examples from the document that illustrate the author’s use of the strategy or appeal

c. Explain how and why the examples illustrate the strategy or appeal and how they have contributed to the author’s purpose in the article

d. Explain how this particular appeal or strategy can help all authors make their points and persuade audiences effectively

Tip: Treat each body section like a mini-essay within your larger paper. If you follow the steps listed above, you will see that you have a clear intro (introduce the rhetorical appeal or strategy), body (show examples of it and explain how they illustrate the appeal or strategy), and conclusion (connect the use of the appeal or strategy to the author’s purpose; draw final conclusion based on how this author uses the appeal or strategy, explaining why/how using it can help all authors achieve their purposes). III. CONCLUSION

(a.) Bring your focus back to the real main subject here: effective rhetoric (b.) Summarize briefly the main points of the analysis: go over the main

appeals and strategies you have analyzed, saying which ones were particularly effective

(c.) Explain the significance of your analysis as you consider the following: 1. What conclusions can you draw, based on your analysis of this

particular article, about the role in general of rhetorical appeals and strategies in producing clear communication through writing?

2. What changes would you recommend to this author to better achieve his/her purpose?

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FORMATTING:

Ø 1 inch margins (left/right; top/bottom), 12-point Times New Roman font Ø Use section headings and subheadings for the sections to guide the reader Ø Use clear headings for each section of your essay—especially for introduction,

individual body sections (for example, you would need separate headings for Ethos, Logos, Narration, Cause and Effect, Exemplification), and conclusion (see RA Sample Format handout for clear example of layout and headings)

Ø 1.5 line spacing for initial drafts (including your final in-semester draft) Ø Single spacing for the final draft that will go in your portfolio at the end of the

semester Ø Single space between paragraphs; double space between individual body sections

(between, for example, your discussion of Ethos and Pathos, or Logos and Ethos— each of which should have a separate heading and be its own section within your larger Analysis of Rhetorical Appeals section)

Ø Block paragraph style; don’t indent paragraphs (keep them flush with left margin) Ø See assignment sheet for word count for initial drafts Ø About 1750 words for final draft that will go in your portfolio at semester’s end Ø Number your pages