Heavy revision of the following 3 essays and write a Portfolio for where essays improved.

Writing as Critical Thinking

Fall, 2018

Rhetorical Analysis of a Speech

Please select a speech from the “Top 100 Speeches” list on the American Rhetoric website (https://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html). Write a careful rhetorical analysis of that speech, applying what you have studied in Everything’s an Argument, particularly Chapters 5, 13 and 6. What makes this such a successful or memorable speech that the authors of the site would include it on the list?

What was the situation and historical context in which the speech was presented? Who was the audience? How did the audience react? What was (or appears to have been) the speaker’s purpose?

Possible ways to approach this task include a Toulmin analysis. What claims does the speaker/writer make? How are those claims supported? How is the evidence connected to the claims – what are the warrants the speaker/writer makes between evidence and claims?

Depending on the speech, you might instead choose to focus on the type of rhetorical appeals – logos, ethos, pathos – included in the speech.

Again depending on the speech, you might choose to focus on the style – such elements as word choice, sentence structure, organization of the speech, patterns of repetition, tone.

If an audio file is included, what does the speaker’s voice and style of speech add to your understanding of or appreciation of the text?

Please note that this is not a list of questions that you must answer in order, but rather reminders of some of the topics raised in Everything’s an Argument and some suggestions for ways you might approach the writing.

Your paper should be about three double-spaced pages. MLA style, please.

Your analysis is due October 26th.

Post a copy of your analysis to your Blackboard folder and bring a paper copy to class.