Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical Analysis

For this assignment, you will locate an artifact (commercial, print ad, website, or non-traditional ad) for a product, brand, or organization. (For example, if you choose to look at Dunkin' Donuts, you can look at a print ad, a commercial, or their Instagram page.) You will analyze the artifact, identifying and evaluating rhetorical appeals and fallacies. 

Note: To ensure you do not plagiarize from an existing essay online, I highly recommend that you choose an artifact published within the last year. Do not choose an artifact by searching for advertising and rhetoric.

Learning Objectives

· Analyze rhetorical concepts, including rhetorical situation, appeals and strategies, and argument fallacies

· Perform primary research

Rhetorical Analysis Organization

 

I. Introduction:

. Provides a hook to engage the reader's interest and exigence.

. Leads from the hook to the thesis statement.

. End with a Thesis Statement: makes an evaluative claim about the ad's effectiveness, based on appeals used for the ad's rhetorical situation.

· Body Paragraphs (3-4):

. Each paragraph discusses one main point, directly in support of your thesis

. Follow the TEA method (Topic Sentence, Evidence, Analysis)

. See the TEA PowerPoint presentation for more information on building effective argument paragraphs

· Conclusion:

. Reiterates the main points of the essay

. Provides a final thought for the reader (relates back to exigence)

Formal Requirements

· 2.5 – 3 pages in length

· A Works Cited page with 2 sources minimum:

· Primary artifact (the ad, commercial, etc) 

· Secondary source about rhetorical appeals (such as your textbook or an online resource) 

· In-text citations for secondary source (use a handbook or the Purdue Owl)