Nancy Armstrong-Sanchez ENG 350
Assignment 2: Rhetorical Analysis/Spotlight: Rhetorical Appeals
(Mini Essay @ 450-500 words)
Due: Friday, Sept 30
Context: “Rhetoric is the study of how writers and speakers use words to influence an audience. A rhetorical analysis is an essay that breaks a work of non-fiction into parts and then explains how the parts work together to create a certain effect—whether to persuade, entertain or inform.” (writingcenter.tamu.edu)
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/04/13/177126294/five-reasons-why-people-code-switchhttps://writingspaces.org/past-volumes/grammar-rhetoric-and-style/Directions: Mining the vast resources of the internet, explore and review 2-5 informal sources related to either Code Switching or Discourse System, making note of the many different types of genres that are available in digital space (i.e. blog posts, YouTube videos, Tik Tok videos, Facebook groups, etc.), the creators who publish them, and their reasons for doing so.
Pro Tip: As you begin to gather your sources, consider creating a “Works Cited” working draft that you can include in Assignment 3.
Prompt: The purpose of this essay is to successfully read and analyze a piece connected with the larger linguistic conversation that we have been exploring. Specifically, you will analyze your chosen piece by focusing on the Rhetorical Appeals of Ethos, Pathos & Logos. (You may also wish to include some discussion of audience, purpose, stance, language, tone and/or structure.)
Goals: Your goal will be to develop and support a thesis in which you articulate an overarching analysis of your piece and then support your claim in the body of your essay. As you compose your analysis, observe the following:
your analysis clearly states your reasons for your broad analysis of your piece.
your analysis gives strong, specific evidence from the piece in support of your thesis.
you make strong use of the materials from our text about reading and constructing arguments.
the tone of your argument is essentially objective, adult, and controlled.
the paper is organized — it should be written in a way that makes it easy for a reader to move through the paper from beginning to end.
Preparation:
Review video tutorial: Writing Center: Rhetorical AnalysisReview discussion of Rhetorical Appeals: Unit 2 Weekly Modules (Weeks 4 & 5)
Review the sample Rhetorical Analysis Essay (listed below)
Possible Outline/Key Components of your paper: (@ 900-1000 words)
Intro
Hook: A brief, meaningful reference to one or two of our readings.
Transition:
Thesis: Based on your notes, please present an argument about your analysis of your chosen piece (in other words, what do you want your read to know/think/feel/believe about the piece you are presenting in this essay?)
Body: Analysis: As you develop your argument, include the following:
Audience and Purpose Questions:
Who is the intended audience for this piece? What is the audience likely to know? Want to know? Why? How much time will this audience want to spend with the information presented in the pieces? What is the purpose of the information presented? (Inform, persuade, entertain, etc.?)
Appeals: (address 2-3 of these appeals)
Ethos: How does this piece help to establish the information’s credibility? Is it effective? Why?
Pathos: How does each piece help to evoke an emotional response from the audience? Is it effective? Which emotions? Why?
Logos: What types of evidence are used to support the claims? Is it effective? Which emotions? Why?
Optional: Additional Analysis: address 1 additional dimension from the following: Context, Stance, Tone, Language and/or Structure. Pro Tip: See the direction sheet for our “RA Shorts” for sample questions to consider in your work.
Conclusion/Synthesis: Wrap up the gist of your paper and consider the implication of your argument. Was this piece effective in conveying its message? Why? What do you hope your reader learns, knows, takes away from your analysis of this piece?
Sample Rhetorical Analysis Essay:
Rhetorical Analysis Sample Essay (general sample)
Format: Make sure your work observes the following guidelines. All essays must…
be at approximately 450-500 words in length
includes proper MLA citation work, including a Works Cited page
be double spaced and written in 12pt font
be complete; work that is incomplete will absolutely not be accepted
Assignment due date(s)
Outline due date:
Week 4 (see weekly Task List for specific details)
WIP for Peer Review due date
Week 5: Tuesday, Sept 27 (Please see Week 5 Folder for specific details)
WIP for Instructor Feedback due date:
Week 5: Wednesday, Sept 28 (Please see Week 5 Folder for specific details)
Polished Draft due
Week 5: Friday, Sept 30, 11:59 pm PST, via Turnitin link
Grading:
Your Polished Draft will be evaluated according to the NCTE Rubric discussed in class. (A copy of the rubric is also on BB for your review.)
Using the rubric, I will also share a holistic letter grade with you.
The letter grade is intended to allow you to assess the overall development of your assignment and chart the trajectory of your progress in the course.
In the feedback notes, you will see “pre-portfolio score.” This indicates the grade I will keep on record until you complete your course portfolio with your final, revised draft. (Please see syllabus for further discussion of the Portfolio.)
I will also provide you with a feedback narrative in which I highlight several of the strengths of the assignment and offer suggestions for improvement.
