Write a Rhetorical Analysis on the essay assigned for this unit (Earl Shorris). An analysis of something involves a detailed examination of an item’s structure, looking at its constituent elements so that you can understand what makes an item (in this case, an essay) work. You will not be responding to the issue raised by the author’s essay. For example, do not offer you own views on college education. You will be focused on the author’s essay, not the issue raised by the essay. There’s a big difference between the two. Make sure you don’t treat this assignment like a response or argument essay.
I have posted a sample rhetorical analysis so that you may see a solid example of this type of essay. Study it carefully.
You don’t just summarize the author’s essay nor do you share your unjustified opinion about the subject at hand. Essentially, you demonstrate through textual evidence whether or not you think their essay “works.” Do they accomplish their goals? Is their thesis (whether it is implicit or explicit) justified? Where does their essay succeed or fail? What are its strengths and weaknesses? How could they have improved their argument? Again, you focus on the author’s essay, not the issue. These are just some of the questions you should consider. Regardless, you need to make sure that your paper has a focused, precise thesis and is not merely a collection of random thoughts about your chosen author. For more specific details on this type of assignment, please refer to Step #1 in this unit.
Please, take the time to format your Works Cited page properly. Failure to format your essay according to MLA standards will result in a grade deduction. Pay attention to proper spacing, header placement, margins, etc.
This paper will be no fewer than 1000 words and please no more than 1250. Failure to observe proper word count will result in a grade penalty, perhaps failure if it is too brief. Consequently, you will want to make sure that your thesis is concise and focused. Heaven forbid that you have a nebulous thesis such as “There are good and bad things about this essay.” Be clear, be precise, and use the author’s essay to prove your case. You should strive for a tone that is neither stuffy and pretentious, nor loose and casual.
Questions to ask yourself when re-reading your article:
What is the thesis? That is, what is the overall argument the author presents?
What is the writer’s purpose? To inform? To persuade? To criticize?
Who is the author’s intended audience?
How does the writer arrange his or her ideas? Chronologically? Historically? Ideologically?
How does the writer use diction? (Word choice, arrangement, accuracy, is it formal, informal? Technical versus slang?)
Does the writer use dialogue? Quotations? Stories? Why?
Are important terms repeated?
How does the author appeal to reason (logos)? What historical or philosophical figures does he reference? How does he present his argument?
How does the author appeal to pathos (the emotions)? What is the overall pathos appeal?
Finally, how does the author establish his credibility as a writer (ethos)? Does he make you sympathetic to his position?
**HERE IS 1st STEP INTRODUCING THE RHETORICAL ESSAY** You can use this to help you write the essay.
Here is a “quick and easy” definition from the Writing Center at Texas A&M University:
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.
But let’s look at this in more detail. The following information was modified from a handout by Lindsey Short, NC State University.
To begin, let us define what a rhetorical analysis is not. A rhetorical analysis is not a merely a summary of your chosen article (though some summary might be involved, depending upon the assignment). Trying to understand the meaning of your article is not the goal of a rhetorical analysis. That’s the most common mistake in rhetorical analysis.
So let’s begin dissecting what a rhetorical analysis does ask you to do.
Definition: A rhetorical analysis requires you to apply your critical reading skills in order to “break down” a text. In essence, you break off the “parts” from the “whole” of the piece you’re analyzing. The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to articulate how the author writes, rather than what they actually wrote. To do this, you will analyze the strategies the author uses to achieve his or her goal or purpose of writing their piece.
That’s the “dictionary” concept of a rhetorical analysis, but let’s break it down into more manageable parts.
First off, you want to make sure you read your chosen article carefully and understand what you have read. Try to identify the author’s thesis, or his/her main idea or argument.
Now that you’ve read your article and understand the author’s overall arguments, it’s time to start analyzing it for rhetorical features. Take a second look at your article, but this time, keep the following questions in mind and write the answers on a separate sheet of paper.
The key idea here when answering these questions is understanding how the author chooses to write the way he does. So when you answer the question “Who is the intended audience?” make sure you also think about why the author would write for that particular audience. Do the same for the other questions.
Of course, these questions are not the only ones you can be asking yourself. If you think of other important ideas and strategies the author is using, consider those as well. These are simply a starting off point.
So you’ve analyzed your article, answered the questions above, and have identified the rhetorical strategies the author uses. Now what?
First, you’ll need to come up with your own focus for your rhetorical analysis, a couple of main points. What point do you want to make about the author’s rhetorical choices? Do the author’s rhetorical strategies make his article a strong argument? A weak one?
After identifying your focus, try to arrange the rhetorical strategies you’ve identified in a logical way. For example, you could start by identifying the purpose of the intended audience and why the author chose to write about their topic. Next, you could identify specific stylistic choices, such as word choice, formal/informal language, etc. The idea is to logically transition from analyzing one rhetorical strategy to another. Stay on topic with the strategies that the author uses often and actually has a purpose for using.
With each point you make, have a strong sentence declaring the overall purpose of the rhetorical strategies you are about to discuss. This will help identify the argument you are making, transition your ideas, and add fluidity (i.e. “flow”).
Keep in mind that while authors use different strategies to achieve their purposes, you also need to be making points and evaluations about these strategies, not simply summarizing them. For example, instead of simply stating the author uses formal language in his essay, show how he does so and state what effect is created by using formal language. By doing this you are not only identifying the rhetorical strategy, by analyzing its purpose.
Additional Information
If you’re having trouble identifying the difference between a summary and an analysis, here are some examples to aid you.
Summary: Smith says global warming has negative effects, and we should care about our world’s future.
Rhetorical analysis: Smith provides multiple negative effects of global warming and punctuates his sentences with exclamation marks; thus, he uses quantitative descriptions and punctuation to create a sense of urgency in his readers to care about the planet’s status regarding global warming.
Summary: Johnson has a lot of formal language throughout his paper and hardly any informal words.
Rhetorical analysis: Johnson employs formal language throughout his essay. For example, he argues unequal funding in public schools creates a “horrific imbalance between affluent communities and those that are impoverished” (27). In using formal, academic writing, he establishes himself as a credible and valid author (thus, creating ethos from the classical form).
Hopefully you now have a better idea of what a rhetorical analysis assignment is looking for and are armed with the tools necessary to complete this type of assignment. Following is a worksheet in which you can arrange your ideas as you read your sources for rhetorical features. Remember that these are potential areas to consider. Your rhetorical analysis may look at all of these features, some of these features, or other features.
Logos, Pathos, and Ethos: The Heart of Classical Rhetoric
Logos, Pathos, and Ethos: The Heart of Classical Rhetoric
I briefly mentioned logos, pathos, and ethos above, and these are really the heart of this assignment in many ways. Your focus for this assignment will be an analysis of one of the assigned essays where you focus on how the author used the rhetorical devices of logos, pathos, and ethos.
But what are these funny sounding words anyway? And why do they matter?
The matter because they refer to the different ways in which people try to convince or persuade others. There are times when we are persuaded by reason or logic. That’s the appeal to logos (logic comes from the word “logos,” which is a Greek word that means “reason.” If an author uses hard data, statistics, or established facts to persuade you, they’re using logos.
There are other times when we might be persuaded by the emotions.That’s the appeal to pathos, and it’s where we get words related to emotion like “pathetic.” If an argument tugs at your heartstrings and tries to persuade you using emotional language or examples, they’re using pathos.
At all times, we have to be concerned about the authority of an author or speaker. That’s the appeal to ethos (it’s where we get the word “ethics”). Ethos is an element that’s always in play. An author or speaker has to always present himself or herself as credible. Otherwise, you might not be apt to believe him or her.
The best arguments have a balance of these three elements where an author knows when to use one element more than another.
Attached above is a helpful chart that provides some guidance in identifying the three elements of classical rhetoric: logos, pathos, and ethos.
SUGGESTIONS AND REMINDERS
Make sure you review the online discussion postings so that you will know what the main points of the essays are, which will aid you in developing your analysis. You may also ask any questions in the Class Café if you wish.
Please understand that you must explain in specific detail why you offer the analysis you do. Anyone can speak in generalities. Use specific details from your chosen essay to explain why you say what you do.
Make sure you use proper MLA (parenthetical) documentation when you quote from the essay. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) has a helpful introduction.
If you have questions about your papers or the assignment in general, please ask. However, please observe the following guideline: general questions receive general answers; specific questions receive specific answers. Don’t post a question with an unhelpful statement like “I don’t understand the assignment.” I am providing you with more than enough information. It is your responsibility to read all of the materials first before you ask any questions.
GUIDELINES
The final draft of this paper is due eCampus the date listed in the module schedule before 11:59 am. No late papers accepted.
Consult a sample MLA paper to view the proper format. Failure to document your essay properly or follow MLA format will result in a complete letter grade deduction.
An excessive number of mechanical errors (typically more than five, including misspelled words) will result in automatic failure of the essay. In addition to the resources provided by Brookhaven, there are also numerous helpful websites that offer refreshers in basic grammar. Remember that you are college students! We do not teach you the basics of English grammar. You are expected to demonstrate basic competence and to remedy any deficiencies on your own time.
The errors may appear in one category or in any combination. For example, in a given essay, one error might be a misspelling, a second might be a comma splice, a third a misuse of a semicolon, a fourth a subject/verb disagreement, and a fifth a run-on sentence.
More specifically, take great care to avoid the following:
Misspelled words
Serious errors in grammar (such as disagreement in number between subject and verb; pronoun without an antecedent if antecedent is plainly needed; shift in person, number, or tense)
Serious errors in sentence structure ( fused sentence/run-on, sentence fragment, or comma splice)
Serious errors in punctuation (such as comma between a subject and verb or a semicolon between clauses of unequal rank).
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