This essay will be a minimum of 4 pages, maximum of 5 pages.
In this essay you will be writing a rhetorical analysis (analysis of the argument) of the assigned text. You will need to complete two different tasks: (1) summarize the text’s argument and (2) explain how the text’s argument is put together. You will choose one of the readings from the list below and analyze it according to the rhetorical principles that we discussed thus far. Rhetoric is about how a writer attempts to communicate a message to an audience—you will weigh in on how effectively you think the writer whom you choose communicates a message/argument via his/her/their text and how they went about communicating that argument. It will not be a research paper on a particular position (such as a review of articles that argue for environmentalism). This is not an original argument, meaning you are not creating an argument based on research; instead, you are looking at another writer’s argument and you are going to weigh in on what it is doing and how it is doing that. You are going to present how an argument works and why it works. You need to decide which aspects of the argumentative strategy you want to focus on. It would be impossible for you to explain all of the argumentative features of a text in this essay, so focus on the strategies that are most interesting or obvious to you, or that you think are most important to the success of the argument. Utilize the handout and the lecture videos for examples. Remember, you must use the vocabulary of a rhetorical analysis (appeals to logos, fallacies, etc). Below are example essay questions to help you formulate a thesis and the texts you may choose from.
text:
Mike Rose “Blue Collar Brilliance”
Tips for Success:
Introduce the text properly and summarize the text’s argument clearly and concisely
Focus on a thesis that identifies some elements of the text’s rhetorical strategy (how the argument is put together)
Use quotations as evidence of your thesis and where appropriate in the summary
Explain how the rhetorical strategies work (how they are meant to impact the reader)
Explain how the rhetorical strategies support the text’s overall argument
Incorporate quotations properly and use in-text citations for them as needed
Use signal phrases to attribute ideas to the original author
Be written effectively and coherently, with few punctuation or grammatical errors
Required Components:
MLA format and proper citations
Parts of the essay: introduction, thesis, body, conclusion
Bibliography
This must be in essay format, meaning there is a clear introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs that support the thesis, and a conclusion. You must include a bibliography as well.
Objectives: to objectively examine an argument; to build strong body paragraphs that support your claims/thesis; analysis of a text; attention to detail; understanding rhetoric and rhetorical appeals.
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