Select number 64 “Why Cadillac’s New York Move Failed” by Gerald Schorin at 88 Open Essays.docx.
The instructions required in this essay are:
The assignment reads:
“Choose any essay we have not yet discussed from either the 88 Open Essays textbook or another source of your choice. For best results, choose an essay you feel is either very strong or very weak. Write a rhetorical analysis of the essay (rhetorical analysis is detailed in Chapter 6 from Good Reasons, posted online in our course), using the critical vocabulary we have discussed in class (including such terms as audience, logos, ethos and pathos).
“Do NOT explain whether you think the essay’s argument is “right” or “wrong” but rather discuss how well or poorly it makes its argument (that is, how likely or unlikely it is to persuade its target audience). Use specific examples from the text to back up your ideas.
“Cite the essay in MLA format (unless you’ve previously received approval to use another citation system).
“Write at least 750 words, and include an additional works cited page. Your audience for this essay is a class of University Juniors and Seniors who are interested in argument and writing, but who probably have not read the essay you are analyzing.
“For this and all future papers, use *.rtf , *.doc or *.docx format for your essays (NOT *.wps, or *.pages). Remember: I need to be able to open your essay in order to give you credit and feedback!
“NOTE: the default assumption for this course is that we will be working with MLA format for citations. However, if you would prefer to use another citation system (APA or Chicago, for example), we can likely arrange that: please email me to discuss your options.”
——
Your essay should include a thesis, which should explain as specifically and clearly as possible how successful (or unsuccessful) the essay is at its goals, and why. So an excellent thesis might say something like “while Jones hopes to convince his audience of high school seniors that puppies are great, and while he makes good use of pathos, his essay suffers from poor ethos, lack of evidence and flawed logos; therefore, it is unlikely to persuade his audience.” Naturally, this is just a (rather silly) example, not a firm model.
Remember that the goal is NOT to say whether you agree with the argument, but rather how well the argument works given his goals and intended audience. Make sure to use specific examples from the essay, quoting where appropriate.
Also remember to be clear about to whom the primary audience for the essay is and why; without establishing this, you cannot hope to analyze whether that audience will be persuaded or not. Be as specific as you can be about who you believe the audience is and why.
Use MLA formatting rules for in-text citation. Note that in the essay itself, unlike the work cited page, you use only the author’s last name, not his or her first name, in your in-text citations.
Because your audience is already interested in your topic, you will likely not need go out of your way to hold their attention, but should provide any necessary context to understand the essay you are analyzing. Make sure you set up your topic and its significance in the introduction, as well as providing a thesis* or purpose statement**. The essay will be at least 750 words long, with an additional works cited page. A good structure for the essay would be to introduce your topic and provide your thesis, organize your body paragraphs around that thesis (i.e. from the above example I would begin by briefly summarizing Jones’ essay, then I would talk about his good use of pathos, his poor ethos, his lack of evidence and his failure to understand his audience’s needs), and then conclude the essay.
*A thesis is the main point or argument of your essay.
**A purpose statement tells your reader what your essay’s purpose or goal is. You might use a purpose statement early in an essay if you are saving your thesis to later in your essay. When in doubt, it is generally best to put your thesis in your introduction, though.
—–
As always, I won’t grade your essay. Instead, I will give you comments about what is working well, what has room for improvement, and whether it meets the requirements of your contract. (If it doesn’t, don’t worry–there will be an opportunity to correct that!)
Here are some of the things I’ll be looking for when reading your essay, and that I encourage you to consider while you write it:
Thesis: your essay should have a focused, specific thesis that makes clear whether they essay you are analyzing is likely to persuade its audience or not, and why/why not.
Analysis: your essay should provide specific details/examples and careful analysis, carefully making a case for why the essay is or is not going to be effective in persuading its audience. Your analysis should include, at minimum, a discussion of the essay’s logos, ethos, pathos, audience and evidence.
Mechanics: your essay should be proofread and edited. Some issues with grammar, mechanics, and punctuation are okay, but the essay should be clear enough that I can easily understand your meaning.
Organization and Clarity: make clear your ideas and the connections between them.
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|