Analyze the author’s writing style and how closely it fits with your understanding of what readers would expect based on the publication it was originally in, the content and subject matter, etc.

Analyze the author’s writing style and how closely it fits with your understanding of what readers would expect based on the publication it was originally in, the content and subject matter, etc.
Select an article about your career field (from a peer reviewed journal in your field) or from any SCHOLARLY ESSAY in TRP or a chapter from Firlik’s book to analyze for an educated, adult audience. This assignment will involve going into detail about the effectiveness of the writing given its purpose, audience, and format. Analyze the author’s writing style and how closely it fits with your understanding of what readers would expect based on the publication it was originally in, the content and subject matter, etc. Follow MLA format for paper formatting and for citation of sources. IF THE ARTICLE IS AN OUTSIDE ARTICLE, INCLUDE A LINK TO IT.. IF IT IS FROM TRP, CLEARLY INDICATE WHICH ARTICLE YOU ARE ANALYZING. IF IT IS FROM FIRLIK, CLEARLY INDICATE WHICH CHAPTER YOU ARE ANALYZING.
YOUR PAPER SHOULD ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:
Which piece of writing have you chosen to analyze? Early in this section, give the author’s name, the title of the text, year of publication, and the general subject. What does the text have to offer about the subject? Provide a complete MLA (or other approved format) work cited entry for the text at the end of the paper.
What is the message the author is trying to get across to the reader? Where is the message found in the writing (give page references and quotations)? Some pieces of writing will have more than one major message; if so, what are they, and is the author trying to accomplish too much?
Who is the intended audience? How do you know? Again, give page references and quotations of text if they demonstrate the point you are making. Is the writer a member of the community she or he addresses?
What techniques did the author use to get the message across? Explain where and how exactly. Do you think the author accomplished her/his goal for her/his intended audience? Explain your answer completely. How is the author convincing or persuasive—or not? What assumptions does the writer make about the reader’s prior knowledge, biases, values?
What logical appeals does the writer use? Does the writer use sound reasoning and evidence? Are major objections overlooked? What emotional appeals does the writer use? Are these fair or are they manipulative? How does the writer establish credibility or develop a persona? Do you find the writer trustworthy?
Are the appeals the writer uses appropriate to the audience he or she is addressing? Do they serve the writer’s purposes? In other words, are they effective? This is a point your paper should return to continually. Assessments of the effectiveness of appeals and strategies should echo your thesis statement.

Remember that this Analysis is not a personal essay in which you get to express your opinion about the topic of the article. This is not a reactionary piece of writing, but an analysis of what the author does to convey his or her message to a particular audience using specific strategies. Look at the tactics, methods, and stylistic devices the author uses to present ideas. Then, evaluate the effectiveness of those choices. To do this, you need to establish some distance from the work (remain objective). The writer has made rhetorical decisions, and it is your job to tell us what they are and whether they were sound choices.

You may develop your analysis in many ways: you might describe the writing techniques in concrete details or images, explain them through clear reasoning, compare and/or contrast them, provide analogies for how they work, etc. Your paper will NOT be successful if you do not use abundance quotes from the text to demonstrate the points you are making.

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