Define the target audience of the essay. Who is the author specifically trying to reach?

The assignment is to write a rhetorical analysis on a topic of your choosing. I couldn’t figure out one.. the instructions are provided below, I would appreciate it if you can also include the outline that goes with the analysis.
choose an academic article to analyze.
Additionally, I strongly encourage you to choose an academic article with a clear argument. This essay is much easier to write if the article you’re analyzing has a clear argument. If the article just provides ideas but does not offer a clear argument, you can still do rhetorical analysis, but that analysis becomes harder.

Define the target audience of the essay. Who is the author specifically trying to reach? A few pointers here:
The answer is almost never “Everyone.” Almost every author has a much more specific audience they are trying to reach.
Just because an author writes about a particular group, that doesn’t mean the author is writing to that group: said group is not automatically also the target audience. For example, Drouin et al.
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wrote about college students, but Drouin et al. was almost certainly not writing to college students; the average college student is highly unlikely to voluntarily read College Student Journal, where Drouin et al. published their work. Another example: a pediatrician writing about babies is not writing for an audience of babies; after all, babies can’t read.
You must provide evidence for your identification of the target audience. A strong essay will point to the identity of the author or authors, the nature of the place where the article was published, the topic and language of the essay, the way the essay is structured and other features of the essay to support your claim as to the identity of the audience.
One of the best forms of evidence: think about how would voluntarily read the journal or website where your academic article was published. Would you, a college student, voluntarily seek out and read Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases
(Links to an external site.)
? Maybe, but I’m guessing for most of you, the answer is “No.” So, who would? That is a great indicator of the likely target audience.
Identify one or two specific techniques or appeals the author uses to persuade her target audience. Some potential techniques to look for:
Does the author use statistics, facts, studies, expert opinion, or similar forms of evidence?
Does the author use stories, anecdotes, powerful language, or other appeals to emotion? Alternatively, does the author seem to avoid emotional language?
Does the author use sophisticated language to establish her personal credibility? Does the author use specialized jargon?
Does the author organize ideas in a manner that are likely to appeal to their audience?
Note that all the examples above are specific. Don’t rely on general terms like logos or ethos. Almost all pieces of writing use logos or ethos or similar general techniques. Point instead to specific techniques your chosen author uses.
Give potential reasons why the author may have used these particular techniques. This is the key part of a rhetorical analysis. Moreover, you will want to explain these reasons in terms of the author’s target audience. In other words, why might an author feel certain techniques are useful in reaching a particular audience?
Let me point to one critical thing to keep in mind when writing this essay, something that trips up many authors who are new to this kind of work. Often, when responding to an article, you have been expected to state whether you agree or disagree with what the author says. That is not what you are doing here! For this essay, you are not to focus on what the author says. You are instead to focus on how the author presents his or her ideas. To put this in other terms, you can completely disagree with the argument of an author, but still explain some of the author’s chosen techniques and why the author might have used those techniques. Again, whether you agree or disagree with the author does not matter. What matters instead is your exploration of the methods he or she uses to present his or her ideas.
Introduction (1-2 paragraphs)
Introduction to the purpose of your essay. What kind of essay are you writing? Why should readers care?
Summary of the article you’re examining. Who wrote it? Where and when was it published? What basic arguments or ideas does it offer?
Thesis statement: “(Author’s name) uses statistics and charts to reach his audience of mechanical engineers.” This is just an example.
Body section 1 – Target Audience (1-2 paragraphs)
Identification of target audience
Evidence from the article supporting your view of the audience.
Body section 2 – Analysis of Technique 1 (2-3 paragraphs)
Statement of the particular technique you want to examine.
Examples from the article showing the author using this technique.
Explanation of how your examples show the particular technique.
Explanation of why the author may have chosen to use this particular technique.
Body section 3 – Analysis of Technique 2 (2-3 paragraphs)
Statement of the next particular technique you want to examine.
Examples from the article showing the author using this technique.
Explanation of how your examples show the particular technique.
Explanation of why the author may have chosen to use this particular technique.
Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs)
Summary of your points
Final statement as to whether you feel the author as effective/ineffective/ partially effective, and why.
The recommended length is 1000-1500 words.
There is a maximum limit of 1600 words which includes the Works Cited page. Any essay over this cap by even one word will be penalized.
Examine one academic article.
Failure to use an academic article will result in a failing grade.
While you can use sources beyond the one academic article you are analyzing, you are not required to do so.
You must of course cite the academic article you are analyzing as well as any additional sources you might use.
You will of course have a Works Cited page.
Quotes should make up no more than a total of 50 words of your essay. This means that if you take all the quotes in your essay and add them all together, they cannot in total be longer than 50 words. Most academic essays focus on summary and paraphrase, so I want you to practice not relying on quotes.

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