“You perform a rhetorical analysis by analyzing how well the components of an argument work together to persuade or move an audience.”
-- Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and Walters in Everything’s an Argument
Write a rhetorical analysis essay of 4-5 pages on one of the articles listed below from The New York Times (search nytimes.com or use links on course site):
· “Gender Based Toy Marketing Returns” by Elizabeth Sweet
Your essay should explain the argument presented in the article and evaluate its effectiveness in persuading its audience of its central claim and reasons. Your essay should identify at the outset the article’s argumentative purpose and its central argument. Once you have identified these concerns, evaluate the rhetorical effectiveness of the piece. A rhetorical analysis examines 1) the writer’s use of the three rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos); 2) the arrangement and style of the piece; 3) the timeliness (kairos) of the piece. Although you should look up unfamiliar terms, research is not a component of this assignment. You should NOT use what others have written about the article or the topic in your essay. Review Chapter 5 –Analyzing an Argument in you textbook From Critical Thinking to Argument for more guidance.
To earn a passing grade, your essay should include:
1. A title!
- An introduction that identifies your article and sets up your argument about the article.
- A thesis that evaluates the effectiveness of the article based on the author’s use of rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), style, and context.
- A thorough summary of the article.
- Effectively organized paragraphs with strong topic sentences and transitions.
- Analysis of examples from the article (paraphrases in your own words and sentence structure, as well as some brief, correctly integrated direct quotations).
7. A conclusion that provides closure to the essay and considers the implications of the argument.
8. Consistent, correct use of MLA style, including
- Proper MLA in-text citations for all paraphrases and direct quotations from the article and
- A Works Cited page in correct MLA format (which does NOT count towards your page minimum) since you will be quoting from your article. Your only source will be your article. No other research is allowed.
9. Adherence to the conventions of standard written English.
Prewriting:
- Choose an article from the list and read it over carefully a few times.
- Freewrite on your response to the argument made in the article. What is the argument? Did the author convince you of the argument? Why or why not? Be specific.
- Draft or outline a thorough summary of the article. Try to cover both the content of the argument and the way that the argument is presented. This step is essential! Don’t skip large sections of the article!
- Freewrite or brainstorm responses to each of the following questions:
a. How does the author present her- or himself as credible (ethos)? Does this strategy work? Why or why not? Identify a few specific examples of ethos.
b. How does the author use emotional appeals (pathos)? Are such appeals effective? Why or why not? Identify a few specific examples of pathos.
c. Does the author use sound reasoning (logos) to present the argument? Identify and discuss a few examples. Be specific.
d. How is the argument organized? Is this effective? Why or why not?
e. How would you describe the style of the article? Is it aimed at a particular audience? Is the style effective?
f. What does the author do to frame the context (kairos) of the piece? Is this effective? Explain.
5. Write a possible thesis for your essay.
Final Draft: Before you turn in your essay, you will be given 5-10 minutes to write a brief cover letter for your paper (you may prepare your cover letter in advance, if you wish). In your cover letter, you should reflect on your writing process and identify issues you especially want your reader to respond to. You may explain what you were trying to achieve with your essay, what you feel you did well, and/or what you had trouble with.
No comments:
Post a Comment