Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Major Assignment #1: Rhetorical Analysis Essay THIS IS NOT DUE FOR WEEKS DO NOT PANIC Overview: For this essay, you will write a rhetorical analysis of one of the assigned texts. A rhetorical analysis focuses on HOW a text presents an argument. Essentially you are analyzing the choices an author makes and judging the effectiveness of those choices. Basic Requirements: The essay should be at least 1000 words in length. Make sure that you have a strong, argumentative thesis statement that clearly lays out what you will discuss in your paper. Use the scholarly tone for writing a formal paper. Support your argument with evidence from the text in the form of quotes. Use paraphrase/description only when exploring the use of visuals in the source (tables, graphs, maps, etc.). Include proper MLA in-text citations and Work(s) Cited page. Write using MLA format for a formal essay. The essay must include the terms: “vestibule,” “hark,” “epsilon,” and “diametric.” Note: All work submitted must be original. If you need help understanding plagiarism, please check out some of the material under content or ask me directly. You can not submit work that has previously been submitted for another class. Texts for Rhetorical Analysis: Heather Lanier, “Out There I Have to Smile” pg. 645 Clint Smith, “Juneteenth, Galveston Island” pg. 657 Gloria Anzaldua, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” pg. 670 Beth Nguyn, “America Ruined My Name for Me” pg. 694 Michael Eric Dyson, “Beyonce. Amen.” pg. 752 Dilys Williams, “Shein: The Unacceptable Face of Throwaway Fast Fashion” pg. 747 William Cronon, “The Trouble with Wilderness” pg. 775 Robin Kimmerer, “The Gift of Strawberries” pg. 789 John Branch, “A Game, a Parade, a Shooting: The Story of America in Three Acts” pg. 827 Jemele Hill, “Naomi Osaka is Part of a Larger War within Sports” pg. 844 Using one of the above texts, construct an argument concerning whether or not the author is successful in presenting their message. To do this, the first point you must establish is what you consider the purpose of the text (you will likely include this in your introduction). Then decide if the text is successful in presenting its message. Why or why not? What rhetorical techniques does the author use to achieve their goal? What choices does the author/speaker make in order to reach the audience? What steps should you take? Carefully examine the text. Determine the context (who, when, where, and why). This basic information is often presented in the introduction of your essay. Who is the author/speaker? Who is the audience? When is the text written? What is the purpose of the text/speech ? What does the author hope to achieve? Decide if you think the text is successful. Did the author/speaker successful achieve his or her purpose? This will be the foundation of your thesis. The success (or lack thereof) of the piece is the backbone of your argument. Examine the CHOICES the author/speaker makes. Here are some examples of choices: Does the author use establish credibility? What type of tone is used? What word choices does the author make? What examples does the author give and what quality/types of evidence does the author use to support their case? Then, consider the effects of these choices on the audience. This is the information that will make up the body paragraphs. How do the author’s choices contribute to the success (or failure) of the text? Make sure to find quotes/ specific evidence of these choices to use in your paper. __________________________________________________________________________________ General Expectations: Generally, ENG 101 papers should be analytical, rather than mere summary. Summarizing material may play a role in your papers, but it should be a small role that seeks to briefly inform readers of the background of an argument. The argument should be stated as the papers thesis or central idea. This thesis statement should be clear and concise, neither too obvious (in no need of argumentative support) nor outlandish (unable to be supported by the text). The analysis, then, should consistently support this thesis. This structure will demonstrate your ability to comprehend a text and demonstrate how it works . . . or doesnt. Though these papers should be, by and large, argumentative, the purpose of such arguments is, of course, to persuade the reader, which requires some understanding of audience and appropriate language. The paper should have the authoritative tone expected of a formal essay. The use of the personal pronoun I tends to undermine this (though some accept the plural we), as does the 2nd person you. Generally, the 3rd person will characterize these papers (though the individual instructor should judge what is appropriate for the assignment). The organization of these papers may follow the rudimentary, though solid, three point argument, but the goal should be the natural synthesis of ideas beyond a mechanical listing of related points. The paper should follow the MLA format and include internal citations of quoted material and a Works Cited page. Content and Structure: A paper may be completely error free grammatically and still say nothing. This is obviously unbalanced and reflects a fixation solely on the superficial aspects of composition. The goal is a balance between style and substance. In fact, a substantive paper that lacks style is often preferable to a paper that is all style and no substance! There are various strategies for structuring a paper, and the requirements may differ from assignment to assignment. But a paper, whatever its purpose, should be logically structured according to that purpose. Your instructor may prescribe a clear structure for you to follow, but, generally, one scheme of organization will not necessarily fit all assignments. In the end, however you structure a paper, it should be appropriate for achieving the goal of the paper the instructor has set.