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Writing Task:
For your third paper, you will write a rhetorical analysis, answering the following question: how does the rhetor seek identification with their audience? Select one of the following texts from our e-book to analyze: Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” or Richard Rodriguezs Aria.

Concepts:
For the third unit, we are discussing a rhetors ability to use Aristotles classical appeals, more specifically the appeal to ethos. The rhetors selected for this unit advance arguments in support of and in defense of language diversity by challenging dominant presuppositions about language and redefining what it means to diverse American populations. Using Kenneth Burkes understanding of identification, we will read the texts for instances where the intended audience was moved by an ethical appeal. Our discussions will also address presuppositions about Americas languages debates, including bilingual and monolingual education, Standard English, and minority/immigrant language communities.

Purpose & Genre:
A rhetorical analysis is the study of persuasion in order to understand how and why a text is persuasive. Analysis does not answer or address questions about judgment and evaluation, whether you agree with an argument, or whether you are personally moved by a rhetors strategies.

The writing process will emphasize drafting effective topic sentences and strategies for revising. As such, I will look for the specific elements we discuss in class and take these into consideration as I assess and grade your writing.

Audience, Requirements, & Characteristics of the Critical Essay:
Your audience is the peers and instructor as readers within the discipline of college rhetoric and composition. As an academic audience, they will expect that your analytical essay will reflect the characteristics of the critical essay discussed in the first unit. You can also assume that your readers have read the assigned text and are familiar with it. The characteristics include the following:

An interpretative thesis statement positioned within the introduction
Several body paragraphs in support of your thesis and a conclusion paragraph
Your primary evidence will come from the text under analysis
Specialized vocabulary (the rhetorical terms) to demonstrate your knowledge and occasional quotes from The Mountain Lion Writer to define terms
MLA style, more specifically the 9th edition
Documentation in the form of in-text citations and a Works Cited page
Few errors in grammar and punctuation
Six (6) full pages but no more than seven (7), not including your Works Cited page
I have two recommendations for organization: 1) You may choose to focus on the traits or values the rhetor embodies or 2) You may organize your ideas around one (or more) of the ethical strategies rhetors employ to invent an ethos, including good will, good sense, and good moral character.