This assignment will ask you to analyze and evaluate a written argument. What argument you write on is up to you, though I do ask that you keep it at least semi-academic. Feel free to think on an article/book/short story/film/text on your own time, but we will spend some in-class time locating arguments.
Basically, a rhetorical analysis is an essay that tasks you with analyzing what a writing is trying to do, to analyze a writer’s major argument throughout his or her essay, and analyze how they try to persuade their audience (to change their thinking about a subject).
A thesis statement for a rhetorical analysis should ideally look something like this:
“How
tries to change […]”
but can take any form as long as it asserts a position on an argument within the text.
The rhetorical essay for this class will be a standard essay with an intro, thesis, a body of evidence, and a conclusion.
What makes this different from the other major writing assignments for this semester is that you rely almost exclusively on what the written argument already sets forth. You find quotes from the text to prove your thesis correct. Let the text work for you, and it should be much easier.
We will have read several chapters of Understanding Rhetoric and have already completed several mini-rhetorical analyses (Spec Reflects) by the time this project is due. Utilize those readings, those writings, and additional research (recommended, but not necessary) as you compose the Rhetorical Analysis.
I will be grading on adherence to the type of assignment (rhetorical analysis), page count, essay format, accuracy of conclusions, use of the primary text, and usage/grammar. The attached rubric will be filled in and returned to you after scores are uploaded on Canvas:
