rhetorical analysis essay

Composition II
Essay Two: Rhetorical Analysis

Your assignment is to write a rhetorical analysis of a written argument of your own choosing.

Your essay’s introduction should introduce basic background on the author and his or her general purpose and topic. This essay is not thesis-driven, so do not worry about coming up with your own thesis. Instead, explain your purpose to the reader, which is to consider the rhetorical strategies of the essay. Your fictional audience will be someone who is familiar with principles of rhetoric but who has not necessarily read your chosen argument. So the introduction will serve as a background to help your reader understand the context of what you’re discussing.

Each of your body paragraphs should be focused upon explaining a distinct aspect of your author’s rhetorical strategy. As always, it’s important to be sure that each paragraph is covering a topic unique to itself, not a topic that overlaps with other paragraphs. Each topic should analyze a part of the essay according to some significant rhetorical principle. For example, you could draw upon the rhetorical triangle (ethos, pathos, logos), upon the argumentative techniques and/or fallacies employed by Aristotle, or upon the systems of Toulmin and Rogers. In each paragraph, you’ll argue for an aspect of how the argument’s rhetoric is either strong or weak in some respect. As you do so, give textual evidence from the argument to support your claim. Be careful to avoid simplistic criticism, such as blaming the argument for not including some topic or technique. No argument can include every possibility; it’s your job to show why, in this particular rhetorical context, the exclusion is especially harmful. Somewhere you must point out and discuss a warrant in the argument, either one that is explicitly stated or one that is logically implied.

Your conclusion should summarize the ground you’ve covered. Remind us of the argument’s strengths and weaknesses and then show us what general pattern is revealed. For example, your argument might have been strong in its logic but self-destructive in other ways. Or it might become evident that your argument consistently illustrated some of Aristotle’s suggestions for argument. Try to give us a picture of the whole by tying your points together.

You are free to select any written argument that was not covered in class and that is printed from a respectable source. For example, you could choose a column from a newspaper or an article from a respectable periodical. There are many online periodicals (Slate, for example) from which to choose. Articles appearing on university websites would generally be acceptable as well. You could also select an argument from the textbook that we did not discuss in class.

It goes without saying that correct grammar, organization, and correct MLA format are all important, gradewise. It is also important, however, that you provide meaningful commentary with depth. So it is critical that you (1) explain your points thoroughly and (2) provide interesting insights, not self-evident observations that anyone would notice immediately.

The essay’s minimum length requirement is 900 words. Please double-space. Remember that you do need to follow MLA format, including a Works Cited page listing your chosen text. Also, hard copies (they should be stapled) will be submitted in class, as well as electronic copies to my email.