Write an essay that analyzes, responds to, and evaluates rhetorical strategies in the literary argument essay entitled “Prospero: A Renaissance Perspective.” (Incidentally, I wrote this essay when I was in your position: A freshman in college. I chose to assign it for your Rhetorical Analysis because it’s significantly simpler, shorter, and easier to follow than a proper scholarly essay would be.) The point of this essay is to demonstrate to me that you are able to recognize the rhetorical strategies at work in a persuasive essay, and talk intelligently about how these strategies are working. Please note that you are NOT presenting your own argument about The Tempest, nor are you responding to my argument with your own counter-argument. Instead, you are ANALYZING the strategies I used to make my argument.

Instructions: Begin by reading the essay all the way through to get a general grasp of its main ideas. Then, reread the essay, this time carefully annotating. Select specific areas you plan to discuss in your essay, and pay special attention to these areas. The essay you will read presents a variety of arguments to support its central claim. Since you have a lot to cover in only 3-4 pages, don’t waste time with fluff; your essay should make its points succinctly and get right down to business immediately. Structure: Your introduction should introduce the article, listing its full name, its author’s name, and a brief summary of what the article is about (stressing main points that you plan to discuss later.) Your introduction should also identify the writer’s intended audience and her purpose for writing the paper. Your thesis statement, which should conclude your introduction, will state why, specifically, the essay was successful in achieving its goals. (For example: “The essay was effective because the author made use of _____, ______, and _______ in order to argue that Prospero should be viewed as the rightful hero of the play.”) Please be sure that your introduction reflects the rest of your essay! For example, don’t mention deductive arguments in your thesis statement unless you plan to discuss that later. Your body paragraphs will elaborate on your thesis as you discuss the strategies we have talked about in class. For example, you may choose to dedicate one paragraph to a discussion of connotative words that the author uses in order to appeal to the readers’ emotions while building the argument in support of Prospero. Once you’ve introduced the point, be sure to spend the rest of the paragraph fleshing it out with evidence from the essay. (If you say that I used connotative words, you need to give me examples from the essay!) At the end of each body paragraph, restate the point of the paragraph and segue smoothly into the subject of the next paragraph. Your conclusion should briefly summarize your main points. What to Discuss: (You can choose to discuss any of these points; be sure to choose at least 3 major points to cover! For example, you could choose to discuss inductive arguments, connotative words, and refutations.) The Rhetorical Appeals Pathos Connotative words (positive, negative, neutral) Emotional examples & anecdotes Emotional tone, meaningful language, repetition Ethos Sounding fair and reasonable Establishing expertise, authority Language appropriate to topic Logos Facts, studies, analogies, statistics Deductive arguments (syllogisms) Inductive arguments Logical fallacies (non sequitor, ad hominem, post hoc, begging the question, false dichotomy, weak analogy, bandwagon, straw man, hasty generalization) The Parts of an Argument Claims of fact Claims of value Claims of policy Issues, claims, support, evidence, refutations You will be graded according to … Adherence to guidelines – Correct length (3-4 double-spaced pages) and normal paper format (header in upper left corner, including name, course number, date, and my name), proper page numbering (top, center), indented paragraphs, and 1-inch margins on left, right, top, and bottom. Correctness – Unlike your Character Analysis assignment, this assignment calls for proper essay format. Your analysis should include a formal introduction, body paragraphs supporting your thesis, and a conclusion. Citations – Since we have not yet discussed proper MLA format, all quotes taken directly from the assigned essay should be followed simply by page numbers listed in parenthesis. Understanding & critical thinking demonstrated – You will be graded according to how thoroughly you discuss the rhetorical strategies at use in the essay, as well as how accurately you describe how the author uses these strategies. Specificity!!! – Your success in this assignment hinges on how specific you are (i.e. how much evidence you provide from the text to support the argument you make.)