Instruction
Performing the Review (Word track changes/comments and 300 word commentary/review).
Address the following questions after you review the documents:
The rhetor, audience, and context were largely given to you by the
three scenarios. But what is the rhetor's purpose? What goals--both
small and large--are they trying to accomplish?
What "works" in the document, and why?
What strategies are perhaps "less-than-successful"? Why?
What changes can you recommend to improve the strategy of the document?
In assessing the rhetorical success of the document, set aside your
own personal reactions and instead concentrate on how the intended
audience will likely react. Think about who that audience is and what
they are likely to find appealing--it may not necessarily be what you yourself find persuasive or appealing.
And of course, you can't gauge the likely success of the document if
you don't fully understand what the document initially set out to do...
keep in mind the major purpose (or even purposes) to the document as you
evaluate it.
Use Word's comment feature to provide feedback or comments on
specific areas of the document. (Be sure that you have set your identity
before starting, so that Word records you as the reviewer--consult the
for how to do this). Problems with grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
are helpful things to point out, but your review should emphasize as
much as possible the overall rhetorical strategy and other "big picture"
considerations. Feel free to point out strategies that you are
confident will be successful, or other strategies that you think may not
work as the rhetor planned. Also, feel free to use track changes to
alter the document directly. If you have suggestions for improving the
document, you can illustrate them most effectively by making the change
yourself. Just make sure that track changes is on.