Instruction
Essay #1: Rhetorical Analysis
For this response, write an analysis of the rhetorical strategies and techniques used by a writer in constructing a short essay. The purpose of this assignment is to think and write critically about texts. In this response, analyze an essay or speech selected from the reader or another essay you select with the instructor’s permission.
There are many possibilities for selection, so read a few essays that may interest you before beginning to write your essay. To begin your analysis, look at the writer’s backing of a claim, use of evidence, logic (or logical fallacies), address of counterarguments, organizational strategies, style, humor, and/or tone. You must have a thesis about the article you choose and elements of its rhetoric. You might, for example, write a thesis that addresses a single important technique of the writer, a few of the central strategies used by the writer to structure the article, or the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the essay in achieving its purpose for a particular audience, using selected criteria. It is fine to have a nuanced thesis that does not conclude the essay is entirely good or entirely bad.
Remember that these pieces are composed by published, respected writers who have quality to their writing; at the same time, you may find gaps in the writing, disagree with the logic or approach, or find significant concerns that are not addressed by the piece. While you may include a very brief summary of what the writer says, summary should only be a small portion of your essay, and you should concentrate on developing your argument/thesis about the essay, using evidence and insight to support your claim. The essay should include a Work or Works Cited page. Be sure to proofread your essay for technical errors.
Your response should be at least 2 pages, in MLA format (not including the Works Cited).
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