Task:
For this essay, you will analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the rhetoric in ONE of the assigned readings listed below. This means you will need to first identify the occasion, purpose, main argument, and audience of the text. Then, you will analyze how the argument is supported (logos), how the author’s credibility is established (ethos), and how it connects to the audience’s emotions (pathos). You should ultimately be making a claim about the rhetoric’s effectiveness.
Assigned Readings:
- “Rigid Rules, Inflexible Plans, and the Stifling of Language”
by Mike Rose - “Revision Strategies of Student and Experienced Adult Writers” by Nancy Sommers
Organization:
For this essay, you must have the following sections in the following order:
I. Introduction
This section should identify the text’s title, author, and where it was published as well as establishing why the text is worth examining in depth before providing the thesis statement.
II. Background – Rhetorical Situation
This section should focus on providing the reader with information about the rhetorical situation. You should identify the occasion, purpose, and audience if not mentioned already in the introduction. The main argument should be briefly summarized. You may use quotes or paraphrases to support the other identifications.
III. Argument – Rhetorical Appeals
This section should analyze the logos, ethos, and pathos. The analysis section can be organized chronologically (the first paragraph covers all notable appeals in the first section of the text, then the second all in the second section, and so on) or by appeal (each paragraph focuses on a single appeal and draws examples from the whole text). Both have their advantages and disadvantages. This should be the longest section of the essay.
IV. Argument – Evaluation
This section makes the final connections needed to prove your thesis by determining the overall effectiveness of the rhetoric. For this essay, that means proving one of the following three options: 1) ethos, pathos, and logos are very strong, 2) one of the appeals is weak but the other two are strong enough or more important, or 3) two of the appeals are weak but the one most important for convincing that audience is very strong. An appeal is considered effective if it can achieve the author’s purpose for the intended audience according to the constraints of the genre and occasion.
V. Conclusion Section
This section reminds the reader of the thesis and why the findings are important.
Tips for Success:
- Remember that these are both articles written for important academic journals in the field of composition.
- Choose examples from throughout the text even if you are not using the chronological order.
- Draft one section at a time. Especially if you find yourself very busy, dividing the essay into smaller parts can give you easier goals.
- Avoid using first or second person. The kind of essay this is does not call for either.
Requirements:
- Follows given organization pattern (do not include headings)
- Properly cited textual evidence from one assigned reading
- 1000+ words (excluding Work Cited page)
- MLA format
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