1000 words
Instructions:
Follow the prompts in the following documents:
- Formal Rhetorical Analysis Assignment Sheet and Rubric
- Ethos, Pathos, Logos Resource
Grading:
Upload your document in (x) format
Effectivearguments depend on . . .
Ethos – Establishing Credibility Logos – Using Logic Pathos – Connecting Emotionally
Your use of ethos conveys to your audience that
you are:
informed, intelligent, benevolent, honest
through the use of
Ethical Appeals (Appropriate/Fair Ethical
Behavior)
o Demonstrate knowledge of your subject
▪ Claim authority (credentials,
qualifications, past or present
experiences)
▪ Use evidence to support claims
o Demonstrate fairness to your audience
▪ Use language accurately and
respectfully
▪ Acknowledge the opposing point(s) of
view (anticipate possible objections)
▪ Concede any personal weaknesses /
admit limitations
o Establish common ground with your
audience
▪ Acknowledge shared viewpoints
▪ Connect your argument to well-
established or widely respected core
values / principles
Your use of logos allows your audience to see
your argument logically (facts and reason) –
Claim + Supporting Evidence
through the use of
Logical Appeals (Appropriate/Fair Logical
Behavior)
o Hard Evidence
▪ Facts
▪ Statistics
▪ Surveys and Polls
▪ Testimonies, Narratives, Interviews
o Logical Structure
▪ Analogies (Comparison / Contrast)
▪ Precedent
o Strong Evidence & Sound Reasoning
▪ Inductive Reasoning: Drawing a
probable conclusion on the basis of a
number of specific examples
▪ Deductive Reasoning: Assuming a
general, widely held principle (called a
premise) and then applying that
principle to a specific case
Your use of pathos allows the audience to
emotionally (anger, compassion, patriotism, etc.)
identify with the subject/argument
through the use of
Emotional Appeals (Appropriate/Fair
Evocations of Emotion)
o Language
▪ Vivid and concrete descriptive and
evocative language
▪ Figurative language
o Anecdotes
▪ Personal experience
▪ Experiences of others
▪ Narrative / story-telling
o Imagery
▪ A picture is worth . . .
Kairos – Showing Timeliness
o The writer demonstrates the temporal
significance and relevance of the
argument and shows that this is the right
moment to make and support his or her
claim.
Week 4: Crafting Arguments Across Rhetorical Context
Formal Rhetorical Analysis
Assignment Sheet and Grading Rubric
Write a thesis-driven rhetorical analysis in which you analyze the argument’s rhetorical features and critique
the author’s rhetorical effectiveness or ineffectiveness. In other words, what strategies is the author using to be
convincing to their intended audience? Are those strategies successful or not? Why/why not? You’ll analyze
the arguments strategies and rhetorical elements including but not limited to the articles main claim(s),
reasons, warrants, grounds, tone; appeals to logos, pathos, ethos, and kairos; and types of evidence.
Your audience for the analysis will be other College English Composition students who have not yet read the
argument or through about its rhetorical strengths and weaknesses. This means you should
briefly summarize the argument’s content, but you do not need to explain the concepts that students in this
class will be familiar with or define terms that you can expect your peers to know.
Assignment Requirements:
• 750-1000 words (not counting works cited) but it may be longer, double spaced, adheres to MLA
Formatting and Citations
• Separate Work Cited Page (hint: this is an Article in a Web Magazine)
• Look at pages 109-111 of your textbook for Rhetorical Analysis questions you should be asking and
answering. Do not answer all of these questions but if you are stuck and don’t know how to expand your
argument, use this resource for ideas.
Missteps and Things to Avoid:
1. Arguing for or against the author or the topic of the piece
2. Filling this analysis with ‘fluff’ (i.e. spending too much time on the author’s background and defining terms
like logos, pathos, ethos, or kairos to meet minimum word requirements)
3. Failing to consider audience or writing this paper outside of an academic register
4. Adding personal commentary into the analysis (i.e. the author is dumb, this issue doesn’t exist, I feel like…
etc)
5. Only Summarizing and not analyzing the argument
6. Not explaining the source material or evidence (i.e. if you use a quote, don’t just drop it into your analysis.
Always introduce and contextualize this evidence with attributive tags and explain how this evidence
supports your claim.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html
Step 1 Choose an Article
You must choose one of the below articles to do your rhetorical analysis; if you do not like any other these
options, you may choose another text to rhetorically analyze (9-10 page minimum). If you choose an
alternative text, you must receive instructor approval.
1) Harris, Adam. “America Wakes Up From Its Dream of Free College.” The Atlantic. 8 Sept. 2018,
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/09/where-did-americas-dream-of-free-
college-go/569770/ Accessed DD Month YYYY
2) Ripley, Amanda. “Why is College in America So Expensive?” The Atlantic. 11 Sept. 2018
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/09/why-is-college-so-expensive-in-
america/569884/ Accessed DD Month YYYY
3) Chua, Amy and Jed Rubenfeld. “The Constitution is Threatened by Tribalism.” Oct. 2018.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/10/the-threat-of-tribalism/568342/ Accessed
DD Month YYYY
Step 2 Dig In!
• Read the article once to get a sense of the general argument
• Read the article again and take notes on what stands out to you (annotate as you go)
• Utilize the “Questions for Rhetorical Analysis” on p. 109-111 to stimulate your analysis of the argument
• Narrow down to three or four rhetorical features you consider most evident/significant in the argument
Step 3 Formulate a thesis to guide your paper
• The thesis for your paper should give your judgment about how the writer is successful or unsuccessful in
their argument. Questions to consider:
o What rhetorical elements do they execute and what falls flat?
o Is the argument successful for a broad audience?
o Is the argument successful for its specified audience?
o Are some elements of the argument strong but others lacking?
• Tip: Do not simply state which rhetorical strategies the author is using; comment on whether they’re
effective or not
Step 4 Use the “Organization Plan for a Rhetorical Analysis of an Argument” on p. 121 to outline and
organize your paper
• Your paper needs to be structured in this way: Introduction (with thesis), Summary of Argument, Rhetorical
Analysis (multiple paragraphs), and Conclusion. See details below:
Introduction:
• Clearly identifies the title, author, and source of the article you are analyzing
• Providing appropriate background on the author (relevant titles, achievements, and information speaking
to their credibility)
• Briefly summarizes (no more than one paragraph) the author’s topic, position, and supporting reasons
• Formulates and Clearly presents your own thesis–a statement on the overall effectiveness of the author’s
argument–and forecasts the main rhetorical elements or argumentation strategies you’ll be discussing
in the body of your paper.
The body of your Analysis:
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/09/where-did-americas-dream-of-free-college-go/569770/
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/09/where-did-americas-dream-of-free-college-go/569770/
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/09/why-is-college-so-expensive-in-america/569884/
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/09/why-is-college-so-expensive-in-america/569884/
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/10/the-threat-of-tribalism/568342/
• If the summary is not included in the introduction, you will be allowed one paragraph (no more) to
summarize the author’s topic, position, and supporting reasons
• Discuss the rhetorical elements and/or argumentation strategies in the same order in which they
were forecasted in the introduction
• Be comprised of cohesive, coherent, topical paragraphs
• Demonstrate your ability to use transition language and attributive tags
• Support your claims with evidence from the article by demonstrating
both quotations and paraphrase from the source material and to seamlessly work that material from
the original argument into your own rhetorical analysis
Conclusion Requirements (do one or more of the following):
• Restate the thesis of your rhetorical analysis differently than in the introduction, making a point to
highlight the rhetorical elements you just analyzed in the body
• Make an observation about how the quality (or lack thereof) of the argument you are analyzing might
impact the issue at hand
• Explain how the argument could have been more or less effective, and what changes needed to be
made for that to be the case
• Demonstrate what tactics the editorial employed that other writers would be wise (or foolish) to adapt
for their own argument
Criteria
Below Expectation
(0-9)
Meeting Expectations
(10-18)
Outstanding
(19-25)
Total
Points
Nuts and
Bolts
Times New Roman 12-point font, 1-inch margins, double-spaced, MLA heading,
header (last name and page numbers in upper right corner, 750 word minimum)
__/ 3
Focus
Clear and strong thesis; clear 3-4 main points of analysis; thesis makes a judgment
on the effectiveness of the rhetorical elements; the main points in the rhetorical
analysis paragraphs clearly match up to the thesis A thesis statement is clearly
identifiable and guides the directing of the paper. The thesis statement is clearly
present in the introduction and comments upon the effectiveness of the argument
__/ 5
Organization
Follows the outline structure on WA p. 121 and includes all specified sections;
rhetorical analysis paragraphs utilize a reader-friendly style; includes smooth
transitions between ideas and between paragraphs, paragraph breaks are logical and
contain ideas neatly, paragraphs do not end with quotations
__/ 5
Development
Adequately introduces the topic and interests the reader; gives enough background
info so that a reader understands the context; intro includes a succinct summary of
the original artifact; paper concludes by wrapping up and effectively listing the
stakes/importance. Ideas are adequately developed and explained; The rhetorical
analysis paragraphs are supported by specific examples and/or quotes
__/ 5
Editing
Spelling, punctuation, and proofreading do not conflict with ease of reading or
understanding and show that effort was made to revise
__/ 2
Accuracy and
Attribution
The original artifact is accurately represented; The rhetorical elements are accurately
represented; Attributive tags are used to clearly show which info comes from the
original author; In-text citations are included and correctly done
__/5
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Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
