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Rhetorical Analysis Essay Assignment

This document outlines an assignment to write a 1000-1500 word rhetorical analysis essay on one of the listed essays. Students are instructed to construct an argument about how the author uses rhetorical devices to achieve their goal. They are prompted to consider the author's argument, appeals, devices, audience and context. Students must craft a thesis, refer to the text for examples, and undergo a revision process including workshops, peer reviews, and a meeting with the instructor.

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58 views2 pages

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Assignment

This document outlines an assignment to write a 1000-1500 word rhetorical analysis essay on one of the listed essays. Students are instructed to construct an argument about how the author uses rhetorical devices to achieve their goal. They are prompted to consider the author's argument, appeals, devices, audience and context. Students must craft a thesis, refer to the text for examples, and undergo a revision process including workshops, peer reviews, and a meeting with the instructor.

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Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Assignment Objectives:
● To demonstrate your increasing rhetorical knowledge
● To practice your critical reading and writing skills
● To work in groups to workshop papers and give and receive student feedback
● To gain familiarity with the process of writing

Assignment:
For this assignment, you will conduct a 1000-1500 word rhetorical analysis on one of the essays
I list below. Your goal is to construct and support an argument about the way the author uses
rhetorical devices to achieve a certain goal.

Brainstorming/Pre-writing:
Consider the following questions as you form your argument:
● What is the author’s argument? Do you think it is well supported? Why or why not?
● Where do you see the author using rhetorical appeals? What is the purpose of these
appeals
● What other rhetorical devices are used?
● Who is the audience?
● What is the context of the text? What cultural assumptions are being made?

Craft a thesis statement that outlines your own ideas about the essay and the persuasion you see
as most important to the argument that you are making (you may want to change your thesis after
writing your paper).

Remember to consider how the argument and use of rhetoric impacts and persuades you. Is this a
new idea that you think holds weight; why or why not? This may not necessarily be a part of
your argument, but if they do not convince you to see their side, perhaps the argument is not that
strong. Is the use of rhetoric convincing?

Refer back to the text frequently for quotes and examples while you write. Every claim you
make should be supported by the author. You should not necessarily include every instance of
rhetoric that you identify; focus only on the instances that support your thesis statement.

Revision:
This paper will undergo intensive revision. Using your thesis statement that will be turned in the
day before your first draft is due, I will break you up into groups that I think will be most helpful
for feedback. Then we will have a class period to workshop your draft. Following the workshop
day, you will each choose a partner who is writing something you think is interesting and you
will peer review each other’s papers. Following that feedback, you will have a week to finish
your final draft.

Remember that you are required to meet with me at least once during the semester to receive
feedback on your work.

Essay Bank:
Roxane Gay, “The Politics of Respectability” 2014
Zora Neale Hurston, “How it Feels to be Colored Me” 1928
Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have a Dream" 1963
Barack Obama, “Inaugural Address” 2013
Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal” 1729

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