Close Reading Essay Assignment Guide
Writing as Inquiry | Spring 2026
Timeline
Week 1 Wednesday 21 January Task Introduced
Week 2 Monday 26 January Class Topic: Close Reading
Wednesday 28 January Class Topic: Rhetoric
Week 3 Monday 2 February Class Topic: Rhetorical Analysis
Wednesday 4 February Essay Outline Due in Class
Week 4 Monday 9 February Draft Due in Class
Peer Review Workshop in Class
M-W, 9-11 February Individual Conferences
Week 5 Monday 23 February Essay Due in Class and Brightspace
Targeted Course Learning Outcomes
The Close Reading Essay aligns with these course learning outcomes:
1. Recognize the elements of a rhetorical situation and understand how they affect the options for
composing texts;
2. Understand and critically analyze the ways in which genre conventions shape written structure,
tone, and mechanics;
3. Plan and pursue a sustained and feasible line of inquiry in order to compose compelling essays;
5. Incorporate written texts, and/or multimedia sources, as evidence, using summary, paraphrase,
quotation, analysis, and reflection;
6. Employ effective practices of drafting and revision in the process improving essay structure,
phrasing, and writing style across several exercises or drafts;
7. Engage and respond to feedback from others while providing serious, respectful, and constructive
feedback to their peers.
Task Description
● Length: 4 pages (approximately 1,000 words)
● Submission: Brightspace + Printed Copy in Class
In this close reading essay, you will analyse a single argumentative or expository text through sustained
attention to two or three key passages. The essay is guided by the question:
How does this text make its argument persuasive through language, structure, and rhetorical
strategy?
Rather than summarising the text or evaluating whether its claims are correct, you will focus on
explaining how specific textual choices shape meaning and persuasive effect. The emphasis is on slow,
passage‑ and word-based analysis that accounts for how arguments are constructed at the level of
language, form, and rhetoric. You will submit the essay alongside a short reflection (~300 additional
words) on your reading and analytic process.
Texts for Close Reading (choose one only)
● Liu Xiaobo (2009), ‘I Have No Enemies: My Final Statement’
● Wei Jingsheng (1978), ‘The Fifth Modernization’
● Xi Jinping (2022), ‘President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the opening ceremony of BFA annual conference 2022’
● Xianzi (2021), ‘Online (Self-)Censorship on Feminist Topics: Testimony of a #MeToo Survivor’ | PDF
● Lü Pin (2023), ‘Stay Angry and Leave Hope for Tomorrow: Understanding the Feminist Movement in China’ | PDF
● Martin Luther King Jr. (1963), ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’
● Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2009), ‘The Danger of a Single Story’
Note: These works are varying lengths, but when selecting your text, I recommend you do not base it on
length as a deciding factor, as you only need to choose up to a few paragraphs to close read and discuss.
Close Reading
Close reading involves carefully analysing a text’s language and structure to uncover how meaning and
persuasion are produced. In a close reading essay, this means paying sustained attention to factors
including but not limited to:
● Word choice and phrasing (diction, connotation, repetition)
● Sentence structure and rhythm (syntax, emphasis, pacing)
● Tone and stance
● Organisation and progression of ideas
● Rhetorical situations and appeals, such as ethos (credibility), pathos (emotional appeal), logos
(logic and reasoning), and kairos (timeliness or context).
Rather than covering the entire text broadly, you will move slowly through selected passages, explaining
how specific textual features contribute to the text’s overall rhetorical effect.
Annotated Passage Submission
At the start of your essay (the first page after the title page), you must submit the portion(s) of the text you
close read, with visible annotations and markup. These annotations should show how you identified key
moments, patterns, or rhetorical features in the passages you analyse in your essay.
Annotations may include highlighting, marginal notes, underlining, or brief comments, and may be
completed digitally or by hand (scanned or photographed). This submission is intended to document your
close reading process, not to be polished or exhaustive.
Citing the Text
Because this assignment focuses on a single text, your citation practices should reflect the conventions of
close reading, where sustained attention to specific passages is central to the analysis.
● Introduce the text clearly the first time you mention it (author, title, and any brief contextual
information your reader needs).
● Whenever you quote from the text, include the relevant page number in parentheses after the
quotation; once the text has been introduced, page numbers alone are sufficient, e.g. ‘quote from
the text’ (41).
Include the text in a ‘Works Cited’ list at the end of your essay. We have not yet have addressed
appropriate MLA citation formatting, so I have provided a list below of properly formatted works cited so
you can copy and paste the relevant work.
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “The Danger of a Single Story.” 2009. James Clear, n.d.,
[Link]
Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” 1963. California State University, Chico, n.d.,
[Link] Accessed 5
Feb. 2026.
Liu, Xiaobo. “I Have No Enemies: My Final Statement.” 2009. Translated by Human Rights in China
(HRIC), based on a translation by J. Latourelle. Nobel Prize, 10 Dec. 2010,
[Link] Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Lü, Pin. “Stay Angry and Leave Hope for Tomorrow: Understanding the Feminist Movement in China.”
Made in China Journal, 9 Nov. 2023,
[Link]
g-the-feminist-movement-in-china/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Wei, Jingsheng. “The Fifth Modernization.” 1978. Wei Jingsheng Foundation, n.d.,
[Link] Accessed 5 Feb.
2026.
Xi, Jinping. “President Xi Jinping’s Keynote Speech at the Opening Ceremony of BFA Annual
Conference 2022.” State Council of the People’s Republic of China, 21 Apr. 2022,
[Link]
ml. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Xianzi. “Online (Self-)Censorship on Feminist Topics: Testimony of a #MeToo Survivor.” Made in China
Journal, 15 Sept. 2021,
[Link]
-a-metoo-survivor/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Note
Some entries include multiple dates:
● There may be an original date that refers to when the text itself was written or delivered.
● There may be a website publication date that refers to when the text was posted online by the
site hosting it.
● The is an access date that refers to the day you accessed the text.
If a website does not list a publication date, you will see n.d., which means no date.
Please copy the Works Cited entry for your chosen text exactly as provided, and replace the access date
with the day you accessed the article yourself.
Essay Structure
While there is no single required structure, a strong close reading essay typically includes the following
sections (do not use these as subtitles in your essay):
Introduction
● Briefly introduces the text and its rhetorical situation
● Establishes the analytical focus of the essay
● Presents a clear thesis that makes a claim about how the text achieves its persuasive effects
Body Paragraphs
● Organised around passages, rhetorical strategies, or patterns, rather than plot or summary
● Incorporate short quotations from the text
● Analyse quotations in detail, explaining how language and structure function rhetorically
● Consistently connect analysis back to the thesis
Conclusion
● Reflects on what the close reading reveals about the text’s argument and rhetorical design
● Emphasises the significance of the analysis rather than introducing new evidence.
Per a student’s request, I have included the slide from class below. Note that it is largely the same
content as the structure above, just using different phrasing that is more concise, so it can fit on a
single slide.
Thesis Statement
Your essay should be guided by a clear, arguable thesis that makes a claim about how the text works
rhetorically. A strong thesis does not merely announce the topic or list rhetorical devices; it explains what
the analysis will show about the text’s persuasive strategies. As you draft and revise, continue to check
whether each paragraph supports and develops this central claim.
As promised in class, here are the colour coded example thesis statements:
In ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’, Martin Luther King Jr. creates urgency through contrast and
repetition, opposing calls for “waiting” with repeated, concrete descriptions of injustice to frame
delay as morally unacceptable.
In ‘I Have No Enemies’, Liu Xiaobo builds ethos through calm, measured language that
presents him as reasonable and credible, encouraging readers to see him as principled.
1. Text and author
2. Rhetorical strategy (how persuasion works)
3. Persuasive effect (what the strategy leads the reader to think or judge
Reflection
At the end of your essay, you will submit a short reflection (approximately 200–300 words) focused on
your reading, writing, and analytical process. The purpose of this reflection is to help you make sense of
your own development as a close reader and analytical writer. You should select a few questions from the
list below to respond to thoughtfully. You are not expected to answer every question, and your reflection
does not need to be comprehensive of everything. Instead, aim for depth, specificity, and honest
engagement with what you deem to be the most important aspects of your process.
● You might consider:
● What did you learn about close reading or rhetorical analysis through this assignment?
● What aspects of your analytical writing improved as you worked on this essay?
● What do you still need to work on as a reader or writer?
● What was most challenging about this assignment, and why?
● Where did you struggle to move from observation to analysis?
● How did your understanding of the text change as you slowed down and focused on specific
passages?
The reflection should be thoughtful and specific, focusing on your process rather than evaluating your
essay itself.
First Draft and Peer Review
You will submit a complete draft of your essay for peer review prior to the final deadline. The draft
should:
● Meet the minimum length requirement
● Present a clear thesis and sustained analysis
● Be edited for clarity and coherence
Peer review is a critical part of the writing process and will focus on thesis clarity, depth of analysis, use
of evidence, and organisation. We will engage in peer review during class, so drafts must be completed on
time.
Formatting & Style Guide
Refer to the Style Guide; but in brief:
● Times New Roman, 12pt
● left aligned
● double-line spacing
Include a Title Page with the following elements:
● Essay Title (centred and bold)
● Student Name
● Instructor Name
● Section #
● Net ID
● Word count (word count should exclude any works cited, direct quotes or notes).
Referencing
Use MLA (refer to the library guide); include a Works Cited list.
Assessment Criteria
Your Rhetorical Essay will be assessed on the following criteria.
1. Close Reading: Demonstrates careful, sustained attention to specific passages, deeply analysing
selected textual features to explain how meaning is produced.
2. Rhetorical Analysis: Identifies and explains key rhetorical strategies in the text and shows how
these strategies contribute to the text’s persuasive or argumentative aims.
3. Thesis: Presents a clear thesis that makes a specific claim about how the text works rhetorically
and consistently guides the analysis.
4. Structure and Flow: Organises ideas logically, with focused paragraphs and clear transitions that
support the development of the analysis and thesis.
5. Expression and Presentation: Uses clear, precise academic prose; integrates quotations
effectively; and follows formatting and citation guidelines with minimal mechanical errors.
6. Reflection: Reflects thoughtfully on the reading and writing process, demonstrating awareness of
challenges, learning, and areas for further development.
Use of GenAI and AI Tools Policy
Note that for this assessment task, in addition to the below general course policy for AI use, you may not
upload any text to any AI or LLM and ask it to perform a close reading or rhetorical analysis. You
must perform all close reading and rhetorical analysis yourself.
Responsible and ethical use of GenAI and Assistive AI Tools* can support the learning process, and for
this assessment task they are allowed under the following conditions. They may be used for everyday
tasks like clarifying concepts, checking grammar and style, or providing language support. Additionally,
GenAI may be used to assist with activities such as brainstorming, outlining or similar, with the
understanding that your use should be supplementary and not a substitute for personal engagement. You
may not use GenAI to compose any part of assignment submissions or copy-paste content for any course
task, as this type of use violates the principles of academic integrity. All suspected violations will be
referred to Academic Affairs and may result in failure of assessment tasks or the course. If uncertain,
please consult me for guidance.
IMPORTANT: When engaging with a GenAI language model or other AI tools, you should not provide
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as name, University ID, phone number, address, etc.
Submitting copyrighted materials, such as journal articles, is also prohibited and could have serious legal
ramifications.
*Generative AI (GenAI): Machine learning models that generate text, images, and other content in
response to prompts, often largely indistinguishable from human outputs. Assistive AI Tools: AI tools that
automate or enhance tasks like grammar checking, transcription, translation, summarisation, and
plagiarism detection by improving or analyzing existing content.