examine how well the article appeals to its intended audience

Influence of Increased Popularity of College Sports on Studies

Essay #1: Rhetorical Analysis

  • Due Sunday by 11:59pm

Essay #1: Rhetorical Analysis

For Essay #1, please write a summary and analysis of any of the articles from Ch. 14 assigned by your instructor. Your audience is educated peers who have read the article, and are wondering what you think about it.

Your rhetorical analysis must include a summary of what the article argues, and also an analysis and evaluation of how well the article makes its points.

Your essay should include those elements of summary that Greene and Lidinsky recommend:

  • the context of the article
  • a clear statement of what you feel to be “the gist” of the article
  • a description of the key claims of the article
  • 1-2 relevant examples (direct quotations or paraphrases) from the article

As no summary is neutral, you must weave an analytical thread throughout your summary that suggests to the reader your judgment of the value of the article. You might consider including:

  • examine how well the article appeals to its intended audience
  • evaluate the author’s use of evidence
  • identify the author’s purpose or motivation for writing
  • point out the gaps and flaws in the article’s argument

Do not attempt to summarize every last detail of the article. Instead, focus on the gist of the article and your analysis of the how well the article supports its points.

Because an analysis is your perspective, it is appropriate to use “I” in this essay. However, do use “I” sparingly — your focus should be on analyzing the article, not on simply stating your own beliefs.

GUIDELINES FOR ESSAY #1

Length/Due Date: approximately 600 words, due Sunday midnight Central Time.

Style/Format: This, as all essays in EN106, should be formatted in a standard scholarly format. (Most students follow MLA or APA guidelines, which are outlined in Easy Writer.) No matter what format you follow, be sure to do the following:

  • Use 12 point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced.
  • Use 1-inch margins top, bottom, and sides.
  • Although no cover page is needed, you should include your name, my name, the course number/title, and date at the upper left-hand corner of the manuscript.

References: Essay #1 must quote or paraphrase the article you are analyzing. Each time you quote or paraphrase the article, include in-text citations that follow MLA or APA style.

File format: Please submit your essay as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file. These formats are available in most word processors, including Google Docs and Open Office, and will ensure that your instructor is able to comment on your work.

Works Cited/References: Create an appropriate bibliography, with one entry for the article you are analyzing. Use Easy Writer to learn how to format a end-of-text citation for a work in an anthology or selection in a book with an editor.

Titles: Include a descriptive title at the beginning of your essay that tips your readers off to your central message. Do not format your title with quotation marks, boldface, underlining or italics. Quotation marks or underlining are only appropriate if the title borrows words from another source.

Deadline: Submit your final draft essay no later than midnight on Sunday at the end of this unit.

Use of essays for future courses: Please understand that your essay may be used— anonymously—as a sample for future EN106 students and instructors unless you expressly request that it not be used. Your work, of course, will only be used for educational purposes.

Assessment: See the Grading and Assessment content item under Course Home to see the criteria and rubric I will use to grade your essay.

WHY IS THIS ASSIGNMENT IMPORTANT?

A very common type of writing you will produce in your academic career is a source analysis. The ability to engage in close reading of a text, identify salient arguments and evidence, present the text’s ideas in your own words, and evaluate that source’s effectiveness is foundational to entering academic conversations. Summaries also serve an important role in helping other readers make sense of a difficult text. You might think of analysis as the job of a tour guide: you are offering your readers a brief glimpse into another world.

As you learned from Greene and Lidinsky’s chapter, writing a rhetorical analysis involves a great deal of critical thinking and evaluation on the part of the writer. You must identify the author’s thesis (what Greene and Lidinsky call “the gist”), uncover how the key claims of that thesis are supported and developed, evaluate the conversational contexts of the author’s work, and, at all points, consider how your perspective affects your interpretation of the text.

The rhetorical analysis assignment is often new to students, and as a result, they tend to write a “standard” English essay. Not good! The key word to this assignment is “analysis,” and you are being asked to analyze the “rhetoric” or writing and construction of your chosen essay. I suggest you begin by reading the essay carefully, then consulting your own reaction as to whether you think the essay has been effective in its intention, or ineffective–or some mix of the two. The next question is, why? What specifically has caused the essay to be effective/ineffective? What’s the thesis? Who is the envisioned audience? What rhetorical strategies did the author use, and were they a good choice? Your thesis for your OWN essay should be your assertion about the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of the essay, followed by a summary of “because.” As in,

“Smith’s essay is highly effective because of her use of narration to illustrate her thesis, and her clear explanation of cause and effect.”

Anything along these lines will do the job. What you do NOT want to do is just repeat what your chosen essay is about, and/or argue the topic of the essay. Any questions? Just ask!!

Professor comments: Natasha, you were one of the very few who addressed the key point–the thesis, really–of whether or not the chosen essay was effective, in your view. Unfortunately, you made it the very first sentence which is not where the thesis should be–because readers tend to read right over it. Instead, from now on, make it a habit to place your thesis sentence as the final sentence of your introduction. As it is, the current final sentence is not a complete sentence in any case, but just a fragment. Avoid this! Once you’ve stated your opinion about the paper, then make sure each topic sentence of each paragraph addresses a reason for your opinion. You begin to do that towards the end, but it would be best to do it consistently throughout. Some minor questions: 1. How is “I can imagine they may have missed a class or two…” a euphemism? A euphemism for WHAT? 2. How is “…not just going to games but lining up…” an example of alliteration? I find myself wondering whether you’re fully sure what these terms mean. And even if you are sure, what is important about these? How do they contribute to the paper? Please see below. I can pass your paper as it is, but if you are willing to revise, you might receive a better grade. The decision is entirely up to you!

Kendra Gaines , Aug 31 at 5:42pm

I am happy to allow a rewrite and resubmission for a proper grade, if you are willing. Your deadline for this is midnight Friday, Sept. 4th. Good luck! _______________________ The rhetorical analysis assignment is often new to students, and as a result, they tend to write a “standard” English essay. Not good! The key word to this assignment is “analysis,” and you are being asked to analyze the “rhetoric” or writing and construction of your chosen essay. I suggest you begin by reading the essay carefully, then consulting your own reaction as to whether you think the essay has been effective in its intention, or ineffective–or some mix of the two. The next question is, why? What specifically has caused the essay to be effective/ineffective? What’s the thesis? Who is the envisioned audience? What rhetorical strategies did the author use, and were they a good choice? Your thesis for your OWN essay should be your assertion about the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of the essay, followed by a summary of “because.” As in, “Smith’s essay is highly effective because of her use of narration to illustrate her thesis, and her clear explanation of cause and effect.” Anything along these lines will do the job. What you do NOT want to do is just repeat what your chosen essay is about, and/or argue the topic of the essay. Any questions? Just ask!!

 

 

Subject: English

 

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