Monday, February 2, 2009 - Rhetorical Analysis #1

I. Some feedback on short writing assignments:

Please remember that this is a rhetoric and composition class. It really is important to capitalize and punctuate, to plan and proofread, and to follow the prompt for every SWA closely!

A Short Writing Assignment is neither of the following
a) a freewrite/ stream of consciousness provoked by the assignment;
b) a laundry list of answers to the questions/tasks in the prompt;
c) a way for me to keep you busy.

However, ANY Short Writing Assignment is, a planned and proofread short essay, which addresses the questions/tasks in the prompt without making the prompt too obvious. I gives you a chance to remember the readings by applying the concepts from the txtbook to the articles from the Reader.

Any SWA that can be labeled as a response to essay X:

• is a formal rather than simply emotional response to the issue


• first sums up the main argument in Essay X


• and only then provides your feedback to the nature of the argument or the issue.


• builds on the concepts introduced by the textbook and first practiced in SWA #2!

II. In-class Writing:

What made you pick the essays of your choice from chapter 10? What about the way the argument was presented made you want to write about it? What can you say of the authors' credibility? What emotions, if any did the authors appeal to?

III. Prepping for RA #1

A. Copy the text below into your own blog:

Essay Author and Title:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Central Argument of the Essay:
(p.xx) XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX



My Central Claim about the nature/effectiveness of the argument in the essay:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX



This is how the author mnipulated the rhetorical appeals:

• The logos appeal:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX



• The ethos appeal:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX



• The pathos appeal:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

My conclusion about the nature/effectiveness of the argument in the essay:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

B. Choose one of the articles from chapter 10 and substitute the Xs with your words. You will need to locate and paraphrase the thesis sttement of the essay you re analysing and to develop your own main and supporting claims. For each point, you need to boild down your text to one or two sentences only!

These will work as your working thesis and topic sentences for the Rhetorical Analysis #1.