Essay #1: Rhetorical Analysis
● 3-4 pages ● No Internet research
Draft due: in class 9/12 (50 points) Final Draft due: online 9/24 (150 points) Assignment Description: Choose one of the assigned readings from They Say/ I Say and examine how the author attempts to persuade the audience. In other words, analyze the rhetorical effectiveness of the essay. Your analysis needs to identify 1) the main argument 2) the target audience 3) the writer’s use of the three rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos) and 4) style and arrangement. In order to earn a C or above, your essay should include:
● a minimum of 3 FULL double-spaced pages (not 2 and ½, or even 2 and ¾. Every available line should be used) Do not include a cover page.
● 12-point Times New Roman font and 1” margins. See sample student paper used for peer review training.
● an introduction that sets up your argument about the ad ● a thesis that evaluates the effectiveness of the ad based on the author’s use of rhetorical
appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) ● effectively organized paragraphs with strong topic sentences and transitions ● Examples from the article (summaries and paraphrases in your own words and sentence
structure, as well as some brief, correctly integrated direct quotations) ● Proper MLA page headers ● a conclusion that does not merely restate your thesis but that leaves the reader with
further ‘food for thought.’
Additional criteria:
● Effective essay structure ● Clear and precise sentence-level rhetoric (grammar and structure)
