Draft Rhetorical Text Analysis

Following the instructions in the full assignment description, post your first draft here.

NOTE: The requirements for the final version of this draft are attached below.

After your submission here, your instructor will review the draft and give you feedback to guide your revision for the final draft. You must use this feedback to write the upcoming “Revision Plan” for the changes you’ll make to your essay.

This assignment may receive as much as two points:

  • If it receives zero points, or is sent back, it means the draft does not meet the minimum requirements. The draft will need further revisions — and to be resubmitted here — before moving on. Closely reviewing the unit’s videos and readings is also encouraged.
  • If it receives one point, it means the draft is written well enough to move forward. The draft may need significant revisions, however; pay close attention to any suggestions offered. (If you want more feedback on a future draft, you may request that the assignment be returned after it is scored.)
  • If it receives two points, it means the draft should pass (with 70% or greater) on the final version — if you successfully incorporate any pertinent suggestions in the feedback, and all other issues are corrected (not every problem may be commented on in feedback).

So, in summary, two points means the draft is strong; one point means the draft is good needs work, and zero points (or having it returned) means it needs to be rewritten and improved on for another draft before moving forward.

This draft will be graded on:

  • A completed draft, reaching the page minimum
  • Following the instructions, requirements, and guidelines in the assignment description adequately enough for a draft

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE FINAL VERSION OF THE RHETORICAL TEXT ANALYSIS ESSAY. Below are the overall instructions for the final version of your Personal Narrative Essay, copied here for your convenience, so you don’t have to go find them elsewhere.

 

Introduction:

For this essay, you will select one of the RTA texts listed below and write an essay in which you rhetorically analyze the article/speech in context and evaluate its overall effectiveness.

Requirements:

  • 3-5 FULL pages (not including Works Cited Page)
  • Adherence to MLA formatting guidelines (12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, one-inch margins, etc.)
  • A unique, relevant title (not “Rhetorical Text Analysis Essay”)
  • PDF submission or Word file (.doc or .docx)

Instructions:

Your essay should include:

  • An introduction paragraph that objectively summarizes the text
  • A paragraph that establishes the context of the text:
    • Analysis of when it was written
    • Analysis of the author
    • Explanation of the intended audience
    • Explanation of where it was published
    • Explanation of the larger conversation
  • A thesis statement THAT IS FOCUSED ON THE TEXT ITSELF (Your thesis should be about the TEXT, not about the subject/topic of the text. Hint: your thesis should include the title of the text and make some claim about its rhetorical strategies.)
  • Several strong paragraphs rhetorically analyzing the text and explaining how the text uses logos, ethos, and pathos. (This section should form the large majority of your essay.)
    • In doing so, discuss the text’s rhetorical strategies in regard to:
      • Organization
      • Type of language used
      • Tone and voice used
      • The main claim of the text
      • The kind of evidence used
      • Etc.
  • A conclusion that makes an argument about the overall effectiveness of the text in persuading its intended audience with its purpose.Please note that, even if an author uses rhetorical appeals well, it does not automatically mean their arguments are either true or convincing. Those are separate issues and may take a little additional research to verify (for example, if the author makes any predictions, have they come to pass? Why or why not?).

    Please make those distinctions clear in your analysis — particularly in the conclusion.

Additional Guidelines:

  • Read your chosen text multiple times.
  • Utilize critical reading strategies such as underlining and annotating.
  • Talk to several people about the text.
  • Make sure your thesis statement is about the text, not the subject of the text.
  • Likewise, your essay should discuss the rhetorical methods of the article–not the content of the article. So don’t make an argument about the subject of the text (hunger, for example).
  • Underline your thesis statement.
  • Make sure to specifically reference the text throughout the body of the essay.
  • When referencing the text, be sure to use short quotations, and be sure to discuss/analyze each quote 2-3 times the length of the quote.
  • Don’t “define” logos, ethos, or pathos. These are terms your audience already knows.
  • Other than in the introduction paragraph, don’t summarize the text.
  • Other than your selected RTA text, no additional sources required.
  • If you use additional research sources, be sure to include a Works Cited page (otherwise, the Works Cited page is not needed).

Peer Review Questions and Grading Criteria:

  • What does the essay do especially well?
  • What is the title of the essay? Does the title reveal something about the content of the essay? How could the title be improved?
  • Does the introduction effectively summarize the text? Does the summary succinctly and objectively give an overview of what the original text is about? Does anything need to be added? Cut?
  • Is there a paragraph that establishes the context of the text, providing enough background information and situating the text within a specific conversation? Does anything need to be added? Cut?
  • What is the thesis statement? Is it underlined? Does the thesis focus on the text? Does the thesis accurately allude to the body paragraphs? How could the thesis be improved?
  • What main points does the writer make in support of the thesis statement? Does the writer need to provide additional main points to support the thesis? What ideas do you have for additional main points? Is each main point sufficiently developed? What details would strengthen the development of each main point?
  • Does the conclusion make an argument about the overall effectiveness of the text in persuading its intended audience with its purpose? Does the essay ever “evaluate” the quality/effectiveness of the text anywhere else in the essay, other than the conclusion? If so, should that evaluation be deleted or moved to the conclusion?
  • Does the essay focus on the rhetorical elements of the text (context; intended audience; use of logos, pathos, ethos; use of rhetorical strategies such as style, arrangement, emphasis; impact/effect on the audience.)
  • How is the essay organized? Does the essay flow logically and smoothly from one section to the next? How could the organization be improved?
  • How would you describe the tone of the essay? Is the essay appropriately academic in its tone? Where so? Where could the tone (and word choice) be improved?
  • Is the essay free of grammatical and surface errors? (Point out any problem areas.)
  • What two or three revisions would most strengthen this essay?

Note: These questions will also be used as a guide for grading this paper, so be sure to compose your writing with these criteria in mind.

 

Essay Selection

 

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