A Sense of Doubt blog post #1933 - ESSAY THREE RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
After yesterday's vehemence and my inflamed passions about the protests taking place nation-wide in the wake of yet another innocent person of color -- usually black men -- being killed on the streets of our country, it is time for another alternative post, taking a break from the current events.
And, so, something from school. Because I want an HTML version of this work of mine off Canvas (the e-learning system), I am posting this assignment here.
I cannot take full credit for this idea and much of this text, which was written by my brilliant colleague Abbie Leavens. I adapted her ideas to tailor her rhetorical analysis assignment for what I wanted to do in my English 101 class at Lower Columbia College for Spring quarter 2020.
A rhetorical analysis essay emphasizes how well (or not so well... though I feel I have selected great examples to choose from) an artifact makes its case using the rhetorical appeals and other elements of the rhetorical situation. One of the key tactics to keep in mind in composing such an essay is to focus on elements of the artifact and how they demonstrate use of one or more rhetorical appeals rather than writing about the appeals and listing vague references to the artifact. Thus, here's the difference: "The creator of this artifact uses raucous and caustic punk rock music to agitate the viewer, leveraging emotions to lead to a sense of catharsis that will achieve the favorable view of the creator's subject" versus "The commercial uses a lot of pathos for emotional appeals."
The first sentence still needs a little work as I left it somewhat vague because I had not introduced a subject. So, had I shared the creator and company and a specific commercial, I would substitute vague references like "creator's subject" with "the new i-Phone" or whatever specifics are my focus.
But my point should be clear: writers should focus on the textual elements first and analyze how they are used rather than to lead a paragraph with a vague reference to "a lot of pathos" and no specifics.
Those types of sentences are common in these essays.
Here's my requirements. I would love to learn that someone from another school found this blog entry in a Google search to learn more about rhetorical essay writing. Leave me a comment!
ESSAY THREE: Rhetorical Analysis
Points possible = 150 pts in four parts
final draft due as part of final portfolio and graded as part of that assignment.
LENGTH: Minimum of six (eight or more is better)
Citations = MLA format. Do not forget end references - works cited.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Write a rhetorical analysis from one of three choices. In the end compare-contrast, your analysis of your main artifact with the other artifact paired in the choice list.
NOTE: The word “artifact” will be used throughout this unit for “thing to be analyzed.”
CHOICES - choose one pair
- Main artifact: 84 LUMBER SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL - THE ENTIRE JOURNEY
compare at end with: Independence Day speech
- Main artifact: How to Spot Bad Science about COVID-19: Rebecca Watson
A Sense of Doubt blog post #1873 - How to Spot Bad Science about COVID-19: Rebecca Watson
compare at end with: Captain Kirk’s greatest speech from “The Omega Glory” - original series - Star Trek- Main artifact: “The Power of Introverts” by Susan Cain
compare at end with: Don't Let Others Stop You From Living Your Own Truth | Motivational Video | Goalcast
LOG CHOICE: I want to try to get fair distribution of choices, which means a number of people working on each of the three choices.
When you choose, add your name to this list under the chosen pair. I will keep an eye on this list and close a choice when I feel it has enough. Choices are due no later than Friday June 5th:
LINK OMITTED
ESSAY PROMPT: Write a thesis-driven, rhetorical analysis essay that addresses and analyzes the effectiveness of the main artifact you have chosen and concludes with a short comparison-contrast to the effectiveness of the other artifact.
Study and understand the artifacts you have chosen.
Construct an analytical thesis that targets the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the main artifact and WHY framed in historical and cultural context.
The analysis needs to be very detailed and specific as you analyze the artifact and how it uses the rhetorical appeals to reach its audience.
Conclude with a comparison to the other artifact analyzing similarities and differences in light of effectiveness while restating main thesis and providing an overview of the main analysis.
Consider a two paragraph introduction and a two-three paragraph conclusion.
The essay should use at least four sources if not more: the two artifacts, and at least one other source of reference about each of the artifacts.
ALSO, in addition to analyzing the use of rhetorical appeals in your artifacts, your essay needs to use the three rhetorical appeals to make its case.
If you engage in brainstorming and prewriting, you will be on track with your analysis.
Thus, steps:
The Little Seagull readings for this week will help us as we embark on our next writing journey...so if you haven’t done that yet, please make time. Also engage with the resources listed at the end of this prompt document and that the instructor shares in video classes, via notes, and via announcements.
BRAINSTORMING: Study the artifact you’ve chosen as one would a “text.” Watch it/examine it as many times as you need to. Take notes. Track ideas as you make notes for how the rhetorical appeals are used, which ones may not be used as much as others, how the creator of the artifact reaches the intended audience.
PREWRITING: Place the artifact against the rhetorical triangle and identify the appropriate elements (rhetor, message, audience & purpose).
Rhetor: Identify who created the artifact. Do some Internet research around the company and other issues surrounding the context of the creation: what larger cultural and/or historical issues does it address? Identify things like reputation, popularity, accessibility, longevity, any known biases, any known alliance/allegiance to other entities, such as companies, politicians, corporations, governments, countries, organizations and so on.
Message: What is the main point of the creator of the artifact wishes to make? Is there more than one? List as many as you can determine.
Audience: Based on your interpretation of the text’s elements, who do you feel is their intended audience? Name them and list some reasons why you have come to that conclusion.
Purpose: What is the goal of this text? Why did the rhetor create it to begin with? What is the hope or intention of the company for the audience? What is the benefit for them? List these things. Typically, for commercials and advertisements a large goal will be to inform, to persuade, or to entertain...and, more often than not, the reason why is to make money. For certain messages, such as public service announcements, it may be community-driven rather than financial.
Outline Link Please use this link to create your outline for this essay process. You can click File: Make a Copy and then fill in the blanks for your own work. You can then submit that document to Canvas. OUTLINE + THESIS STATEMENT
LINK OMITTED
Additional note on steps: Due to the shorter quarter and the extra long and involved brainstorming, prewriting, and outline assignment, there will be no revised draft to the instructor. You may revise your rough draft before submitting it for peer review.
For credit, this assignment will have two drafts submitted to the instructor: the rough draft and the final draft.
Tutoring guidance is recommended but not required.
With the rough draft and again with the final draft, include a pie chart like the one below that shows the percentage of the content you feel your artifact has devoted to each element of the rhetorical triangle. The instructor will provide instruction that shows how to create the pie chart in EXCEL. Or just look here:
https://spreadsheeto.com/pie-chart/
This is what my pie chart for “Laziness Does not Exist” would look like:
PEER REVIEW
This assignment will include a peer review. Unlike Essay Two, this peer review will be handled by direct exchange with students. Two peer reviews to two different students will be required.
ADDITIONAL READINGS
THE RHETORICAL SITUATION
A Sense of Doubt blog post #1809 - Rhetorical Triangle and Analysis of Advertising part one
BASIC QUESTIONS OF RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
Audience (UNC-Chapel Hill)
Mr. Singleton’s YouTube Video
AP Lang & Lit Glossary of Terms
If you’re curious, I used the “Omega Glory” speech in this blog entry:
Hey, Mom! Talking to My Mother #1126 - T-Shirt Reprint: WWKD - People Dying, Bigots, Get me Captain Kirk!
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2006.03 - 10:10
- Days ago = 1797 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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