Rhetorical Analysis Essay: Assembly through Disassembly- Breaking Down the Parts to Put Together the Whole English 1301 Composition I

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1 Rhetrical Analysis Essay: Assembly thrugh Disassembly- Breaking Dwn the Parts t Put Tgether the Whle English 1301 Cmpsitin I Rhetrical Analysis Essay (10% f final grade) Length: 800+ Wrds, pages Layut/frmat: fllw MLA guidelines, see Purdue OWL nline Thurs, Oct. 30, 2014 Bring printed and STAPLED cpy t class; uplad t TurnItIn.cm READINGS Yu may chse any f the readings belw; hwever, yu may als chse ANY reading frm earlier in the semester if yu have NOT already written n the text fr Critical Analysis. The New Yrker I m a Mm" by Jenny Allen (2012) (ONLINE) The Natin "What s Wrng with Gay Marriage" by Katha Pllitt (2003) (Nte: in riginal publicatin at The Natin, the text is titled: Adam and Steve Tgether at Last ) (The Bedfrd Reader) Christianity Tday "Gay Marriage : Scietal Suicide" by Charles Clsn with Anne Mrse (2004) (The Bedfrd Reader) The Humanist (frm sectin Satirically Speaking ) "Pedaling Our Way t Energy Independence" by Jnathan Facelli (2009) (ONLINE) The Pittsburgh Pst-Gazette "The Ethanl Delusin" by Kenneth P. Green (2008) (ONLINE) SUBMISSION POLICIES Final Draft Submissin: Yur essay must meet the minimum wrd cunt (800); essays under wrd cunt will nt be accepted and cnsidered late until submitted at the required wrd cunt. There is n wrd cunt maximum. Yur essay must be in standard MLA frmat t be accepted. T review standard frmat, g t the Writing & Grammar Essentials flder n the Learning Web and then t MLA Sample Page file. In shrt, standard MLA frmat includes: Prper heading, left: Name, Instructr: Vacca, ENGL 1302, XX Mnth 2014, Wrd Cunt: XXXX; then a centered title; yu als need t insert page number in the tp right header with yur last name (make sure yu check that these are in 12pt Times New Rman fnt) The full paper shuld be in 12pt Times New Rman fnt. Duble Spaced

2 Margins shuld be 1 inch tp, bttm, left, and right; check yur dcument settings t ensure this is set crrectly Stapled Have crrect dcumentatin f any utside surces; there is n need t include a Wrks Cited page if yu ONLY utilize the surce text. Hwever, if yu d utilize secndary surces, yu MUST include a Wrks Cited page (fr instance, if yu include bigraphical infrmatin n yur authr frm an utside surce, yu need t make this clear and fully cite i.e. have a Wrks Cited pg). ZERO incidents f plagiarism Yu must submit the full hard cpy f the final draft the day due Yu must uplad yur final draft t TurnItIn.cm PRIOR t the in-class due date. TurnItIn.cm: Passwrd: ENGL1301, Class ID: A critical analysis shuld be a discussin wherein yu explre the meaning f the text yu chse and hw that text wrks t cnvey that meaning. It is the prcess f recgnizing the different pieces (literary elements and/r rhetrical strategies) that make a text wrk. It ften entails taking smething apart and then putting it back tgether by figuring ut hw the parts make up a chesive whle (McGraw-Hill Handbk). Successful critical analysis can nly be achieved with thrugh critical reading: spend time with the text yu select. Questin why the authr addresses his r her tpic in the way he r she des: What is the verall feel/tne f the piece? Hw did the authr achieve this? Des the authr use a specific sentence structure, language, r vary punctuatin t create an effect? Next, identify hw these elements develp the appeals: eths, lgs, and/r paths. General Outline: I. Intrductin: a. hk yur audience b. intrduce the text c. intrduce the cntext (publicatin and time perid) d. intrduce the authr (give RELEVANT backgrund infrmatin) e. intrduce YOUR thesis: authr s thesis + appeals/elements yu will analyze II. Bdy I: Eths a. define eths b. analyze hw the authr creates ethical appeal i. fr eths, yu will need t cnsider the riginal audience c. prvide evidence III. Bdy II: Lgs & Eths a. bridge/transitin bdy paragraphs b. explre hw eths and lgs supprt ne anther in general c. discuss hw they intertwine in yur selected text d. begin t fully analyze the tls the authr utilizes t create lgs

3 e. give evidence t supprt IV. Bdy III: Lgs a. explre additinal examples f hw lgs develps b. fr instance, Bdy II may lk at an MOD; Bdy III may mre fully lk at the types/kinds f cncrete evidence the authr incrprates c. analyze d. prvide evidence t supprt V. Cnclusin: a. End n hw the verall essay cmes tgether b. Answer: is the general argument effective? c. Answer: why is this issue imprtant t sciety/the intended audience? Other ptin! Yu can always explre ONE appeal thrughut yur analysis. Yur Thesis: Suggestins n hw t structure yur essay: The thesis is ne t three lines that cnvey the central idea f yur whle paper. It may als indicate the rder in which yu will discuss yur analysis (which can be very helpful fr yur reader). A gd frmula t remember: Thesis = tpic + yur interpretatin/analysis (frm Western Washingtn University). When cnsidering a thesis specifically fr critical analysis: Thesis = the riginal authr s thesis + the rhetrical strategy/ies (eths/paths/lgs) yu ve identified that help the authr develp his r her argument. It is the latter that will be the fcus f yur essay. The thesis traditinally appears near the end f the intrductry paragraph; hwever, it may als begin r end the summary paragraph. Intrductins: Start brad. Cnsider the tpic and engage yur audience with a hk. D nt launch int In Nick Gillespie s Rant, the writer maintains a sarcastic and playful tne Think abut the tpic in a way it culd relate t anyne fr example, if yu chse t write abut Put Yur Mney Where Their Muths Are perhaps yu begin n a nte f human cmpassin, hw there is an urge t help the less frtunate. If yu chse the Facelli piece, perhaps yu begin with the verall gravity f the energy crisis (think the il spill in the Gulf). It is nly after yu intrduce the tpic (war, pverty, racism, cultural identity) that yu then

4 bring in the text and reveal its cnnectin. Remember, the tpic will almst always be a majr cmpnent f a text s thesis. It is als typically the tpic that will hk yur reader. If yu cite in the intrductin, keep it very brief. DO NOT begin an intrductin with, In David Adesnik s Spider-Man India It s bring, uninteresting, flat, and reflects little thught abut the piece and yur essay. Summary: The summary paragraph shuld fllw yur intrductin. It shuld be a quick bird s eye f the text yu ve selected. Use this space t relay general infrmatin t the reader. Be clear and cncise. Here are sme questins t cnsider discussing: what is the name f the text, wh is the authr, what kind f a text is it (pem, shrt stry, news article etc.), where did it first appear, when, what actually happens in the text, des the text have a specific frmat? MOST IMPORTANTLY: what d yu think the AUTHOR S THESIS is in the ORIGINAL TEXT? What is his r her gal? AND WHO IS THE ORIGINAL AUDIENCE? This will typically intertwine with yur wn thesis. Bdy Paragraphs: Bdy paragraphs are the substance f yur paper. Mst f yur time shuld be invested here. The key t strng bdy paragraphs is having 1.) strng and fcused individual paragraphs, 2.) paragraphs that transitin smthly frm ne t anther, and 3.) cmpelling textual evidence that yu break dwn within the bdy paragraphs. The bdy paragraphs will be the mst challenging AND the mst imprtant cmpnent t yur essay. These will fcus n a varius literary element/rhetrical strategy/mde f discurse and hw the authr f the text yu chse uses it t achieve his r her piece. Analytical bdy paragraphs shuld cntain several parts these d nt necessarily need t g in this rder: A tpic sentence addressing the rhetrical appeal (eths, paths, and/r lgs) A quick definitin in yur wn wrds f what the appeal is Cnnect the appeal t a literary strategy (an authr s attempt t create cmmn grund eths, the authr s passinate r aggressive tne paths, r the authr s use f cncrete evidence r an MOD lgs) Give a textual example/reference f the strategy in use Explain hw the evidence represents the strategy Discussin n what that evidence might mean utside f the text. Hw wuld, say, the average persn n the street react t Shiva s thery f give t get? Or hw wuld smene cncerned abut the energy crisis react if yu tld her she just needs t pedal faster?

5 Discussin n hw the mde/strategy/element is used thrughut the text. Explain hw that device/strategy/evidence create the rhetrical appeal Explain hw this influences audiences/strengthens the claim/thesis BRIDGE/TRANSITION t the next appeal r strategy that strengthens the current appeal Challenges f bdy paragraphs: Students begin t summarize, nt analyze. In successful analysis yu need t make cnnectins, nt regurgitate. Argue hw the ne aspect yu discuss in a paragraph relates back t the thesis, r perhaps t the next element yu will discuss in the fllwing paragraph. Students qute t little r t much f the riginal text. Remember, it s essential t use qutes frm the riginal wrk. This is the nly evidence yu shuld really use. Hwever, dn t spend half a paragraph quting David Adesnik. Use the evidence. Argue what yu think it means and why. Talk abut hw it fits int the big picture. Students get lst in the wds and lse their fcus frm sentence t sentence, paragraph t paragraph. The best way t avid this is t write strng tpic sentences and expand and explre n thse ideas in each paragraph and hw they relate back t the thesis. Stay rganized in yur paragraphs and make sure they flw int ne anther. When yu get stuck in analysis, cntinue t ask the authr, Why did yu d this? What are yu trying t say? T understand the meaning, yu need t dig. This means: read the essay/article again until yu knw the answer(s) t thse questins. A strng analysis requires several critical readings f the piece(s). Cnclusins Analysis is like explratin. There shuld be a discvery at the end f all f yur wrk. Hwever, this is nt always the case. Cnclusins typically g ne f tw ways: Yu can use a cnclusin as a wrap-up, revisiting the thesis and the several steps yu tk in the bdy paragraphs t achieve it. Yu can als use the cnclusin in a mre meaningful way, discussing hw these elements yu ve investigated might apply t the real wrld, r that perhaps they pen the dr t questins we shuld be asking urselves every day. Regardless, the cnclusin shuld either inspire a sense f clsure in the reader (as in the reader feels they have been walked thrugh a text and nw has a deeper understanding f it), r it shuld inspire a sense f renewed curisity (as in the reader nw has a series f questins t ask themselves and feels cmpelled t learn mre). There may be ccasin t use first persn in the intrductin r cnclusin, especially if yu are relating a persnal anecdte. Hwever, avid secnd persn thrughut.

6 Lastly, remember the intrductin and cnclusin bkend yur essay. Cnsider sme stylistic devices t reflect this r return t a questin yu raise in the beginning that can nw be answered in the cnclusin thanks t yur thrugh and enlightening analysis. A cmplete essay shuld cntain the fllwing parts (thugh it is nt limited t nly these): A title A clear, explicit thesis An intrductin A summary paragraph that frmally intrduces the text and authr and prvides any necessary infrmatin abut publicatin and riginal audience. Three t fur in-depth bdy paragraphs explring hw the authr put his r her piece tgether (i.e. an analysis f either a mde f discurse/rhetrical strategy/and/r/literary element). A cnclusin Strng grammar and syntax NO TYPOS r spelling errrs Crrect MLA frmat The wrd cunt A cmpelling, academic vice/tne: Eliminate repetitive wrds and ideas they weigh dwn the whle tne. Heighten yur language/wrd chice where apprpriate fr instance, Kristf writes is flat and desn t really tell me anything. Kristf defensively targets tells me a lt abut him and a lt abut yur interpretatin f his wrk. Use yur wn set f rhetrical devices: play with imagery, descriptin, figurative language, analgy, anecdte, etc. Avid infrmal language: Yu knw, dude, pissed, I feel, I think, a lt (which is tw wrds). Avid verly hstile/inflammatry language AND perspective that culd create bias in yur paper: Daragahi and Fleishman may knw a lt abut wars, but they are mrns when it cmes t rap music is a little t biased versus Daragahi and Fleishman d nt apprach rap as seasned music writers. Often times, their descriptins are verly. Find a way t be genuinely interested in yur tpic it will shw. Remember, tne is the attitude r feeling the writer has that s reflected in his r her wrds. Yur feeling r attitude creates a great deal f the success f the writing itself. Be yurself.