The goal of this assignment is to respond
thoughtfully to the article (source text) that has been posted to Moodle—explaining
what you agree or disagree with in it, or like or dislike about it, and why. In
order to do this successfully, you must apply the tools and concepts of rhetorical
analysis to the source text. A number of resources on rhetorical analysis
and critical reading have been posted to Moodle. We have also discussed what
rhetorical analysis is in class.
Here are some suggestions for aspects of the text that
you can examine:
1. Try
and place yourself in the mind of the author: What is their purpose? Who
would their intended or ideal audience be? Do you think you
are the intended audience for the author?
How does this affect your response to the article?
2. What
are the underlying values and assumptions held by the author (the
technical term sometimes used for these in rhetorical analysis is “enthymemes”)?
Do you agree with these underlying values and assumptions?
3. Does
the author consider counterarguments to their position? How successfully
do they respond to these counterarguments?
4. Does
the author ever contradict their position? How does this affect your
response to the article?
5. How
does the author negotiate tensions inherent in the topic? How does this affect
your reading of the article?
6. Consult
the list of rhetorical terms (posted to Moodle)—do you find any of these
rhetorical elements in the article? How do they contribute to your response to
the article?
7. Consult
the list of logical fallacies (posted to Moodle) —do you find any of
these logical fallacies in the article? How do they contribute to your response
to the article?
8. According
to Aristotle, an appeal to logos (or logic) is a fundamental element of
rhetoric. What do you understand by an appeal to logic, and how
successfully, according to you, does the author make an appeal to logic in the
article?
9. According
to Aristotle, an appeal to pathos (or emotion) is a fundamental element
of rhetoric. What do you understand by an appeal to emotion, and
how successfully, according to you, does the author make an appeal to emotion
in the article?
10. According
to Aristotle, an appeal to ethos (or credibility) is a fundamental
element of rhetoric. What do you understand by an appeal to credibility,
and how successfully, according to you, does the author make an appeal to
credibility in the article?
11. How
do the introduction and the conclusion of the article add
value—or fail to add value—to the article as a whole?
12. Pay
close attention to the structure of the article: how does each
paragraph/section take on a different sub-point? How do these sub-points
relate to the overall argument of the article?
13. What
can you tell about the flow of the article? Does it seem all over the
place? Or does it come together coherently?
14. Pay
attention layout to the design elements in the article such as the use
of pictures, font sizes, lay out, and so on. How do these affect your response
to it?
15. What
kind of tone does the author have? How does this help—or fail to help—with
the article?
16. What
are important terms, words, or phrases that are used in
the article? Does the author explain what they mean by those terms? How does
the use of key phrases make the article more or less persuasive?
17. How
does the article partake in larger conversations on related topics?
Is it able to do justice to these larger conversations? Does that make it more
or less convincing, according to you?
18. How
does the article relate to something else that you might have read or watched?
How does that comparison affect your interpretation of the article?
19. Think
of your own views on the topic of the article before you read the
article? Have those views changed? Why or why not?
20. Look
over the Pre-Writing questions posted to Moodle. Do they provide ideas for your
points to discuss in the response essay?
21. If
you had the chance to ask the author 3 questions about the article, what
would those questions be? How do you think the author might respond?
You do not have to answer every question above.
Only pick those questions/aspects that are of interest to you and to which you
can do justice within the word count (below).
These questions should only serve as a springboard for
further thought and reflection—not as an exhaustive checklist. You must also
consult class notes, and the various resources posted to Moodle for more ideas.
Common Errors that Students Make:
1. Not
drawing upon the concepts and approaches of rhetorical analysis and instead
simply discussing the article in a non-academic, conversational fashion.
2. Simply
presenting your ideas on the topic without any reference to/or with minimal
reference to the article.
3. Simply
summarizing or paraphrasing the article instead of providing a rhetorical
analysis of it.
4. Not
substantiating your point with a specific example/quotation from the article.
5. Jumping
too quickly from one point to the next without fully explaining the point or
exploring its implications.
6. Not
explaining the rationale behind a particular point that you make.
7. Straying
off topic.
8. Repeating
the same point several times in the essay.
9. Not
structuring the essay properly (see below).
10. Writing
unnecessarily convoluted or vague sentences.
11. Making
mistakes with spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
How to Structure the Paper:
Remember to include an engaging
Introduction to your essay. Similarly, remember to offer a succinct Conclusion
in which you wrap-up the essay. Stick to 1 point per paragraph. Convey the
point you are making using a clear topic sentence. Link your ideas
together using strong transitional and signal phrases. Any
quotation from the article must be placed in quotation marks.
The paper must be between 650 and
800 words. It must be written using Times New Roman, pt. 12, and be
double-spaced. The deadline for
submission has been provided in the Course Outline.