Hints for Rhetorical Analysis Essay Writing: 1. Rhetorical analysis moves beyond merely listing the devices or appeals used or stating how the purpose is crafted. Analysis moves into connecting strategies to

purpose, occasion, audience, subject, and/or tone. Analysis involves reflecting on how the argument would be different if the certain strategies identified were not used, and moves to discussion of how and why the strategy builds the argument. 2. To determine the strategies used, consider where the main claim is made (structure) and the development of the supporting claims. Consider why a particular example and bit of evidence is effective toward that particular subject, audience, occasion, and/or purpose. Consider if the speaker is drawing on emotions or logic or credibility or all of them in what order. (DO NOT DIRECTLY DISCUSS ETHOS, LOGOS, OR PATHOS!!!) 3. Identify the main point, idea, or purpose, and state it clearly. e.g. Dillard encourages the reader to live life with passion. 4. Do not use information from the prompt just to fill your first paragraph 5. Avoid summarizing!!! 6. Do not use useless phrases like: a. ...keeps the reader's interest b. ...uses good syntax c....to keep your attention d. ...uses excellent rhetorical strategies e....uses diction very effectively f. ...paints a picture 7. For every strategy mentioned, give an example!!!!! e.g. Dillard uses savage imagery such as "stalks," "killing," "crunching," to introduce her theme of nature's intensity. 8. Connect every strategy to the author's idea or main point. e.g. Dillard uses violent imagery such as "crunching," "bites," and "splitting," in order to foreshadow her point at the end that people should shed their lackadaisical ways and live with passion. OR e.g. Words such as "bites," "killing," and "splitting," foreshadow the intensity of her purpose to live life with passion. 9. Do not state "The author uses metaphors to..." Instead, state "the author metaphorically states," or "the author alludes to," or "the author compares opposing items to create a mental image the er..." 10. AVOID RIP WORDS!! Especially "you," "get," "it is/was," "there are/were," and "I think/believe/feel"/nLength: 2-3 pages, typed double spaced (excluding Works Cited) Style: MLA Together, we will read "From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt: Understanding Achievement in U.S. Schools" by Gloria Ladson-Billings. While we will be discussing the content of the article itself, as well as the way it is written, you will be doing a deeper analysis of this article's use of rhetoric to write your first paper for this course. Your analysis should consider the way that the article is written. Think about the things we discuss in class related to academic writing like style, tone, voice, rhetorical situation and appeals, and more. For this review, you're not making a judgment about the content of the article, rather its presentation. Your review should... ● • Summarize the article (this should be no more than one paragraph) Explain the article's audience, purpose, and context Analyze the article's use of rhetorical appeals Make note of the author's tone and voice and the impact of those stylistic choices Determine the effectiveness of the article (does it work? Is it engaging? Why? How?) Include relevant quotations and paraphrases from the article to "prove" your analysis Ultimately, this review is intended to get you to think about how academic writing can look. What works well? What doesn't work well? What strategies employed in your chosen article can you use in your own academic writing? What strategies do you want to avoid? Your review should be typed, double-space in Times New Roman font with appropriate MLA citations and formatting throughout. Your review should be relatively free of grammatical errors and should demonstrate thoughtful revision and editing. It should be in clear, academic prose that utilizes your own voice and style./nI. Introduction: Rhetorical Précis: A. Name of author, (appositive phrase about the author to establish credibility & authority) genre, and title of work; a rhetorically accurate verb (such as "assert," "argue," "suggest," "imply," "claim," etc.); and a THAT clause containing the major assertion (thesis statement) of the work. B. An explanation of how the author develops and/or supports the thesis, usually in chronological order. C. A statement of the author's apparent purpose followed by and "in order" phrase. D. A description of the intended audience and the relationship the author establishes with the audience Rhetorical Analysis Essay Outline II. Body Paragraph #1: A. Topic sentence/transition: "(author's last name) begins with/by...(make your claim about what strategy you see working address the purpose/prompt)" B. Specific example to support idea: provide EXPLICIT textual support woven into your comments to support your claim. Thoroughly discuss all strategies used in the beginning section, supporting with text. (Should be at least two or more complex, stylistic sentences.) C. Discussion of how examples supports idea: Connect the strategy back to your main claim/thesis/the purpose. III. Body Paragraph #2: A. c sentence/transition: "After... the author moves to..." Building f the strategy he/she used to begin, he/she ..." Connect an idea from the last sentence of the previous paragraph to the first sentence of this paragraph showing how the strategies build upon each other. B. Provide EXPLICIT textual support woven into your comments to support your claim. Thoroughly discuss all strategies used in the middle section, supporting with text. Should be at least two or more complex, stylistic sentences. C. Discussion of how example supports idea: Connect the strategy back to your main claim/thesis/ the purpose. IV. Last Body Paragraph: A. Topic sentence/transition: "to close the essay/speech, (author)..." "Concluding the argument he/she ..." Connect an idea from the last sentence of the previous paragraph to the first sentence of this paragraph showing how the strategies build upon each other. B. Provide EXPLICIT textual support woven into your comments to support your claim. Thoroughly discuss all strategies used in the middle section, supporting with text. Should be at least two or more complex, stylistic sentences. C. Discussion of how example supports idea: Connect the strategy back to your main claim/thesis/ the purpose. V. Conclusion A. Restatement of thesis that digs deeper into the overall intended meaning of the text than the one in the introductory paragraph (Try not to begin your conclusion paragraph with "In conclusion"). B. Reflection on examples and main ideas in body paragraphs, significance of these strategies, AND how they are linked to your thesis. C. State if these were effective in conveying the claim/thesis/purpose. D. Closing thought - closing out the main purpose of the text being analyzed.