Sample Rhetorical Analysis Paper

This assignment was developed after the Detroit Free Press article about the "walking man" James Robertson.

For this assignment, you will be writing about either John Kenneth Galbraith’s “Position of Poverty” or “Created Equal” by Milton and Rose Friedman. 

A rhetorical analysis is a type of paper that attempts to explain how a writer attempts to persuade his/her audience.  In order to prove your points about your chosen writer and text, you will need to provide solid evidence to support your claims.  In order to do this, you will need to carefully read the text as well as do research into the author, the essay topic, and the original publication of the essay. (Was it a book chapter, a magazine article, a journal article?  If it was published in a book, what are people saying about that book?  If it was in a periodical, what does that periodical typically publish?  Who is likely to read these publications?).  You will be taking a stand as to whether or not your chosen text effectively persuades its audience of the argument it is trying to make.  However, your personal opinion of the text should not be the paper’s thesis.

Just as you can choose from one of two subjects for this paper, you can also choose from one of two types of rhetorical analysis.

• 1.      Textual analysis:  this method focuses primarily on the text itself and often examines its use of the appeals (ethos, logos, pathos—also commonly called the rhetorical triangle).
• 2.      Contextual analysis: this method focuses on the ways in which the text participates in cultural conversations—the context of any piece of writing.

These methods are not exclusive; odds are that you are likely to use both in your paper.  However, it is perfectly acceptable to employ one method more frequently than the other.

Requirements:

• MLA formatting of all source material (quotes and ideas!)
• MLA formatted works cited page
• Attention to detail within your subject text and use of that detail to support your points
• Effective structure and organization

Deadlines:

2-16:  Draft due (10% of the grade for this assignment is for having a four page draft on this day)

2-20: Final due (six pages required, not including the works cited page)