Rhetorical Strategy Analysis using Aristotelian strategies of ethos, pathos, logos, as well as other writing devices such as parallelism, diction, and metaphor-Write my Essay
Essay #1: Rhetorical Strategy Analysis
Requirements:
- MLA format
- 3-4 pages (that means down to the bottom margin of page 3)
- Minimum grammar and punctuation errors
- Sufficient quoting (quote in every paragraph, enough to make your point)
- Be focused and concrete on ideas (themes, message)
- Be exact and specific on rhetoric (name techniques or strategies, illustrate and explain them)
- Tie in the content (ideas) to the rhetoric (delivery) explicitly
- Your organization of this essay will vary based on your text and the strategies that you choose to analyze. There are 2 ways you can organize your essay:
- (1) organize by technique, so multiple examples of one technique per paragraph;
- (2) organize by point, so discuss one point per paragraph and in each paragraph use examples of the various strategies used to make that point
Assignment: Choose ONE of the speeches posed on Canvas for this assignment. After reading it, analyze the rhetorical strategies that are being used (or not being used) by the author. You may choose to focus on any aspect of rhetoric, but keep in mind that there are various combinations at play, so only discussing pathos or metaphors won’t cut it. And remember that strategies are not mutually exclusive– this means that just because an author uses ethos doesn’t mean he can’t use logos too; a variety of these techniques are used together in order to convey a particular point. You need to discuss various strategies and how they are either effectively or ineffectively used. You may also discuss fallacies and loopholes in the argument (we’ll discuss this in class Monday), including your assessment of the evidence provided. Keep in mind the writer’s/ publication’s ethos (or lack thereof) and audience. You will also have to figure out the text’s point/ author’s goal— What is the author’s thesis? How is he proving it? Is the overall argument effective? Etc. You will have to decide whether you think the argument is effective or not, and then use the strategies to make your case. Basically, think back to what we have done in class and do the same thing on paper. Make sure to structure your essay like a 3 part essay (intro, body, conclusion), and to incorporate quotes when necessary. You do not need to have a Works Cited list or citations for this essay, just make sure to put any quotes from the text in quotation marks. Make sure to introduce the text and author in the introduction, and to provide a brief (1-2 sentence) summary of the overall speech.
Over the course of this week we have discussed various rhetorical strategies that are used in writing to persuade and/or argue a point. We have covered the Aristotelian strategies of ethos, pathos, logos, as well as other writing devices such as parallelism, diction, and metaphor (see handout on Canvas). We have also analyzed several articles/ essays in class as a group, focusing on the rhetorical strategies that they use to either effectively or ineffectively prove their points, and have assessed both the evidence brought forth in the texts and the logical fallacies committed. Lastly, we have discussed the importance of knowing your audience, researching background information on the author and/or publication, and being aware of your language and style suiting your purpose. Keeping all of that in mind…
