Paper/Essay TWO Fall 2011

 Rhetorical Analysis Essay

In class we’ve been examining how writers use certain techniques to make their writing more persuasive. For instance, writers might emphasize their own authority or credibility (ethos); they might appeal to an audience’s values, emotions, or experiences (pathos); or they might base their argument on careful reasoning (logos). These techniques are part of what is known as rhetoric—the effective use of language. Analyzing the rhetorical choices writers make allows us to evaluate their arguments more effectively and respond appropriately. This assignment asks you to conduct such a rhetorical analysis of a text.

Rhetorical Analysis

Definition of Rhetorical Analysis: A rhetorical analysis required the student to apply their critical reading skills in order to break down a text. The student will break off parts of the whole of the piece and analyze the text. The goal of rhetorical analysis is to articulate HOW the author writes, rather than WHAT the author actually wrote. The student will analyze strategies the author uses to achieve their goal or purpose of the text.

The Writing Assignment:

Locate a song within contemporary society that appeals to your pathos, ethos and logos. Read and listen the text at least four times, each time making notes about what the author is doing to make his or her argument more persuasive. Then compose an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical techniques the author uses in the text.You will also need to consider features of the song, like rhythm, language, instruments and music.

Here are some basic questions for consideration regarding Rhetorical Analysis

(This is not an outline but a guide to help you examine your song)

What is the rhetorical situation?  

• What occasion gives rise to the need or opportunity for persuasion? 
• What is the historical occasion that would give rise to the composition of this text? 

Who is the author/speaker?  

• How does he or she establish ethos (personal credibility)?
• Does he/she come across as knowledgeable? fair?
• Does the speaker's reputation convey a certain authority?

What is his/her intention in speaking? 

• To attack or defend?
• To exhort or dissuade from certain action?
• To praise or blame?
• To teach, to delight, or to persuade? 

Who make up the audience?

• Who is the intended audience? (Good time to examine the stats of the particular audience, and then focus back on the lyrics and how they are fitting.)
• What values does the audience hold that the author or speaker appeals to?
• Who have been or might be secondary audiences?
• If this is a work of fiction, what is the nature of the audience within the fiction?

What is the content of the message?  

• Can you summarize the main idea?
• What are the principal lines of reasoning or kinds of arguments used? 
• What topics of invention are employed? 
• How does the author or speaker appeal to reason? to emotion? 

What is the form in which it is conveyed?

• What is the structure of the communication; how is it arranged?
• What oral or literary genre is it following? ( Is it a country song? A Rap song? How does this affect the tone and style?)
• What figures of speech (schemes and tropes) are used? (other rhetorical devices....metaphor, alliteration etc...)
• What kind of style and tone is used and for what purpose?

How do form and content correspond?

• Does the form complement the content? 
• What effect could the form have, and does this aid or hinder the author's intention?

Does the message/speech/text succeed in fulfilling the author's or speaker's intentions?  

• For whom?
• Does the author/speaker effectively fit his/her message to the circumstances, times, and audience?
• Can you identify the responses of historical or contemporary audiences?

What does the nature of the communication reveal about the culture that produced it?

• What kinds of values or customs would the people have that would produce this?
• How do the allusions, historical references, or kinds of words used place this in a certain time and location? 

Features of the song

• You will also need to consider features of the song, like rhythm, language, instruments and music.  

This writing assignment is not a biography of the band or singer, but a focus on the rhetoric of their writing, what is being said in the message and how the message is carried through the features of the song rhythm, instruments, music, etc.

Some additional questions to consider when you are analyzing the rhetoric of your song (of choice).
1. What is the overall argument the author/musician presents?
2. What is the musicians’ purpose? To inform? To persuade? To criticize?
3. How does the writer arrange his or her ideas? Chronologically?
4. How does the writer use diction? (Word choice, arrangement, accuracy, is it formal, informal? Technical versus slang?)
5. Does the writer use dialogue? Quotations? Why?
6.

Overall Goals for this assignment:

1. To analyze the rhetoric within the lyrics of a song.

2. Discover the authors credibilty (ethos), their appeal to the audience's values, emotions, or experiences (pathos) and/or find their argument based on reasoning (logos).

4. To discover the context of the lyrics/song. Texts don't exist in isolation; they are influenced by and contribute to ongoing conversations, contraveries, or debates.

3. Integrate quotes properly into the essay AND correct in-text citation and Works Cited

4. Pre-writing

5. Creating a thesis which sets up your paper

6. Logical flow to thoughts and ideas

7. Unified paragraphs and effective topic and transition sentences

8. Information needs to be relevant to explaining context of assignment

9. Free of mechanical errors (i.e. spelling, grammar, and punctuation)

Format Details

• MLA (Modern Language Association format. Please see class main page for handouts with details.
• heading
• 6 to 7 pages double spaced.
• 5 to 7 sources.
• 12 pt font Times New Roman
• Standard MLA heading.
• normal page margins (no newspaper columns accepted)

Project Two Grade Distribution

Pre-Writing, Drafting & Daily work = 30 points

Paper/Essay Two= 60 points
Reflection 10 points

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Total Project Two grade points 100%