Essay 1- Rhetoric-Final Draft

Essay 1-Rhetorical Analysis of a Traditional Text

First Draft Due: 10/28

Final Draft Due: 11/2

Aristotle termed the art of Rhetoric as “modes for persuasion” – otherwise known as rhetorical appeals. He broke down the basic building blocks of into their various parts: ethos (Links to an external site.), pathos (Links to an external site.), and logos (Links to an external site.). These rhetorical appeals are means of persuading others to believe a particular point of view. They are often used in speech writing and advertising to sway the audience. For our first essay, we will study the use of rhetoric to deliver a text’s intended message.

Ethos (sometimes called an appeal to ethics/credibility), then, is used as a means of convincing an audience via the authority or credibility of the persuader, be it a notable or experienced figure in the field or even a popular celebrity.

Pathos (appeal to emotion) is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response to an impassioned plea or a convincing story. Sometimes, this entails sensory details and personal experience.

Logos (appeal to logic) is a way of persuading an audience with reason, using facts and figures. This kind of appeal relies on evidence and critical thinking to support its argument.

Kairos (appeal to time/audience) is a way of acknowledging the rhetorical time period/place that this argument takes place in; when the argument takes place and who the argument is directed towards.

Prompt

In Essay 2, we will look at various articles, speeches, etc. to examine the texts’ intended arguments. Each of you will choose one of our readings, and come up an argument about how this text uses rhetorical devices effectively, or ineffectively, to deliver its intended message.

Brainstorming Tips For Rhetorical Analysis:

Write down the answers to the next questions:

• What do you know about the author of the text?
• What are the peculiarities of the target audience?
• What was the purpose of the text?

• What is the text’s intended message?
• What kinds of literary strategies does it use? Find examples.
• Why do these literary devices make a reader believe/ not believe their point?

By answering these questions during your reading/annotating process, you will be able to simplify your analysis of a text, and you will begin your writing process. Your essay will explain what strategies the author used, what persuasive methods and arguments made the article conclusive and in which way pathos, ethos, logos (Links to an external site.), and Kairos are connected and interacted.

What does it mean?

Do a rhetorical analysis of one of our class’s readings by discussing how/ how not the text’s use of rhetorical strategies: allusion, symbolism, repetition, etc rely on ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos to deliver the intended message/argument.

I.E.

1 Theme+3-4 Rhetorical Strategies= Thesis

“The theme of despair is deppicted in Poe’s “The Raven,” through his use of allusion, repetition, diction, and imagery. “

Requirements:

• Proper MLA Format
• 3-5 pages (FULL pages or -10%)
• 3-4 rhetorical strategies (ex: repetition, symbolism, allusion, alliteration, etc.)
• Works Cited Page