Assignment Question
Follow these instructions. Choose a text–either an argumentative, written text (like an op-ed in the newspaper, for instance) or an artifact within a rhetorical situation (like a T-shirt declaring the wearer has had an abortion, in the context of the wider abortion debate). Write 1,000-1,500 words. Carefully examine the text or artifact to find important patterns and evidence that help you understand the author’s goals and strategies. To find these patterns, you’ll look at the text’s: Subject Purpose Audience Author persona Historical or social context Reason for existence Strategies, including individual words and phrases Argumentative appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) Use the patterns and evidence to develop a critical analysis of the interplay between the rhetorical situation and the strategies the author uses. What effect do all of the patterns and evidence create together? Incorporate the evidence into your arguments using signal phrases, citations, and other academic strategies for using outside ideas. Advance a claim about the message, argumentative approach, and efficacy in reaching its audience. Your paper should address both the strategies used and the effectiveness of the strategies. Write a short reflection (400-500 words) where you address the following: An overview of your process (what you did, in what order, and when, relative to the deadline). An explanation of the decisions you made–why write it like this? Discussion of the essay’s strengths and weaknesses, including what you’d like to revise. What you have learned about rhetoric, and how you’ll apply your knowledge going forward.
