A rhetorical analysis is exactly what its name suggests—an analysis of a text’s rhetoric. The term “rhetoric” refers to the art of persuasive
communication—that is, to the various choices and strategies a writer, artist, advertiser, speaker, etc. has employed in his/her text to
persuade his/her audience to adopt a particular perspective or take a specific action.
For this paper, you will choose one of the many persuasive artifacts (or acts) we have studied in class and conduct a rhetorical analysis of
that artifact (or act). Options: an advertisement, a commercial, a photograph, a movie poster, a persuasive piece of writing (Gunn,
Selsberg,Bordo, Seifert, etc.), or a speech.
Your analysis should adhereto the guidelines presented in Writing Today. It should include:
• An engaging introduction.
• A strong and concisethesis statementthat clearly expresses your argument about the artifact’s rhetorical effectiveness.
o Sample thesis statement:In Wasted, MaryaHornbacher successfully uses her unique point of view as a woman recovering from an eating
disorder, combined with disturbing descriptions of her disordered behaviors and her physical suffering, to convince her readers of the horrors
of anorexia and bulimia.
Please keep in mind that this is only one of many possible approaches to a thesis statement for a rhetorical analysis essay.
• A full description of the artifact, including a discussion of audience and context, as well as a description of the creator’s purpose.
(This can be included in the introduction.)
• An identification of at least three main rhetorical strategies—with illustration and analysis of each of those strategies.
o Remember our discussion of ethos, pathos, and logos.
• An evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the artifact.
o Is it persuasive? Did it achieve its purpose?
• A conclusion that considers the big picture. In other words, so what? Why does your analysis matter? What do we learn from you and your
analysis?
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