Rhetoric analysis

Assignment #1
Find three different “texts” (remember, you can think expansively and creatively about what counts as a text; see the Rhetorical Analysis Essay Guidelines) that you might select for your Rhetorical Analysis Essay.

For each one, write a rhetorical précis. At the end of your three rhetorical precis, include a full citation in MLA (Modern Language Association) format for each source/text.

Assignment #2 you should complete it from Assignment #1

From the three texts you explored for the Three Rhetorical Précis assignment, you should have selected one that you’ll be analyzing for the Rhetorical Analysis Essay. Answer the following questions about your selected text, in as much detail as you can. Your answers should be long and well-developed so you can explore a wide variety of angles and questions for your essay.

Text: What text are you analyzing, and what kind of text is it?

Genre: What genre is the piece? How do you know? What are the conventions of this genre? Does your text defy or break from convention; if so, how?

Purpose: What is the overall message or argument of the text? Are there multiple arguments being made at once? Explain.

Context & Constraints: What’s the background of time, place, people, and events that you think are most relevant? Describe how you think this context shapes the text, and audience’s reception. What parts of the context bear on the situation enough to be considered rhetorical constraints?

Kairos: What makes this the right or opportune moment for this text, or do you not think that’s the case?

Exigence(s): What is the exigence for this argument? What need or gap is it addressing; what makes this argument necessary and needed?

Author(s): Who is the author, or are there multiple authors? What’s the author’s connection to the content / subject of the text? What is the author’s connection to the audience? In what capacity/-ies is the author speaking or writing?

Audience(s): Who is the audience? Who is hearing/reading the discourse? Who does the rhetor/author have in mind? Who does the text suggest it’s intended for? Who has a reason to be concerned about the exigence and who is capable of acting on it? How does the text most notably connect with or address that audience? Are there multiple intended audiences? How does the text negotiate that?

Rhetorical Appeals: Which rhetorical appeals dominate in this text? How do you see them evidenced? Be as specific as you can.

Canons of Rhetoric: What is most notable to you concerning the invention (content), arrangement, style, memory, or delivery of your text? Describe, and discuss how you think this is shaping the text and impacting its effectiveness.

In Your Own Words: What do you most notice about this text? What is most striking about it? Describe what you see working (or not working) in the text that you think is having an impact on its effectiveness.