Rhetorical Analysis Assignment for Writing for the Sciences
Due Date
02/25 on Blackboard by 11am.
Word Count Requirement
750 to 1000 words (About Four Pages Times New Roman 12 point font, double spaced)
What is a rhetorical analysis?
Texas A&M Writing Center defines a rhetorical analysis as “an essay that breaks a work of non-fiction into parts and then explains how the parts work together to create a certain effect—whether to persuade, entertain or inform.”
What should I analyze?
To conduct a rhetorical analysis, choose a piece of writing that addresses a controversial issue in an aspect of the sciences that interests you (approval required). You can also conduct a rhetorical analysis of a primarily visual argument such as a cartoon or advertisement, or an oral performance such as a speech.
How do I analyze rhetoric?
In this analysis, you will analyze the rhetoric the author uses to address the controversial subject. You will study the chosen “text” and fully examine the author’s strategies, purposes and approaches. You are looking at the content (what the article is about) but mainly the composition (how the article is constructed). Determine what the piece of writing seeks to achieve and decide whether or not it is affective and why or why not.
Information about the rhetorical analysis from Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab:
Rhetorical analyses can take many forms. In this activity, begin by asking yourself, “What are the text’s key rhetorical and genre elements?” Genres are not rigid and stable, but they are generally recognizable. They contain certain elements (think of the genre of the FB post or the genre of a poem vs. a piece of journalism) and they only make sense in certain contexts.
- What’s the rhetorical situation?
- Who is the audience?
- What’s the purpose?
- What’s the author’s stance toward her material? Skeptical? Supportive? Some of both?
- Language–formal or informal? A combination? Does the author use “I”?
- The mode or modes (genre)–narrative (a story), expository (an explanation), descriptive, argumentative, or a combination? Is the overall aim of the essay informational or persuasive?
- What’s the medium?
- How is it arranged? How does it open? Are there section headers? How much white space is on the page?
- Is there a claim/support structure? If so, how does the author arrange these elements? What sort of evidence is used as support? Do the authors rely more on emotional, ethical, or logical appeals?
Be sure to give evidence to support the claims you make about your article.
Review: What rhetorical elements should you discuss?
