Essay 2 Critical Reading
INSTRUCTIONS
This assignment asks you to do the preparatory reading work that will help you successfully write a
rhetorical analysis. Do the sequence of activities in Questions 1-2, then write a response to Question 3.
1.
2.
Choose an article from the Essay 2 Text Options. You will choose ONLY ONE of these texts for
your rhetorical analysis. Read the text, taking note of who wrote it, and where and when it was
published.
ANNOTATE THE TEXT.
a.
b.
c.
d.
3.
Use the highlight all the words and names you don’t know. Look up the definition online
or in a dictionary
Highlight in a different color, the sentences and passages that state the author’s
intention directly (see pg 56, under “Strategies for Constructing an Angle of Vision”). In
the margin or on a post-it, summarize for yourself what the author’s main point is.
UNDERLINE the details that support the author’s main point.
IDENTIFY (A THIRD COLOR) any words, phrases, or figurative language (metaphors,
similes, and analogies) that indicate the author’s angle of vision. Post-its again.
e.
Read back over what you’ve marked in the text. Write a 150-word paragraph summarizing the
text’s “angle of vision,” drawing on what you marked as evidence to support your points. An
explanation of “angle of vision” can be found in the reading from the Allyn and Bacon Guide to
Writing
Essay 2 Researching Context
INSTRUCTIONS
Doing a good rhetorical analysis requires that you have a good grasp on the historical background of the
speaker/writer, as well as the event that he/she is talking or writing about. This assignment asks you to do
some research on your speaker/writer and speech/text and report what you find.
1.
2.
Perform a Google search for the name of the writer or speaker. Take notes (in your own words - if
you use what other people say, even if it’s only a phrase, you must quote them and then provide a
citation at the end of your essay), and answer the following questions under a heading of
"SPEAKER/WRITER":
o Who is the speaker/writer?
o What makes this person qualified to discuss the subject?
o What biographical details seem especially significant given the topic of the speech/text?
Perform another Google search for the topic that the speech or text is discussing, and answer the
following questions under a heading “TOPIC":
o What were the basic details of the topic being discussed?
o Why is/was it significant?
o Why would it have been important to the people listening to the speech or reading the
text?
Essay 2 Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation
INSTRUCTIONS
Answer the following questions about the rhetorical situation of the article you chose as the basis for Essay
2 (see the section called “The Rhetorical Situation, or Discerning Context” in “Backpacks vs. Briefcases”
for further explanation [You can find a link to this reading on our wiki
(http://uiengl101dualcredit.pbworks.com/w/file/41357896/Caroll_backpacks-vs-briefcases.pdf).]):
1.
2.
3.
What is the circumstance or occasion of the of the article or speech (also called 'exigence')? In
other words, what situations or conditions is the article responding to? What called for the article
to be written at this time?
Who is the AUDIENCE for the article? (That is, who does the author see himself writing to, and
what clues in the text tell you that?) Why can this audience help address the problem that the
author is talking about?
What are the CONSTRAINTS for the article? That is, what sorts of things create limits to the way
the discourse is delivered or communicated? What are these limits?
Essay 2 What/Why Table
INSTRUCTIONS
1.
2.
3.
To do this assignment, you will need to have read / watched the following:
a. Laura Bolin Carroll’s “Backpacks vs. Briefcases”
b. Allyn & Bacon Guide reading for this week
c. “Ethos, Pathos, Logos” video [I’m not sure what this is—I’ll update this sheet once I
find it.]
Click on the “Essay 2 What/Why Table” attachment (.docx requires Office 2007+) [I’ve attached a
copy of this on the following page.].
Using the text you chose as the basis of your rhetorical analysis essay, fill out the worksheet by
adding your answers to it
WHAT the rhetor
(author/speaker) does
Rhetor’s Thesis/Main Idea:
What is the rhetor’s purpose? To
persuade, inform, criticize? Something
else?
Who is the rhetor’s intended audience?
WHY the rhetor
(author/speaker) does it
Why did the rhetor choose this thesis,
or idea to study?
Why does the rhetor choose this
purpose? What effect does it create?
Is there a reason the rhetor chose to
write for this particular audience?
How did the rhetor use logical appeals? Why did he/she use these particular
(logos)
strategies of logical appeals?
How did the rhetor attempt to appeal to Why did he/she use these particular
the audience’s emotions? (pathos)
strategies of emotional appeal?
How did the rhetor attempt to make
Why did he/she use these particular
him/herself appear credible and
strategies of ethical appeal?
trustworthy to the audience? (ethos)
Which of these strategies (logos,
Why did the rhetor rely more on that
ethos, pathos) is dominant?
particular appeal more than the others?
How did the rhetor arrange his or her
Did the arrangement of ideas, or way
ideas? Chronologically?
the rhetor developed them create some
sort of an effect? What purpose does it
serve? Why did the rhetor arrange
his/her ideas this way?
What diction does the writer use?
Why does the rhetor use this type of
Informal or formal language? Technical diction? What effect does it create?
vs slang? Word choice, word
arrangement, accuracy? Are certain
words repeated?
What sentence structure does the
rhetor employ? Are there fragments or
run-ons? Are the sentences imperative,
declarative, exclamatory?
Does the rhetor use dialogue or
quotations?
Any other important rhetorical features
or strategies you noticed?
What effect does using this type of
sentence structure have?
Why does the rhetor include
dialogue/quotations
Why were these used?
Next the 101 Instructors on campus do the “Paragraph Cycle for Rhetorical
Analysis” and the “Tips for Incorporating Quotations into Your Writing.”
These are both available on our wiki as PDFs
(http://uiengl101dualcredit.pbworks.com/w/page/41412474/Resources%20for
%20Teaching%20101).
Essay 2 Feedback Summary and Revision Plan
INSTRUCTIONS
This assignment is designed to help you create a plan for revising your Essay 2 First Draft. Follow the
steps below.
1.
2.
3.
CAREFULLY read the comments that I made on your first draft of Essay 2
Summarize these comments in your own words. What are the biggest issues with the draft,
according to these comments? What things are working (i.e., what does the draft do well)?
Using these comments as a guide, create a numbered list of things that you plan to do to revise
your draft. Note that generally these should be SUBSTANTIVE revisions - that is, in most cases
the required revisions involve more research, and rewriting chunks of the paper. Be as concrete
and specific as possible. This list will serve as a guide to help you revise your draft.