Environmental Documentary Rhetorical Analysis
(150 POINTS)
AP Language and Composition
Mr. Eble
Your Assignment: You will analyze the rhetoric of a documentary film, specifically its purpose, audience, persuasive
appeals, and its effectiveness. Essentially, you are analyzing the argument that the filmmaker makes, how he or she
develops it, and the extent to which he or she is successful in achieving the purpose. A major part of your grade on this
essay will be your understanding of how the filmmaker presents his or her case, I.E. through statistics, expert testimony,
personal experience, humor, archival footage, soundtrack.
Process / Writing:
1.) Watch An Inconvenient Truth in class and discuss Gore’s appeals and strategies. You’ll use page three as a means
of analyzing the film during our viewing and the discussion. As you watch, analyze the strategies and their
effectiveness according to the rhetorical situation.
2.) Find reviews of An Inconvenient Truth from review websites, like www.rottentomatoes.com. You will write a
POE entry in which you integrate quotes from two or three reviews that bolster / exemplify your argument about
the documentary.
3.) Watch another documentary film and write a rhetorical analysis of it with researched comments from other
reviews to bolster your own analysis of the film’s rhetorical properties. You may choose from the films below; if
you can find another environmentally-focused one, please check with me first:
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The Future of Food (2005)
Food, Inc.(2008)
The Last Mountain (2010)
Gasland (2010)
Tapped (2010)
No Impact Man (2008)
Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)
King Corn (2008)
The Cove (2009)
Frankensteer (2006)
A Crude Awakening (2006)
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Trashed (2007)
Super Size Me (2004)
A Chemical Reaction (2009)
The 11th Hour (2007)
Food Matters (2008)
Fresh (2009)
Carbon Nation (2010)
Chemerical (2009)
Plastic Planet (2009)
Bananas!* (2009)
The Garden (2008)
Remember—rhetorical analysis is a means to an end; that is, a means for you to express your own assessment of the
documentary, rather than an end in itself.
A. Watch the film; use page four as a note-taking guide (similar to how you did so with An Inconvenient Truth)
B. Research the film; find reviews, background information, interviews with the director (or other directors)
C. Write a rhetorical analysis of the film in which you analyze the rhetorical situation and appeals and their
effectiveness.
D. Be sure to cite all sources you use (reviews, background information, the film itself) in MLA format
Of course, we’ll do some peer review to help you.
…my printed analysis
essay?
Final Submission Checklist: Did I submit (in this order, stapled)…
...my brainstorming material
…my Green Peer Review
/ rough draft on yellow legal
sheet?
pad paper?
Peer Review
(10)
Self-Evaluation
(15)
Rubric: Environmental Documentary Analysis
 Author participates actively in peer review process, offering suggestions for
classmates’ essays.
 Author submits peer review sheet, reflects briefly on classmates’ comments
 Author honestly answers all questions for self-evaluation, providing an
extensive glimpse into his writing process.
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Author’s thesis concisely presents analysis of the film’s appeals and strategies
according to the rhetorical situation.
Author’s points / paragraphs are organized according to his thesis
Author provides specific examples from his chosen film as a means of
analyzing the filmmaker’s strategies and use of appeals
Author analyzes the effectiveness of appeals/strategies according to situation
Author utilizes the language of film in discussing specific examples
Paragraphs follow structure of development of ideas, with a strong topic
sentence, salient ideas/examples, and a smooth transition into the next
paragraph.
Author provides a broad, relevant attention-grabber / opener that flows freely
into background information about the film (director, release date, and other
relevant information, particularly related to the rhetorical situation/context),
leading into the author’s analytical thesis.
Conclusion recapitulates ideas, pushing into broader/larger connections to
relevant, timely situation(s) or a “full-circle” reconnection with the opener
Author utilizes various reviews/commentaries on his chosen film in order to
bolster his argument through exemplification, comparison/contrast, or any other
pattern of development.
Research is cited in MLA format (in-text entries and Works Cited page)
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Essay demonstrates adherence to SMUGSS, with few to no errors.
Thesis / Organization
(20)
Analysis of Rhetorical
Situation and Appeals
(30)
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Paragraph Structure
(15)
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Introduction / Conclusion
(20)
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Use of Research
(25)
Spelling, Mechanics, Usage,
Grammar, Sentence Structure
(SMUGSS)
(15)
…my printed selfevaluation?
Note-taking guide for film viewing of An Inconvenient Truth.
Rhetorical Strategy
Establishing ethos
through visual
elements
Establishing ethos
through audio track
Establishing ethos
through written text
Appealing to logos
through expert
testimony
Appealing to logos
through quantitative
data
Appealing to logos
through inductive
reasoning
Appealing to logos
through deductive
reasoning
Appealing to pathos
through visual
elements
Appealing to pathos
through audio track
Appealing to pathos
through personal
anecdote
Appealing to pathos
through humor
Example from the Film
Effect
Note-taking guide for film viewing of your chosen environmental documentary.
Rhetorical Strategy
Example from the Film
Effect