English 124-Advanced Composition
Instructor: Sydney Brown
Points: 200
ESSAY #2: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
of Jane Tompkins’ “Indians: Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History”
Open notes (including Tompkins’ essay) / No prewritten essays / No electronic devices
GUIDELINES_____________________________________________________________________
You have two hours to construct an essay in response to the prompt below. Use white, 8 ½ by 11 college-ruled
paper and blue or black ink. Format your essay according to MLA and SKIP lines. You may write on the
backside of the page if it does not interfere with the legibility on the front side of the page. You will want to
provide specific examples, paraphrases, and quotes from Jane Tompkins’ “Indians: Textualism, Morality, and
the Problem of History” to illustrate your analysis, so use MLA parenthetical documentation when applicable;
however, it is not necessary that you create a Works Cited page.
When finished, staple this sheet and, if not yet turned in, the “Brief Summary & Rhetorical Analysis Notes on
Tompkins’ Essay (50 points) BEHIND your essay. You may leave once you’ve turned in your work.
THE PROMPT_____________________________________________________________________
Craft a coherent essay that does ALL of the following:
•
Identify and provide a brief summary and explanation of the author’s argument, including the author’s
main claim (thesis) and the assumption(s) on which the argument is based;
•
Identify two persuasive strategies that the author uses to support her argument and analyze how
those strategies support the claim;
•
Describe the overall organization (structure) of the argument and explain whether it makes the
argument persuasive;
•
Evaluate the extent to which you find the argument convincing.
This essay is not an “agree or disagree” assignment, nor is it intended to generate an extensive summary of
the essay. Focus on analyzing how Tompkins’ argument is written and whether or not it is persuasive.
EVALUATIVE CRITERIA (How your essay will be graded)______________________________________
1. Is your essay a thorough response to ALL parts of the prompt?
2. How well do you articulate the argument and ideological assumption(s), explaining the relationship
between the argument and the ways Jane Tompkins supports/advances her main claim?
(Reading SLO #1)
3. How well do you identify, analyze, and evaluate rhetorical choices made by Jane Tompkins?
(Reading SLO #2)
4. How well do you integrate ideas and information from Tompkins’ essay (through quotation, paraphrase,
and summary) with your own voice and analysis? (Writing SLO #1)
5. Is your essay in correct MLA format and style?
6. Is your paper relatively free of errors in spelling, punctuation, mechanics, and grammar?