English 124-Advanced Composition
Instructor: Sydney Brown
Points: 200
TAKE HOME ESSAY #3: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
of Jane Tompkins’ “Indians: Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History”
DUE Thursday, June 26th at the beginning of class.
You will not have the opportunity to revise this essay, so do your best work.
GUIDELINES_____________________________________________________________________
Type your essay according to MLA format and style. You will want to provide specific examples, paraphrase,
and quote from Jane Tompkins’ “Indians: Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History” to illustrate your
assertions, so use MLA parenthetical documentation when applicable; however, it is not necessary that you
create a Works Cited page or a Reflection.
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 three 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 paper relatively free of errors in spelling, punctuation, mechanics, and grammar?
6. Is your essay in correct MLA format and style?