English 11 Academic Fall 2015
Ms. Petosa
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Assignment: for one of the speeches listed below, you will analyze how an author persuades the
audience of his/her point. You will accomplish this task through breaking down your selected speech for
its rhetorical qualities and addressing HOW those qualities affect overall levels of persuasion and WHY
the author chose those strategies for that occasion and audience. The goal of this essay is not to
summarize WHAT the author is saying, but rather to judge effectiveness of his/her rhetorical
methodology.
We are Virginia Tech
Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation
Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
You must also address SOAPs in your introduction. Remember, your reader will not always have read
your particular work so you must provide a succinct but complete point of reference before you leap
into your strategies and reasoning. You will then compose a rhetorical analysis thesis statement which
addresses at least 3 but not more than 5 rhetorical strategies used in your selected speech. This thesis
statement will serve as a frame of reference for your entire paper. Each body paragraph (at least 7
sentences) must then address one of your selected strategies and how that strategy is used to achieve
the author’s intended purpose. It is suggested that that you always move chronologically through your
speech in terms of strategies, rather than jumping around.
Rhetorical strategies to consider when reading and annotating your speech: ethos, logos, pathos,
diction, syntax, details, imagery, tone, etc. Key resources for this assignment would include all the notes
we have taken on rhetorical devices and the rhetorical response questions we completed for the
“Challenger” address.
Your conclusion can be brief and should remind the reader of your points. It should NOT introduce new
information or opinions.
Formatting:
This paper should be AT LEAST 3 pages long, but no longer than 5.
Your text should be Times New Roman Size 12, double-spaced, with 1 inch margins (usually standard in
Microsoft Word). Make sure that any direct quotes have quotation marks and any textual references,
direct or paraphrased, have paragraph reference markers in parentheses.
Timeline:
Thesis statement check-up: Monday, 9-28 (5 points)
Rough draft due in class: Friday, 10-2 (10 points)
One-on-one student conferences: Monday, 10-5
Final draft due: Friday, 10-9
Your paper will be turned in in physical form on Friday, October 9th. Each day the paper is late will result
in a 5 point deduction. After 3 days, you will lose 10 points for every day your paper is late. I will be
available on Wednesday afternoons until 3 PM if you would like me to read your draft and offer
feedback.