For this assignment, you will write a rhetorical analysis, a thesis-driven essay in which you describe and evaluate a text’s rhetorical strategies. The text you will analyze for this assignment will be a TED talk.
For this assignment, you will write a rhetorical analysis
For this assignment, you will write a rhetorical analysis, a thesis-driven essay in which you describe and evaluate a text’s rhetorical strategies. The text you will analyze for this assignment will be a TED talk. (You must choose from the options on the 3rd page of the assignment sheet.)
In your analysis, you should identify and describe the rhetorical situation (genre, audience, purpose, stance, and context). Specifically, you should pay attention to:
Firstly, the speaker’s primary argument
Secondly, secondary claims that support or extend the primary argument
Thirdly, types of evidence that the speaker uses to justify his or her claims
Fourthly, assumptions that the speaker makes about the topic or expects the audience to make about the topic
Finally, the organizational, mechanical, and rhetorical delivery of the argument and evidence.
Because you are analyzing a video recording of the speech, you should also consider the speaker’s tone, gestures,
and use of visuals.
Note that a successful rhetorical analysis does not offer an independent analysis or argument about the subject matter of a text; instead, it answers the following questions:
What rhetorical strategies does an author/ a text use to persuade its audience?
Why?
To what effect?
Key Terms: Analysis, Rhetorical Strategies, Rhetorical Context
Purpose and Outcomes
The purpose of this assignment is to:
Firstly, Break down and analyze the rhetorical moves made in a primary text, and then arrange and assemble those details in an essay explaining their overall purpose/effect.
Secondly, Revise and edit multiple drafts to produce writing that is well organized, mechanically and grammatically sound, and mostly error free.
Thirdly, Provide effective feedback on the writing of their peers, and both reflect upon and incorporate peer and instructor feedback through editing and revision processes.
Requirements
800–1200 words
12-point Times New Roman font
MLA conventions for margins, page numbering, and title
Evaluative Criteria and Rubric:
This essay should demonstrate your ability to:
Firstly, Analyze a text in the context of its rhetorical situation
Secondly, Write a thesis-driven paper, supported by evidence
Thirdly, Exhibit development through the writing process (drafts, peer review workshops, conference)
Finally, Create clear, well-edited writing that is largely free of proofreading errors and errors of grammar, mechanics, and syntax
