Essay Writer » Essay Blog » English Homework Help » Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help

Help with Rhetorical Analysis Essay

The goal of this assignment is to think critically and carefully about the presentation of arguments in samples of visual rhetoric. When performing a visual rhetorical analysis, it is important not only to focus on the main message of a visual text and the context in which it was produced and received but also how the designer creates the intended message through the use of various rhetorical strategies and appeals.


Students have the option of an academic rhetorical analysis essay or a creative analysis project based on one of the visual arguments provided in the Rhetorical Analysis folder in Blackboard.


Follow the principles in Lunsford Chapter 13 to produce an effective rhetorical analysis. Study the “Characteristic Features” on page 206. The chapter covers four types of analysis, so see pages 209-13 for specific information about rhetorical analysis. Because you will be analyzing a message or argument from another communicator, Lunsford, Chapters 17-18 will also be useful. In this course, we will be analyzing texts that have words as well as images. Both elements should be discussed in your essay or project.


Your finished essay or project should communicate to your readers/viewers the most outstanding and powerful approaches used to target an audience and “sell” the product, whatever it may be. Begin by doing an audience analysis of your particular visual. You should analyze the strategies used in the ad, video, or picture and explain their effects in detail. After reading your essay or viewing your project, your audience should know the strategies used in the original visual text, along with what message is sent, and what impact this has on the specific audience.


Be sure that you move your paper or project beyond being a mechanical exercise that simply points out pathos, logos, ethos, and kairos in your text – these concepts should inform your analysis, but you should produce a paper or project that is a sophisticated discussion of how rhetorical appeals function in the visual text. Focus on how the text works not simply what it conveys; discuss how the use of rhetorical appeals determines the effectiveness of the visual argument, and don’t get distracted into arguing passionately a particular position or extolling the beauty/creativity of the text.


Audience: Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help

For this assignment, you will write for a professional and scholarly audience including other researchers of your topic. Consider that you may be writing for an advertising or publishing firm, explaining the strategies used in a particular ad, video, or photograph. Your audience is intensely interested in the most effective product possible, and you have been asked to analyze this particular image and text.


Sources:

In addition to the text you analyze, you must use at least two sources, and you must accurately give credit for the information you use from those sources. Use only scholarly, credible sources from individuals or organizations with verifiable expertise on the topic.


Every writer should spend time researching his or her topic in the library databases, which are likely to yield the best sources. To access the library databases while off-campus, the user name is RCC5268, and the password is TX77511.


Potential research sources include the following:

In our textbook, essays on advertisement-related topics. See inside back cover under “Analysis.”

Other articles, essays, and editorials about advertising. Search reputable news sources and the library databases.

Books and documentaries about advertising issues (e.g. POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Programming the Nation?, Art & Copy)


Essays and articles that explore the publication history, the art work, or another aspect of the advertisement.


Political, economic, or historical information about any issues presented in the images. Search the library databases.

For older or classic advertisements, historical information about the time of publication may also be relevant.

Topics: Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help


This assignment is limited to the options in Blackboard.


Analyze one of the visual arguments for its immediate and broader contexts: its purpose, its target audience and how the visual text identifies them, and its cultural context. What message does the visual text convey, and how does it communicate this message to viewers? For the billboard advertisement, also consider how the brand fits in with the specific locale/site in order to create positive exposure.

Analysis 2: Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help


FORMAT PROPOSAL


Before you begin your analysis, you should determine the direction you wish to take to present your work. Projects are most dynamic when you care about the subject and understand your chosen medium. Write a paragraph describing the direction in which you intend to take for the rhetorical analysis. This includes students who choose to write an academic essay. Address why you have chosen the specific medium. Create a thread in the Format Proposal discussion forum and submit the paragraph.


DEADLINES AND SUBMISSION METHODS


Follow the deadlines and submission methods for each part of this assignment as listed on your Course Calendar.


OPTION 1: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY


Write a rhetorical analysis of 1050-1,400 words based on one of the choices provided in Blackboard.
Format: Prepare your essay in MLA style.

Reference: “7 Things You Should Know about Digital Storytelling.” Educause Learning Initiative.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay #2

Directions:

Select one specific text (written, video, audio, or visual) and write a focused rhetorical analysis of that specific text. In order to accomplish this goal, your analysis should consider all aspects of the rhetorical situation and the various strategies of communication implemented within the text; however, you may select the most important aspects to actually discuss within your essay.

In other words, don’t force references into the paper that aren’t integral to your analysis. With that said, your discussion must implement the vocabulary of rhetorical analysis, such as the following: audience, context, purpose, exigence, constraints, thesis, speaker, text, logos, ethos, and pathos. Your essay must answer the following question:

What is this text’s strongest technique for achieving its rhetorical purpose?

In order to answer this question, you should identify the text’s purpose and analyze both strengths and weaknesses within the text, evaluating how well it conceives of its audience and attempts to persuade them.


Rhetorical Situation: Analysis 2: Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help

Context: While you are analyzing the details of your selected text’s rhetorical situation, you should also keep in mind your own rhetorical situation. This essay should be more formal and academic in tone than Essay 1, but do not be afraid to exercise your own voice and personality. Remember that you are writing an academic essay; therefore, you should demonstrate the formal expectations of that context with multiple paragraphs, logical organization, formal grammar, cohesive analysis, detailed support, a directly stated thesis, and situationally appropriate vocabulary.

Audience: While your primary audience will be an academic audience interested in the various concepts of rhetorical analysis, you may also consider a secondary audience composed of those whom your selected text is also targeting. Therefore, consider that secondary audience’s needs and values while you analyze the text.

Purpose: What purpose might this essay serve beyond the academic exercise itself? Why is understanding the complexities of a given text useful? How might expanding your audience’s understanding of that text and its strategies affect those readers? Consider these questions as you push your essay to do more than just analyze. Consider why it matters.

Resources: Over the next several days, I will be adding suggested texts to a folder on Blackboard. You are welcome to use any of the texts I attach or link to within that folder. However, if you are selecting your own text, please have me approve that selection before you get started writing. I want to make sure you each have a good text that’s going to allow you to develop your best writing.

Documentation: Because you are analyzing a specific text, you will need to include a Work Cited page and proper documentation in your essay. Also, if you use any additional resources, remember to document those materials appropriately as well.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help

Rhetorical Analysis Essay   #3

Complete the RA Ideas Draft below. Plan to spend a good chunk of time on this Ideas Draft, which is intended to guide you through the first steps to generate/gather/prepare the evidence/ideas/insights necessary to write your rough draft. It front-loads some of the work now to facilitate writing later.

https://www.afar.com/magazine/pregnant-in-panama

https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/great-pleas…

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/02/03/a-ta…

The essay you can choose form these website.

Ideas Draft: Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help

The purpose of this Ideas Draft is to help you begin to analyze your travel narrative, choose evidence relevant to your research question, and figure out what that evidence tells us about the aspects of rhetoric you intend to focus on in your essay.

The prompt requires you“to ground your analysis in the text—refer to and analyze specific textual evidence in every body paragraph of your essay.” This Ideas Draft will help you to:

a) establish a clear and specific understanding of aspects of rhetoric in the narrative. (Ex. Prompt asks about “message,” you need to think about what that message is! Same for ethos, context, audience, etc.) You will do this by:
b) finding evidence from the text related to the aspects of rhetoric you’re exploring, and then analyzing and interpreting that evidence.

Pre-writing steps:

Reread your narrative with the specific goal of finding passages that help you understand aspects of rhetoricrelevant to your research question (that establish ethos, shape a message, appeal to an audience, reference historical/cultural context, etc.)

Read the whole narrative carefully.

Identify five passages (one to two paragraphs apiece) that relate to one or more aspects of rhetoric from your research question. Then, go back and reread each of those passages two or three more times.

Paraphrase the passages.Briefly rewrite your passages in your own words to make sure you fully understand the text. What is the literal meaning? What happens before/after it? If there is dialogue, who is speaking, and to whom? Who is listening?

Perform a close reading of the passages.In your book, underline/annotate as many observations about conventions, puzzling phrases, word choice, punctuation, sequence, transitions etc. as possible on each passage, for at least 5 uninterrupted minutes. If you get stuck, use the AGWR Ch. 3, especially pp. 33-46, or think of our in-class close reading exercises.

Identify conventions:

Going through your close-reading work, create a list of all of the conventions of travel writing you can find. Keep an eye out in particular for conventions related to aspects of rhetoric identified in your research question. (Ex: If thinking about ethos, what conventions are used to establish a traveler’s trustworthiness, status, or credibility in different subgenres of travel writing?) Look as well for places where your narrative is unconventional—when it breaks from the norms of travel writing.

For each convention you find, think about whether it relates to any specific subgenres, historical traditions, or modes of travel writing. Write at least 3-5 sentences below discussing significant use, alteration, or rejection of conventions of travel writing from your narrative:

Find patterns in language:

Look over your observations and identify patterns in each passage’s language and between the five passages. Some examples: patterns in terms of word choice (similar words, phrases, type of diction, etc.), imagery (motifs—repeated images related to sight, sound, smell, etc.), punctuation (question marks, parentheses), sentence structure (long extended sentences, short sentences, dialogue), binaries/opposites (and complications to those binaries).

Are there any metaphors or other examples of figurative language that use words with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretatio· (allusion, personification, oxymoron, hyperbole—Google these if you don’t know what they are).

Also be alert to anomalies that don’t seem to fit, but shouldn’t be ignored—what do things that don’t fit a pattern tell us? Write at least 3-5 sentences below outlining any interesting patterns you’ve discovered:

Connect aspects of rhetoric:

What are the aspects of rhetoric identified in your research question (ethos, audience, context, etc.)? How does each passage you’ve identified help you understand one or more of those aspects of rhetoric?Where within each passage, or between multiple passages, can you make connections between more than one aspect of rhetoric (ethos affecting appeals to audience, or message addressing context, for example)?

Write at least 3-5 sentences below articulating what you’ve learned about the relevant aspects of rhetoric in your passages, and how they help you understand those aspects of rhetoric in the narrative as a whole:

In the table below (see p.3), pick five quotations that seem particularly relevant and important to your examination of your chosen aspects of rhetoric (message, ethos, audience, historical/cultural context, etc.), and work your way from left to right, filling out each column for each quote. Push yourself to be as clear and specific as possible—you are generating material that you can use to write your rough draft.

Attempt to write a rough draft of your thesis statement: Go back to the RA prompt and think some more about your chosen research question in light of your discoveries while completing the steps above. Then, write a very preliminary, low-stakes rough draft thesis statement of no more than two sentences that directly answers the research question.

Your thesis should be relevant (clearly answers the question), specific (replaces broad terms like “ethos” and “message” with precise articulations of what those look like in the narrative), complex, clear, and arguable. Write your preliminary draft thesis (1-2 sentences) here:

Your hard work now will pay off when you go to write the rough draft!

Type five quotations here from your narrative. (One from each passage you selected for CR.)

Paraphrase – in your own words.Who is saying what in this quote, and to whom? Who is listening?

How does this quote relate to or help us understand an aspect of rhetoric from your research question?

Do you notice any conventions or patterns? How does this quotation relate to the passage where it appears & the narrative as a whole?

So what? What can we learn from this quote that will help you answer your chosen research question from the assignment prompt?

Quote exactly from the text (your quotes don’t need to be all of the same length; you may include a quote of anywhere from a single phrase to a couple of sentences).

Paraphrase meaning. Look up important words in a credible dictionary. Who is speaking? Who is addressed? What’s the main point?

Does it articulate or clarify a message, and if so, how? Does it shape the rhetor’s ethos—in what way or ways? Does it tell us anything specific about context, audience, purpose, etc.? What?

Does this quote feature a rhetorical strategy that is repeated elsewhere in the text? Does it reinforce, contradict, or complicate other passages from the text? Does it contribute toward a larger effect in the narrative, and if so, how?

Does your quote show something about how one aspect of rhetoric in the narrative affects another(Ex: how ethos affects audience or message)?What insight does it give you about any aspect of your research question?

Rhetorical Analysis Essay of Jeff Greenfield’s “From Wasteland to Wonderland—TV’s Altered Landscape.” 

    Resources:

  • “Introduction to College Writing”
  • “Anatomy of an Essay”
  • “MLA Formatting”
  • They Say/I Say, 3rd edition (pgs. 1-51)
  • Rhetorical Analysis Packet & PowerPoint

 

Overview: You will conduct a rhetorical analysis of Jeff Greenfield’s “From Wasteland to Wonderland—TV’s Altered Landscape.” Your essay should include:

  • Introduction Paragraph:
    • A general opening statement which draws your reader in and introduces the topic at hand.
    • An account of the author’s argument. Remember to avoid a simple “list” summary. Include the author’s main claims, purpose, tone, and audience.
    • A thesis statement which outlines the tasks you will accomplish in your essay.
  • 3-5 Body Paragraphs:
    • An analysis of the author’s rhetorical strategies/appeals (logos, pathos, ethos, counterargument, organizational strategies, etc.) Start a new body paragraph each time you discuss a new strategy/appeal.
    • For each body paragraph:
      • 1) Identify strategies/appeals.
      • 2) Explain how and why the author uses them.
      • 3) Support your claims with textual examples (summary/quotes), including page numbers.
    • Conclusion Paragraph:
      • An overall evaluation of the author’s effectiveness. Remember that you are not agreeing or disagreeing with the author’s opinions. You are analyzing whether the argument was sound and the strategies were effectively used. Explain why.

 

 

Purpose: Recognize specific rhetorical strategies writers employ to advance their arguments (theses/claims), taking into account purpose and audience (Student Learning Outcome #1).

 

 

Audience & Point-of-View: Assume your reader is unfamiliar with the article you are discussing. Use 3rd person point-of-view (avoid using the pronouns “I” or “you.”).

 

 

Requirements: Analysis 2: Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help

Your paper must be 1000-1500 words, MLA formatted, and the final copy will be submitted to Canvas.  Please underline 10-15 templates used from They Say/I Say. The grading rubric will appear in the submission link for this assignment.

 

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Assignment #4

We will use rhetorical analysis to examine how political commentators attempt to achieve their purposes in opinion-editorials and analyses.  In your essay, you will identify strategies and analyze how the speaker uses them to represent his or her position. You will consider how the speaker constructs his or her ethos as credible to the audience. You will also need to assess how the speaker appeals to the audience’s emotions, values, or experiences. Finally, as you consider how the speaker attempts to achieve his or her purpose on this occasion with this audience, you will want to examine the evidence and claims that are made about the topic. The persona of the author, the attitudes of the audience, and evidence about the topic provide three types of appeals:

  1. Ethos (How does the writer establish expertise and moral authority?)
  2. Pathos (What appeals are made to the read­ers’ emotions?)
  3. Logos (What arguments and evidence are used?)

 

The introduction will likely begin with one or two opening paragraphs of several sentences that do the following:

  • Place the essay in a broader context (e.g. the issue, history, etc.).
  • Introduce the essay by characterizing the writer and the reason he or she wrote the essay in the first place.
  • Identify the audience and situation for which the essay is intended.
  • Describe the writer’s purpose. To do this, you might answer the fol­lowing questions for yourself before you write: What does the writer want to achieve with his or her readers upon this occasion? What does she or he want these particular people to think and/or do?
  • Identify the rhetorical strategies that you have decided to discuss and indicate, in general terms, how they function to promote the writer’s purpose in relation to the intended audience.

 

The body will include paragraphs that will have their own topic sentences developed with specifics from the essay. You may want to focus each paragraph on one rhetorical strategy, or you may focus on different parts of one strategy.  In either case, be careful of being too predictable; for example, avoid simply repeating key terms.

 

Useful strategies for developing paragraphs include:

  • Defining the rhetorical strategy.
  • Quoting or paraphrasing examples to illustrate the writer’s use of the strategy (two or three examples generally suffice).
  • Explaining how the example illustrates the strategy and how the strategy contributes to the writer’s purpose.

 

The conclusion serves the purpose of briefly summarizing the main points of the analysis and explaining the significance of your analysis. The significance of your analysis may be suggested by asking questions such as these:

  • How do the rhetorical strategies that you discussed explain the effects the speaker achieved with his or her audience?
  • Why were the strategies effective or not effective with the speaker’s core constituency and with other audiences?
  • What do the rhetorical strategies suggest about the political agendas and varied constituencies of the campaign?
Necessary Elements:
  1. · An attention-getting title
  2. · 400-700 words
  3. · An introductory paragraph with a hook (or attention getter) and a well-written thesis statement
  4. · Ample and well-developed supporting paragraphs
  5. · A conclusion that does more than merely restate the earlier paragraphs.
  6. · A Works Cited page listing the source of the essay you analyzed
  7. · Adherence to all formatting guidelines and MLA rules (Refer to the MLA Guidelines under the Table of Contents on Brightspace.)
 Sources: Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help
  • · You must adhere to all MLA guidelines (Refer to Keys for Writers). You may also use the MLA 8th Edition handout I provided under MLA Guidelines (#7 above)
  • · You must use in-text citations every time you directly quote, summarize, or paraphrase the text. The handout I provided will cover this area, as well.
  • · Provide an introduction or attribution (transition) for each quote. You must integrate your quotes smoothly. (I will provide you with a handout on using sources.)
  • · You must also provide an MLA-style work-cited page, although the only entry on it will be the story.

Due Date:

  • Final Draft –Submit to dropbox in Brightspace by the due date on the Plan of Instruction.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Assignment Part 2

Write an essay (double spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font, consistent citational formatting, etc.) of 600-800 words that presents an IN-DEPTH RHETORICAL ANALYSIS of ONE short text, following the criteria and guidelines below.

Comparative Analysis Essay Paper 2

This essay should demonstrate your understanding of the concepts and techniques learned in Modules 1 and 2 and how writers use or apply them to persuade readers.

Then, write an Analysis Essay, according to the instructions & examples, based on the essay that you have chosen.
Arrangement Analysis: ANALYSE the purpose, audience, and arrangement of ONE essay.

What rhetorical and stylistic techniques (of arrangement) does the author use … to begin and end the essay? To organise the middle points & paragraphs?

What patterns do you observe in the organization of the middle?

Now, beyond simply listing what the author presents, analyse why and to what ends. In other words, what are the rhetorical effects of the author’s rhetorical and stylistic techniques (of arrangement) in terms of meeting the needs of the target audience and achieving the rhetorical purpose of the author?

What is the connection between what the author says & does and how the author says & does it?

That is, how does the essay’s content (what) connect to the essay’s form (how)? Formulate a clear thesis that states your evaluative assessment of the text’s rhetorical and stylistic techniques (of arrangement)–is it effective or not, and in what places or ways? How does the author’s specific arrangement techniques make it successful (or not)?

Use the Analysis Essay Checklist to guide your writing process, review your essay, and make final improvements before you submit it to the instructor.

TOPIC:
Mother Tongue by Amy Tan

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Help

Last Updated on August 5, 2020

Don`t copy text!
Scroll to Top