Project 1: Rhetorical Analysis
Overview:
 In this project, you will offer a 2-3 page rhetorical
analysis of a text. More specifically:
o You will apply close and critical reading
skills on three selected texts from the EHE;
o You will analyze how, or how well, the author
of the text communicates his or her purpose to
the intended audience.
 This project is worth 15% of your semester grade.
 We will use the following timeline for this project:
o Peer Review Workshop on Monday, September
15
o Style and Conventions Seminar on Wednesday,
September 17
o Final Draft of P1 due on Friday, September 19
JOIN THE
CONVERATION by
offering a rhetorical
analysis that
explains how the
author did (or did
not) achieve the
purpose with the
intended audience
LISTEN TO
CONVERSATIONS
within our course
theme by closely
reading articles
EXPAND THE
CONVERSATION by
applying critical
reading skills and
exploring how the
author
communicates
his/her purpose to
the intended
audience
Purpose and Focus:
The purpose of the Rhetorical Analysis assignment will be to closely and critically read a text within our course
theme, analyze the rhetorical situation and components of the text, and offer a written analysis of how well the
author used rhetoric within the text for the intended audience.

Here is a way to distinguish between close and critical reading:
Close Reading
- practicing summary skills
- looking for WHAT is
said
- "listening to convo"

Critical Reading
- analyzing rhetorical
elements
- answering: How well did
the author achieve her
purpose with the intended
audience?
Using the strategies discussed in class, you will rhetorically analyze ONE of the following texts from the
EHE reader:
 “Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here” (Edmundson)
 “A Question of Honor” (Chace)
 “Students are Already Workers” (Bousquet)
Development for Audience:
The audience for this assignment will be your classmates and your instructor. In order to best achieve your
purpose with your audience, you’ll need to:


Carefully and closely read the selected text, understanding WHAT is being said;
Critically read the selected text, looking for HOW (or how well) the author is communicating his or her
purpose;
o You will certainly need to understand the entire rhetorical situation; however, the pieces that MUST
be fully explained is WHO the intended audience is, and WHAT the purpose of the text is. You will
be selective about the other rhetorical elements you explore in-depth: Maintain a sustainable focus.



Develop the analysis by offering a clear thesis statement;
o The thesis should be the answer to the following question: How successful is the text at reaching
its purpose with the intended audience?
Consider rhetorical elements and audience appeals;
o To support your thesis statement, you will choose a few rhetorical elements which may appeal to
logos, ethos, and/or pathos AND analyze their effectiveness in achieving the purpose with the
intended audience. Here are a few suggested additional rhetorical elements from which you can
choose:
 Evidence
 Organization
 Argument Structure
 Counterargument and/or refutation
 Language, tone, or style
Offer evidence from the text that supports your thesis;
o The textual evidence will be examples of the rhetorical element focused upon as it plays out in the
text (ex: if the rhetorical element you are focusing upon is the colloquial tone used, offer a phrase
of the colloquial language as evidence to support your assertion).
Genre and Organization:
The genre for this assignment will be a 2-3 page rhetorical analysis essay. The purpose is to analyze the
rhetorical effectiveness of a text; therefore, you will draw heavily from the mode of analysis writing (Chapter 7
in JTC).
Depending upon the focus you wish to have, you may choose to organize your essay around audience appeals OR
you may choose to organize your essay around rhetorical elements.
Style and Conventions:


Since your rhetorical analysis is an academic essay, the tone and style should be appropriate for an academic
audience.
Your rhetorical analysis should be grammatically correct and you should pay close attention to all
conventions of standard, written English—especially those discussed in the Style and Conventions Seminar.
Additionally,
o Your analysis essay should be typed and double-spaced, using Times New Roman, 12 pt font;
o Have your last name and page number in the upper right-hand corner of each page.
Hierarchy of Rhetorical Concerns for Feedback and Evaluation: Rhetorical Analysis
Your project will be evaluated based on the following hierarchy of rhetorical concerns and the extent to which the
project effectively achieves its purpose with its audience in the given context. The following questions will be used
to guide the feedback and evaluation of the project.
•How well does the rhetorical
analysis achieve its purpose of
analyzing how well the text
communicates its purpose to
the intended audience?
•How well does the author
show close and critical
reading skills?
PURPOSE and FOCUS:
•How effectively does the
rhetorical analysis examine
various aspects of the
rhetorical situation, the
rhetorical elements, and the
audience appeals in use?
DEVELOPMENT for AUDIENCE:
GENRE and
ORGANIZATION:
STYLE and
CONVENTIONS:
•How clearly has the author stated a
thesis that reflects whether or not the
text was rhetorically successful at
communicating its purpose to the
intended audience?
•How well does the author support his or
her thesis by offering textual support that
illustrates the rhetorical element being
discussed?
•How well does the author explain HOW
that evidence illustrates effective (or
ineffective) rhetoric?
•How effectively does the rhetorical analysis follow
the format of an analysis essay (outlined in JTC
chapter 7)?
•How effectively does the essay organize ideas by
either audience appeals OR rhetorical elements?
•How does the author effectively use quoting and/or
paraphrasing from the original text?
•To what extent do English grammar and stylistic concerns
distract the reader and/or keep the reader from
understanding the ideas in the analysis?