WRI 10:74 ESSAY #1: Rhetorical Analysis
Professor Kitchen
Spring 2019
“...to analyze a piece of writing—a verbal or a visual text—rhetorically means to examine
closely how the text is put together to create a specific effect. Although any text—a billboard, a
course syllabus, a personal ad, a sermon, a travel brochure, a phone book—can be analyzed
rhetorically…” (31).
Rhetorical Analysis Essay Prompt: You will analyze and evaluate an article’s argument (i.e.,
how effective/persuasive is the argument; is it a “good” argument?). Your thesis will be the
result of your evaluation. For example: “Jane Smith’s ‘No Toys for Babies’ has solid evidence
and a convincing argument, but her sarcastic tone and scare tactics might turn off readers and
limit her persuasiveness.” You must pick an article from the option list below.
Organization: There are various ways to approach and organize y, including, but not limited to,
the following:
➢ examining the article paragraph by paragraph and/or major premise by major premise;
➢ organizing by strengths and weaknesses
➢ or, highlighting certain traits: e.g., assumptions, evidence, fallacies, thesis, structure, tone,
figurative language, type of rhetorical appeal (ethos, pathos, logos), etc. You will likely
use some of these in your analysis even if you choose the other two methods.
Essay Components:
1) Identify and introduce your selected article. Include a brief summary of the argument in
the introduction.
2) A thesis noting the article’s overall effectiveness as an argument.
3) Analysis: In your analysis you might focus on the writer’s use of analogy, questions,
evidence, description and narrative; the writer’s credibility and authority; or the match
between the genre of ...
