Close Analysis Assignment: Elements Of The Rhetorical Situation

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Close Analysis #1 Assignment Sheet2-3 pages double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-pt
For this assignment, you will select a passage from a text (or video) we have looked at in class and closely examine how the author uses language and rhetorical strategies to construct an argument. The main questions to consider are: 1. What argument is the text making? and 2. How does the author make this argument, using logic, evidence, and the rhetorical situation?
You should consider the elements of the rhetorical situation (speaker, audiences, exigence, counter-arguments, constraints) and the logical structure of the argument (what are the claims, reasons, warrants, and evidence; what assumptions does this argument rely on; does the author employ any logical fallacies?) However, you do not need to address every single one of these components to write a successful close analysis. Most importantly, your analysis should be supported by textual evidence (quotations from the text or descriptions from the video.)
A successful close analysis will…• Concisely and accurately state the main argument(s) of the text• Focus on a particular passage or aspect of the text• Analyze elements of the rhetorical situation and how the author uses or addresses their position as speaker, target audience, constraints, etc. to create a convincing argument• Analyze the logical structure of the argument, potentially including the arguments claims, reasons, and underlying assumptions (warrants)• Demonstrate attention to language such as tone, word choice, metaphor, juxtaposition, etc.
A close analysis does not…• Merely summarize the text• List and describe elements of the rhetorical situation without analyzing them• Point out logical fallacies or strategies without analyzing how they further the argument• Merely reiterate what has been said in class discussions
Possible texts for analysis: For the longer texts I recommend that you choose a selection of a few pages rather than attempting to analyze the entire text• Jamaica Kincaid’s “A Small Place” chapter 1• “Reason as racism: An immigration debate gets derailed” editorial from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette• Vox video OR article on Haitian history: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/12/16883224/trump-shithole-foreign-policy-haiti • “Visit Antigua” video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG7-MEG_UYQ