Clean Sweep: Emotions And Logical Approaches Writing Assignment

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RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTIONAmong the most valuable skills you can take with you from college is the ability to think critically. Among the attributes of one who can think critically is the ability to objectively analyze arguments and to identify and assess rhetorical strategies in a variety of mediums, including political speeches, advertisements, sales pitches, or letters to the editor.  Identifying rhetorical techniques such as emotional, logical, or ethical appeals does not necessarily discount what you read or hear, but it does enable you to evaluate the effectiveness of their use in given situations and to recognize when an argument is not adequately supported.  Some rhetorical strategies are quite subtle. For example, does a political candidate’s roots in Kansas really put him or her more in touch with the common person than a candidate from Florida?  Or will this or that diet program really make you a happier person as an advertisement implies?  In short, people are barraged with arguments constantly, some more important than others, but many of which can make a difference in daily life.  In other words, when you can separate out what is being said from how it is presented, you are free to make more informed and objective choices.
This assignment will give you practice in analyzing the rhetoric of an argument from your class text.  Your focus will be on how the writer establishes ethos through language and his or her use of emotional and logical appeals to an intended audience.  In this process you will pay close attention to such things as the author’s diction, tone, and use of figurative language in creating the three different types of appeals.
WHAT IS A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS?Most of the time when we read we are primarily interested in what an author is trying to say; we try to understand the point he or she is putting across.  When doing rhetorical analysis, however, we are more interested in how something is being said. That is, we pay special attention to how a writer attempts to persuade his or her audience.  We look beyond the message to the strategies and tactics a writer uses in making an argument.  In short, “rhetorical analysis” involves breaking an argument into its parts to understand how those parts contribute to the argument as a whole.