...The Rhetorical Situation Purpose: Demonstrate how rhetorical analysis helps us better understand why a speech or other communicative act is or is not effective. Specifically, your goal is to identify and evaluate the effectiveness of the rhetorical strategies a speaker or writer uses given his or her rhetorical situation. Audience: Your primary audience is friends and family who are unfamilar with rhetorical analysis. Your secondary audience is rhetorical scholars; they will be familiar with the basic concepts of rhetorical analysis and will thus be able to judge the strength of your analysis. Topic: I will assemble a list of five speeches from American Rhetoric's speech bank you may choose from for your analysis. However, if you would like to use a different speech, or if you would like to use a text, video, or something else, speak with me before you begin working on your essay to receive approval. Key Terms Understanding these terms will help you craft a strong rhetorical analysis (we will read about these concepts and/or discuss them in class): * rhetorical situation * genre * the three rhetorical appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos * organization/arrangement * identification * tone * diction * sentence structure figures of speech (e.g. metaphors, epistrophe) Writing the Analysis In a rhetorical analysis, the writer's purpose is to explain how the rhetorical strategies a rhetor (speaker/writer) uses enchance or...
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...You have been working on short writing assignments and exercises that practice the three individual parts of a rhetorical analysis—identification of the rhetorical situation, close analysis of the parts of the work, and a critical evaluation of the author’s moves and effectiveness. Now you will be putting it all together. You will write a rhetorical analysis on one of the speeches found on this website: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html You will identify the rhetorical situation, do a close analysis of a principle or strategy being used, and draw a conclusion on how well the author has accomplished his or her objective. Make sure you do NOT use the same speech as your peers. Assignment: Choose one of the articles. Write...
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...[pic] English 101 Assignments Unit One Rhetorical Situation Analysis Report (Graded as homework) Completing this rhetorical situation analysis “report” will help you to understand the context—the rhetorical situation—in which a text was written, identify the writer’s intended audience and rhetorical purpose, and consider how effective his or her strategies are for accomplishing that purpose. Text: “My View: Should Everyone Go to College?” by Mike Rose (Report due September 3rd) http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/09/my-view-should-everyone-go-to-college/ “What Value Really Means in Higher Education” by Karen R. Lawrence (Report due September 17th) http://hechingerreport.org/content/value-really-means-higher-education_15129/ Present your responses in the form of short answers to the questions below (not in essay form). Note: As you answer the questions, be guided by the information Rhetorical Choices: Analyzing and Writing Arguments provides in Chapters 3 and 4 to refresh your understanding of rhetorical situation, purpose, audience, kairos, the ethos, pathos, and logos appeals, and rhetorical analysis. 1. Where did this text originally appear? 2. What is the genre of the text? What are the common rhetorical purposes for texts in this genre? (See pp. 22-24 in Rhetorical Choices for examples) 3. What can you discern about the discourse community in which this text is operating? Who is part of the discourse community, what values...
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...Draft of a Rhetorical Analysis of a Public Document Assignment Goal Write a 750-1,000-word essay that analyzes the rhetorical situation of a public document. This public document is the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) website on Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) found at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html. Your analysis should include at least TWO scholarly sources outside of class texts. Directions Complete a close reading of the assigned public document. Then, write a cohesive essay that: 1. Introduces and summarizes the CDC website on ADHD. 2. Analyzes the rhetorical tools used on the site (here, you will want to incorporate ideas from your preanalysis below). For instance, your essay could analyze the CDC’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos. 3. Evaluates the site’s effectiveness (again, ideas from your preanalysis below will be helpful). This essay is NOT simply an expository or descriptive essay or an analysis of ADHD. It is an analysis of the site and how effectively the site uses rhetorical tools to get its point across. First Draft Grading * You will receive completion points for the first draft based upon the successful submission of your draft. * Because your first draft is a completion grade, do not assume that this grade reflects or predicts the final grade. If you do not consider your instructor’s comments, you may be deducted points on your final draft. Final Draft Grading The essay will...
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...Introduction Rhetorical Analysis (RA) is an examination of how the author uses rhetorical elements to present strong arguments and effective communication with the audience. Rhetorical analysis is one of the best ways to learn persuasive writing strategies that I will use to improve my writing. In an article “Cognitive computing capabilities can help member firm clients make smarter, faster choices,” the author uses a variety of writing works to deliver his/her messages about Deloitte’s professionalism and clients’ benefit. I have analyzed the article into three parts: rhetorical situations, rhetorical appeals, and rhetorical strategies. By identifying elements of the rhetorical situation, I can learn how to set up the circumstances that...
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...In my rhetorical analysis of the CoverGirl advertisement I analysis three rhetorical tools that are strongly conveyed to me. The advertisement uses these rhetorical tools to further persuaded audiences to buy the CoverGirl product and even stick with the brand. In this analysis I will cover the rhetorical appeals that try to convince viewers that the product is superior, the use of myth and how it is used to strengthen the persuasiveness of the advertisement, and the rhetorical situation of the advertisement. Let us move onto rhetorical appeal Rhetorical appeal is a very good way to structure any persuasive document and when used correctly it can service its purpose well. Let’s analysis how this persuasive advertisement uses rhetorical appeal. Pathos in this advertisement is very straight forward; it wants the view to be curious but also excited with a hint of wonder or in other words it wants “to raise emotions” (Aristotle, n.d. p. 146) within a viewer. The use of Taylor Swift along with the mention of more bang for your buck, since this cream can beat ones that cost $180, would draw on a viewer’s emotion and cause them to be persuaded because their idol is advertising a product that she, Taylor Swift, is using daily to perfect her skin and it isn’t an expensive designer brand. Next we will focus on logos and its use in this advertisement. Logos is the “logical appeals [that] stress the reasonableness” (Aristotle, n.d p. 146). This advertisement relies heavily on...
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...Draft of a Rhetorical Analysis of a Public Document Assignment Goal Write a 750-1,000-word essay that analyzes the rhetorical situation of a public document. This public document is the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) website on Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) found at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html. Your analysis should include at least TWO scholarly sources outside of class texts. Directions Complete a close reading of the assigned public document. Then, write a cohesive essay that: 1. Introduces and summarizes the CDC website on ADHD. 2. Analyzes the rhetorical tools used on the site (here, you will want to incorporate ideas from your preanalysis below). For instance, your essay could analyze the CDC’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos. 3. Evaluates the site’s effectiveness (again, ideas from your preanalysis below will be helpful). This essay is NOT simply an expository or descriptive essay or an analysis of ADHD. It is an analysis of the site and how effectively the site uses rhetorical tools to get its point across. Use Chapter 2 in The Call to Write and the sample rhetorical analysis on pages 57-60 as a guide. First Draft Grading * You will receive completion points for the first draft based upon the successful submission of your draft. * Because your first draft is a completion grade, do not assume that this grade reflects or predicts the final grade. If you do not consider your instructor’s...
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...Rhetorical Analysis No matter what fields you are in, we as academic writers will be familiar with rhetorical choices. Rhetorical choices play an important role in writing. They’re the “key ingredients” in a paper in order to capture readers’ attention and achieve writers’ purposes. When I was in Human Resource Organization Behaviors 101 class, professor Thomas Shirley assigned an ethics case for each group. I joined a group of five people and we got together for several group meetings. Finally, I was assigned to compose the “Ethical Analysis” section. Toward to the paper deadline, we produced the paper called “Starbucks: Friend or Foe.” The purpose of the assignment was to argue that whether the company’s decision was ethical when Starbucks fired employees for supporting unions and applied the four-component model of ethical decision making to this case. Discourse community is an essential factor when composing a paper. According to “Students Writing Handbook”, discourse community is a unique communication tool which people use to communicate with their readers within their fields (30). Since the paper was written for a required upper division major core course, the discourse community is all business majors. The genre was a general business paper with three sections: case summary, ethical analysis, and recommendations. We are college students are trained to become more professional in our careers. As a result, my group paper’s intended audiences were only Professor Thomas Shirley...
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...Rhetorical analysis, according to Susan-miller Cochran, Roy Stamper, and Stacey Cochran, is a form genre that analyze the text’s rhetoric context (30). Susan-miller Cochran, Roy Stamper, and Stacey Cochran states “In a rhetorical analysis, the writer uses rhetorical framework to understand how the context of the text help create meaning,” (30). The rhetorical framework writers use is rhetorical context that is; the author, the audience, the topic and the purpose (21,30). This is a key component in success for college because analyzing the text to understand the essential elements in the text, helps identify and “create” meaning (30). Rhetoric analysis will allow students to achieve a deeper comprehension of the text, contributing to students...
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...class. Contributors:Ethan Sproat, Dana Lynn Driscoll, Allen Brizee Last Edited: 2012-04-27 10:46:02 Example 1: “I Have a Dream” Speech A lot of what was covered above may still seem abstract and complicated. To illustrate how diverse kinds of texts have their own rhetorical situations, consider the following examples. First, consider Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Because this speech is famous, it should be very easy to identify the basic elements of its particular rhetorical situation. Text The text in question is a 17-minute speech written and delivered by Dr. King. The basic medium of the text was an oral speech that was broadcast by both loudspeakers at the event and over radio and television. Dr. King drew on years of training as a minister and public speaker to deliver the speech. He also drew on his extensive education and the tumultuous history of racial prejudices and civil rights in the US. Audiences at the time either heard his speech in person or over radio or television broadcasts. Part of the speech near the end was improvised around the repeated phrase “I have a dream.” Author http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/625/08/ Page 1 of 9 Purdue OWL: The Rhetorical Situation 9/11/13 7:53 PM Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most iconic leader of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. He was an African-American Baptist minister and prominent civil rights activist who campaigned to end segregation and racial discrimi-...
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...English 15 sec 209 Rhetorical Situation Handout: “Rhetoric is the art of observing in any given situation the available means of persuasion.” --Aristotle Some terms to become familiar with over next few classes * Opportunity for Change The problem—the thing that tugs you into the conversation, inspires you to respond, to speak, write, etc.. The attitude, action, or opinion you want to change. * Purpose Ask yourself: What can I accomplish with rhetoric? How can I use words to respond effectively to this opportunity? * Rhetorical Audience Those persons who are capable of being influenced by your addition to the discourse, of being changed or influenced to bring about change. Questions to consider: Who is your audience? What are they like? What opinions do they hold? What are their feelings about this opportunity to resolve a problem, to make a change? How will they react to your message? * Fitting Response 1. Addresses the opportunity for change 2. Is appropriate in content, tone, and timing 3. Is delivered in an appropriate medium 4. Reaches, satisfies, and maybe even changes the actions, opinions, or attitudes of the intended audience * Considerations for Composing a Fitting Response Available means of persuasion: The physical material used for delivering the information, the place from which the writer creates and sends the information . . .And (most importantly in this case) the elements of the presentation itself—persuasive...
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...My weaknesses in writing are specifying and using transitional words. These are the things that affect my score on the essays and they are things I need to improve at for college and I am eager to find new ways of doing so. These errors are noticeable in my nerd's analysis and rhetorical analysis essays. In my Samuel Johnson rhetorical analysis, I wrote “In addition to that, Johnson’s tone in the letter helped him create an emotional appeal”, which is great but I did not specify the emotional appeal that Jackson was able to create through this use of pathos. I often think that I am using too many words to describe a situation which pushed me away from further explaining what I am stating.Another thing I have a terrible time using are transitional words, I never seem to know when to use them and what counts as a transitional word or phrase. I obviously know the basic first, second third, last but I feel as if those transitional words aren’t strong enough which is why I choose not to use them. I do struggle with this, I am more than willing on researching new transitional words to use in my future essays. One evidence of my poor usage of transitioning is my nerd’s analysis essay, where I started “Something else that was mentioned in the article is…”, which doesn’t sound bad except for the fact that I had just explained the concept of not ostracizing...
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...vision of the country (United States) and to set forth their goals for the nation. With that being said, this paper will use the strategy of genre analysis to critique to examine Barack Obama’s second Inaugural Address and John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech. Genre analysis is a type of rhetorical analysis that examines speeches based on the artifacts or commonalities that contain. The artifacts of speech are created by the rhetor as a response to a specific exigency. So as Bitzer’s essay, The Rhetorical Situation, saw it, in order for a text to be rhetorical, it must come in response to a rhetorical situation. Furthermore a rhetorical situation has three characteristics, an audience, an existence of constraints, and as mentioned above, an exigency. One manner, in which we can analyze an artifact, is through...
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...Rhetorical Analysis: “The Challenger Address” The rhetorical situation refers to “a situation in which people’s understanding can be changed through messages.” (Zarefsky, 12). The rhetorical situation analysis consists of four elements: audience, occasion, speaker and speech, each assessing the quality of speech. In this essay, I will analyze the rhetorical situation of the historical speech “The Challenger Address” delivered by the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. Americans had high expectations of the space programs which intended to provide the United States a great sense of achievement. The significance of the space program lies in essence in which symbolized American glory in science and technology. (Lambright) Therefore, the audience of Reagan’s speech was American public; those who had experienced the tragic national loss of seven American astronauts resulted from the failure of space regime. Evidence of Reagan constantly involving American citizens prevail throughout the speech. He specifically engaged the audience by employing words such as “we,” “us,” “schoolchildren of America,” giving the audience a sense of involvement in the national matter. Reagan also acknowledged pain of the families of the seven astronauts. He showed his understanding of pain of families by saying “we feel the loss, and we are thinking about you so very much,” “your loved ones,” which was an attempt to console them by implicitly suggesting that the families are the primary...
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...Rhetorical situations are constantly occurring in our lives. But how do we recognize them? A rhetorical situation can happen in anything from an argument with a friend to something on a much larger scale like a presidential campaign speech. We see small rhetorical situations in commercials and even magazine and billboard adds. Rhetorical situations can be complicated so it is important for us to know how to properly analyze an argument but first we need to know what they are. Keith Grant-Davie defines a rhetorical situation as “a situation where a speaker or writer sees a need to change reality and sees that the change may be effected through rhetorical discourse.” (105). This definition is a little tricky but he later goes on to explain that within a rhetorical situation he finds four constituents: exigence, rhetors, audiences, and constraints (106). The Winter Park Florida advertisement book written by the WP Chamber of Commerce, is a great example to see how the four constituents can be used in an advertisement to create a well-made argument that attracts an audience. The first constituent, exigence, isn’t too difficult to determine in this piece. In the essay, “Rhetorical Situations and Their Constituents, Keith Grant-Davie defined exigence as “some kind of need or problem that can be addressed and solved through rhetorical discourse” (105). In otherwords it is the issue or challenge in an argument. The goal. In this brochure the exigence is quite clear, to get people...
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