Essay 2: Rhetorical Analysis
In this paper, you are going to consider one of the below articles and will write a rhetorical analysis in which you explore how the author conveys a thesis, theme, or meaning to his/her/their audience.
The focus is not on whether you agree with the author, rather, focus on what strategies the author is using to create a meaningful or effective piece. This does not mean that you have to take everything the author says at face value. If the author seems to over-emphasize emotional appeals, ignore counterarguments, or rely on faulty data, you are free – indeed, encouraged – to call them out on it.
A couple salient features to really consider when reading:
- Where does the author show audience awareness?
- What sort of stylistic or language tools does the author use to prove their point?
- What are the purposes (notice that there are probably several) of the author?
- What disciplines or discourses does the author draw from?
- How does the author use rhetorical proofs (appeals to emotion, authority, and reason) to prove their point?
Article choices:
- “In Defense of Dangerous Ideas.” Stephen Pinker. Scholars at Harvard 2007
- Honest academic inquiry should not be punished, even if the questions asked are offensive or make people uncomfortable.
- https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/pinker/files/dangerous_ideas.pdf
- “I’m a Cop: I Won’t Fight a War on Crime like I Fought the War on Terror.” Patrick Skinner
- Better policing may mean removing our reliance on warrior cops
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/06/03/beat-cop-militarized-policing-cia/
- “Is Humiliation an Ethically Appropriate Response to Plagiarism.” Loye Young. Engage: Conversations in Philosophy 2008.
- Publicly shaming cheaters should not only be legal, but standard practice.
- http://engagepodcast.blogspot.com/2008/11/should-students-be-publically.html (Note: this is a message board, and Young’s essay is currently the second response to the post. It is the one that begins with “I am that instructor.”)
- “Real Change Can Happen." Matthew McConaughey.
- In the wake of a school shooting, Matthew McConaughey argues for "responsible gun ownership"
- Content Warning: This speech contains graphic descriptions of gun violence and candidly discusses victims' experiences
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/06/08/matthew-mcconaughey-talks-gun-violence-white-house-read-speech/7551975001/
- “The Case for Censoring Hate Speech.” Sam McElwee.
- Online speech that intimidates minorities should be censored by content providers.
- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hate-speech-online_b_3620270
- “How to Fix Grade Inflation at Harvard.” Samuel Goldman. The American Conservative 2013.
- Students should have a second, curved grade in addition to the one that assesses mastery of course concepts.
- https://www.theamericanconservative.com/how-to-fix-grade-inflation-at-harvard/
- “The Social Costs of Abandoning the Meaning of Marriage.” Ryan Anderson. Heritage Foundation 2013
- Expanding marriage beyond monogamous, permanent, heterosexual relationships harms society as a whole.
- https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/the-social-costs-abandoning-the-meaning-marriage
- “The Singer Solution to World Poverty.” Peter Singer. New York Times 1999.
- When we fail to donate money to feed the hungry, we are committing murder.
- https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/05/magazine/the-singer-solution-to-world-poverty.html
- “From Degrading to De-Grading” Alfie Kohn. High School Magazine, 2019
- Schools should do away with grades and use more meaningful forms of assessment.
- https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/degrading-de-grading/
NOTE: Some of these links may be to online newspapers with a limited number of free article views a month. Once you choose your piece, you should probably print it out immediately.
"NUTS AND BOLTS" CONCERNS:
Whichever essay you choose, please consider the following guidelines:
- Your essay should be about 750 words in MLA format. You must include a works cited page.
- You may quote and paraphrase from the text as well – indeed you should quote or paraphrase when doing so will illustrate the point you are making.
- This essay is due at the end of Unit 9