PREWRITE: Decide whether the author's essay was effective or ineffective in conveying its message to its intended audience. In order to do this you will also have to consider:
· what the purpose of the essay is
· who the intended audience of the essay is.
· why certain elements/strategies of the essay were effective or ineffective
After thinking of good reasons and examples to support your view, apply the terms we have learned in class--audience, purpose, logos, ethos, pathos-and follow the formatting guide below.
FORMAT: This essay will ask for a rigid format. Make sure you follow the format below.
Paragraph One: SUMMARY: Begin your essay with an 8-12 sentence summary.
Paragraph Two: INTRODUCTION: After writing your summary, work on an introduction to your thesis. This paragraph should serve as a 6-12 sentence transitional paragraph that moves away from the summary and towards your rhetorical analysis. The paragraph will begin with sentences that may introduce key concepts, such as the author's intended purpose and audience. This paragraph must end with your well-developed thesis statement.
THESIS STATEMENT: Formulating a thesis statement: Because this assignment requires an analysis of effectiveness in rhetoric, the main argument of your essay is fairly limited. Your thesis should clearly state whether or not the source essay was effective or ineffective. A good thesis will most likely include forecasting-outlining the major points of your argument-and/or tension building-briefly showing the opposite side of the argument.
A model thesis for this assignment may look like this:
Although (author)'s argument was intended to (purpose), her argument is ultimately ineffective because it fails to provide enough logos to build any true ethos with her reader; without any established creditability, the author's words fail to effectively reach her audience.
Other Paragraphs: BODY & CONCLUSION: These paragraphs should:
· provide specific quotations as support for your claims and example.
· analyze these quotations by applying rhetorical terms (logos, ethos, pathos).
· use well thought out topic sentences to give each paragraph a strong unity
· use solid transitions in order to create a smooth flow from one paragraph to the next.
· tie your analysis back to your main points and your topic sentences and thesis.
· allow the reader to see why you're using your support and analysis and how the support and analysis proves your points.