RHET 1311 Composition I Major Assignment # 2 Ms.

Richard Rhetorical Analysis

Draft due: 10 a.m. September 30, 2013 Final Draft due: 10 a.m. October 4, 2013 Optional Revision due: 10 a.m. October 18, 2013

Overview
A rhetorical analysis examines and explains how an author attempts to influence an audience. It uses specific evidence from the text to determine how it persuades its readershow it employs the rhetorical appeals in a fitting response to reach an audience. For this assignment, you will analyze a letter using your knowledge of genre, audience, purpose and the three rhetorical appeals: logos, ethos, and pathos. This assignment meets our learning outcomes in the following ways. Rhetorical Knowledge: determine whether a document is rhetorically effective or ineffective by evaluating its audience, purpose, genre, content and rhetorical appeals. Critical Reading, Thinking and Writing: engage in critical writing to effectively communicate an analysis and evaluation. Writing Process Strategies: generate multiple drafts of this assignment and integrate feedback from your peers and instructor. Knowledge of conventions: adhere to the required format as specified by the instructor, control surface features, and document appropriately. Composing in Electronic Environments: use electronic resources to compose, share and publish.

Directions
Imagine that your firm sent out the attached letter last year with poor results. They received no donations and no RSVPs in response to the letter. You are a writer and your boss has asked you to analyze the letter to determine the problem. The company knows the letter is ineffective and it is your job to determine why. You must give an honest response and write a rhetorical analysis of the letter. Your analysis should identify the documents audience, purpose, genre, ethos, pathos, and logos with a thorough discussion of their effective or ineffective influences in the letter. You should not simply paraphrase or summarize what the author says in the letter. They wrote it and already know what it says. Your goal is to analyze the document rhetorically and pull evidence from the document to prove your claims. Refer to your text p. 52-54 for additional help.

Major Assignment #2Retorical Analysis page 2

Your rhetorical analysis should contain the following vocabulary words as they are important terms to use in discussing this subject matter: Purpose Ethos Pathos Logos Rhetoric

Writer or author Audience

Submission Guidelines
All assignment materials should be submitted in a two-pocket folder. The right pocket of the folder should contain only the final copy which is worth up to 150 points. The left side of your folder contains evidence of your writing process which includes the following: Brainstorm activity (10 pts) Rough draft (10 pts) Peer review (10 pts) Completed editing and proofreading checklist (10 pts)

A Reflection of your writing process will be required after the submission of your final draft and is worth 10 additional points for a total of 200 points for this assignment.

Formatting of the final copy should include: Clean presentation of all three pages (no coffee stains or crease lines) Typed using Times New Roman font, 12 point, double-spaced, 1 inch margins Stapled in top left corner with the following information: Your name Gail Richard Composition I Rhetorical Analysis, Final Draft Due Date

Acknowledgement to Dana Garrison at University of Arkansas at Little Rock from whom portions of this assignment was replicated.