During this second phase of this course, we will analyze and practice applying rhetorical strategies across different texts and arguments. We will also develop our critical reading and analytical practices by engaging, researching, examining, discussing, summarizing, and writing about various readings on our shared course topic of inquiry, the “Politics of Language.”
There are three parts to this assignment. For each part, you decide the order, tone, style, and language you’ll craft in order to best reach your audience. You’re welcome to draw on your “native,” “home,” or “other” languages, literacies, and ways of being as you so choose.
Part 1: Creating Your Own Rhetorical Texts
You will create an argument into an everyday genre designed for a popular/local community audience. You have a few options here:
- You can select any argument that is made by one of our course text authors (example: creating a meme of Vershawn Ashanti Young’s argument) OR
- you can forward a new argument of your own that is related to the “Politics of Language.” OR
- You can create some sort of argument that is not related to the Politics of Language. (example: writing a poem about police brutality or creating a video where you advocate for or against abortion rights etc).
Your task is to:
- identify an argument you want to see shared;
- determine an audience that you want to target (Who is ready to hear this? Who needs to hear this?);
- design your argument by choosing the genre, language, and other rhetorical strategies that you think would best appeal to that audience.
Your audience should be “everyday” or based in your “local community”: What friends, family, classmates, or community members might you target? Or, what specific cultural, racial, linguistic, political, or gendered group might you instead target?
What language uses will best serve and appeal to them?
Your genre should be “everyday” too. Perhaps something visual/auditory like a meme, GIF, political cartoon, subway poster, billboard ad, commercial, song/lyrics, or Youtube video. If you’d prefer a written genre, consider a short speech, poem, personal letter, series of social media posts, or perhaps a short (1-2-page) blog, op-ed, or online essay where you push the boundaries and expectations of traditional academic writing.
Your rhetorical strategies could be inspired by the strategies you have observed in our course texts (see Part 1), but the main goal is to determine strategies that you feel will most appeal to your specific audience. Language choices and tone should be considered carefully. Experimenting with different languages, Englishes, and registers that fit your audience is highly encouraged.
Part 2: Analyzing Your Own Rhetorical Strategies
You will write a 1.5-2-page analysis of the rhetorical choices you incorporated into the Rhetorical Text you created for Part 2. First, briefly name your argument, intended audience, and the genre you selected, and briefly explain why you chose each of these. Then, name and analyze at least two different rhetorical strategies that you purposely incorporated into your text. No special or essayistic introduction or conclusion needed for this analysis.
Your analysis should, however, follow the “10 on 1” rule of thumb—that is, it is better to make ten observations or points about a single representative issue or example (10 on 1) than to make the same basic point about ten related issues or examples (1 on 10). Thus, provide your audience (me and your classmates) with appropriate description and interpretation to show what connections you see given your rhetorical situation: What was your purpose? How did you attempt to appeal to your intended audience? How was your selection of genre, mode, language, style, and/or other rhetorical strategies a good fit given your rhetorical situation?
“A” Option
If pursuing an “A” in the course, you will create two rhetorical texts for Part 1 and you will complete Part 2 twice (once for each of your two rhetorical texts).
Reflection
Your Rhetorical Analysis Assignment should be preceded by a Reflection when you submit the final version. Refer to the Reflection assignment sheet.
Due Dates
A draft of Part 1 is due for peer review on Monday, 3/13
A draft of Part 2 is due for peer review on Wednesday, 3/15
The final drafts of Parts 2 and 3 (with Reflection) are due on Monday, 3/20 at 11:59pm
Assessment Rubric for the Rhetorical Analysis Assignment
| Assignment Goals and Evaluation Criteria |
| 1. Appeal to an intended audience with the creation of rhetorical texts. How effectively does the rhetorical text tailor its argument, genre, mode, rhetorical strategies, style, and language to meet the expectations of the intended audience? |
| 2. Analyze rhetorical strategies in your own texts. How effective is the analysis of the rhetorical text that you created? How effectively is that analysis supported with explanation tying back to rhetorical terms and the rhetorical situation (i.e., information about the author, text, context/exigence, purpose, and audience)? |
| 3. General Requirements. Were all requirements for length and due date met? |
