Rhetorical Analysis

ENG 1009: Rhetorical Analysis
This assignment will require you to assess the rhetorical effectiveness of a “text” that concerns any issue related to the coronavirus pandemic that we are all in the middle of right now. This source should be found in the Internet, and may be a news story/update, but it will be easier to work with a persuasive piece: commentary, editorial, or opinion writing are probably the best genres to consider. The source can concern any part of the epidemic, from a discussion of the virus itself, preventative measures, toilet paper shortages, shelter-in-place issues, or even social media posts (that have enough written or video content to generate a full essay response). Written articles, blog posts, podcasts, videos, social media posts (longer than Tweets, of course) are all possibilities you can consider. Your analysis will be based on your analysis of the rhetorical appeals used and whether or not that effectiveness is persuasive in nature. You will demonstrate your understanding of the Aristotelian principles of Ethos, Logos and Pathos, as well as your knowledge of Rhetorical Situations. as you apply these rhetorical appeals in your analysis.

Find a visual text you want to analyze
Take some time to select a text you want to work with. (Again, if you choose something that is persuasive, your analytical task will be very straightforward.) Pick a text that you find interesting. It can be print or nonprint but will most likely be nonprint (Internet-based), because of our shelter-in-place/lockdown environment now. With your final draft, please provide a URL where I can access the source. (Text selection is very important: since you must analyze all the factors described below, please make sure the text you choose to work with lets you do that. If there is absolutely no indication that the author has used logos, for example, you will either have to explain why you think the author made that choice or choose another text to work with.)

Length and Format
The essay’s length must be between 3-5 pages (with a word count of at least 1050; please include the word count in the heading of your final draft). However, if the need arises (through the revision process) you will be allowed to extend the paper. I expect the first draft (for our online workshop next week) to be at least 2 full pages, double spaced.

Evaluation
I am looking for an in depth rhetorical analysis of the “text” in which you demonstrate your understanding of the Aristotelian principles of Ethos (credibility), Logos (reason), and Pathos (emotion) in relation to what makes the visual text effective; you should also include a discussion of the exigence, audience and constraints (in other words, the Rhetorical Situation) attached to the visual text you have chosen (keep in mind that a shelter-in-place environment is itself a constraint, but you’ll have to explain specifically how that affects the text you are analyzing). If you need any of these terms refreshed, please check our early readings from the textbook, in which they are all explained in detail. The text you analyze should be introduced through detailed descriptive work, and the issue it concerns should be discussed as well. (This might involve some research, but that is not required.) Finally, your own reaction to the text (perhaps along with suggestions as to how it might improve its effectiveness, clarity, or overall quality, in your view) should be included as a concluding paragraph. Please construct your essay in a way that each of these issues is clearly and coherently discussed.
Consider this format, allowing one paragraph for each requirement:
*Introduction to text/issue it concerns (this should not be more than ½ page long, as the analysis is the most important part of the essay)
*Discussion of the text’s ethos
*Discussion of the text’s pathos
*Discussion of the text’s logos
*Discussion of the text’s Rhetorical Situation
*Your own response/suggestions (conclusion -this also should not exceed ½ page)
(Grading for this essay will focus on how each of the issues above is discussed, so please don’t leave any of them out. Please remember, too, that every element of this analysis needs to be explained from details borrowed from the text itself. To work with the text’s ethos, for example, by claiming that a text has “good ethos” is not enough on its own. This claim has to be backed up with details.)