Read the Rhetorical Analysis Essay Assignment again. Then begin drafting your Rhetorical Analysis Essay by writing the short introduction (one full page paragraph) which should set the stage for your analysis. Your essay introduction should do the following:
Describe the rhetorical situation for the argument (author, title of essay or speech, context, intended audience, and original place and date of publication) before examining the text.
Briefly summarize key points to set the context for your analysis.
Include a thesis statement about why the argument is effective and its limits as well.
Academic papers start with a specific reference to the analysis example and the specific focus. Do not write general information, an overview, or summary of a topic. Focus on your specific example by author and title in the opening sentences or your paragraph.
The draft introduction should focus on the points you specifically plan to analyze (appeals, style, etc.). Your introduction does not need to be more than a page, and should not exceed a page and a half. Generally speaking, your thesis claim will be part of your introduction, launching readers into your analysis. Do not try and make a general overview of the problem or attitudes. Keep in mind your audience is college-level, and already knows information on the subjects. Focus early, specifically, and directly on the author’s issue and the analytical points.
One point you should pay specific attention to is voice. Use an objective voice rather than first person. You want your analysis to reflect your understanding of evidence, examples, and specific language, not your opinion of the argument or author. The focus is the subject, the argument, and the author’s credibility, and not the audience’s response, or how “society” sees the issue. Focus on the actual language of the example (the rhetoric). “This author shows.,” “The argument makes clear…, “The language in this example reflects an understand of…”
An example then: instead of “I think the author’s argument is effective…,” simply state the fact: “Aph Ko’s use of five key points is crucial to her argument’s effectiveness because it demonstrates…” As we have already been doing with our writing, avoid references to first and second person. Do not ask questions of your readers.
In your Introduction, think about the Thesis Claim that you will make as guiding premise for the Rhetorical Analysis paper. Keep in mind that a good analysis looks at both the effective points and the limits in an argument. You do not want to simple complain about the work or attack it. Work to make it clear.
Likewise, do not simply praise the essay or video; all arguments have limits. A thesis can change as you develop the points of your essay. Always come back to the thesis claim after drafting your work, and test it against what you have written about the example. You want the claim to make clear the identify of the example, and its specific context.
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