Thursday, March 23: Rhetorical Analysis (Draft 1.1)

Hello all,

First off, here's a link to today's lesson: Lesson 9.

I hope that the workshopping we did in class today gave you some good ideas/directions for any major changes you'll make to your draft before it's due on Tuesday. Keep in mind, this paper should be fully formed when you turn it in--you are not just submitting a fleshed-out outline or a really "rough" draft. You should have a thorough introduction, body paragraphs with sufficient analysis, a conclusion, and a works cited page at the end of your document.

Also, please note that when you submit the draft on RaiderWriter, you should: copy and paste the text into the text box AND attach the actual Microsoft Word document. If you have any technical difficulties, remember to email me a copy of the draft before the due date so I at least have it on file.

DRAFT 1.1--From RAIDERWRITER:

• After selecting your text and critically reading it, you will determine the writer’s purpose and intended audience for the text.
• Once you have determined these elements, you will begin to analyze the text so as to determine the specific strategies (rhetorical choices) the writer uses to achieve his or her purpose and to meet the needs of the audience. 
• For example, you might choose to look at such elements as the types of evidence a writer puts forward and how he or she does so. Ask yourself if the writer uses evidence from sources, or if he or she tells stories from personal experience. 
• Examine the sentence structures and word choice. How do these contribute to the author’s purpose? 
• Evaluate the overall tone of the text, and determine how it does or does not contribute to the way in which it communicates to its audience. 
• After you determine what these strategies or rhetorical choices are, consider how well these strategies (rhetorical choices) actually work. 
• As a result of this assignment, you should be able to take these skills and transfer them to any reading you are asked to do in college, and you should see an improvement in your ability to read and comprehend any text.

Although this is an initial draft, it should be carefully edited and written in a professional tone. Please use MLA format for both your in-text citations and your works cited in this draft.
Your draft should be 1200 words in length.  

Homework

• Reading: 
• St. Martin's Handbook: Chapter 4a, 4c-e, "Rereading Your Draft," "Getting the Most from Peer Reviewers' Comments," "Learning from Instructor Comments," "Revising with Peer and Instructor Comments"; Chapters 27, 28, 30, "Writing to the World," "Language that Builds Common Ground," "Word Choice" (pp. 27-28, 30, 64-66, 76-79, 354-359, 360-366, 374-385) 
• First-Year Writing: Chapter 6 (pp. 121-125)
• Draft 1.1 due Tuesday
• (Optional) Open Tutoring Session on Monday (3/27) from 5-7pm. ENGL/PHIL 352 or 353.