Eng 102H Rhetorical Analysis of a Text Assignment Sheet
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This document outlines an assignment for an English 102 college writing and rhetoric course. Students will write a 3-5 page rhetorical analysis of the essay "The War on Public Schools" by Erika Christakis. The analysis will include a thesis about the most important rhetorical strategy used, a summary of the key aspects of the text, an explanation of how the strategies fulfill the purpose supported by examples, and a concluding comment on the significance of the article or analysis. Students will be graded on their thesis, organization, summary, rhetorical analysis, and writing correctness.
Eng 102H Rhetorical Analysis of a Text Assignment Sheet
- 1. English 102H College Writing and Rhetoric Rhetorical Analysis of an Text Purpose To develop and practice the skills necessary for synthesizing arguments, this assignment focuses on reading, summarizing, and analyzing an argument in a single text. Description This unit is about how messages persuade. The assignment is based on Ch. 3: Summarizing and Responding (specifically, on how a text is written) and Ch. 11: Analyzing Texts. We will be reading a long-form, non-fiction essay, “The War on Public Schools” by Erika Christakis, critically and rhetorically, to identify what it is arguing and how it is making its argument. You will compose a 3- to 5-page rhetorical analysis to include the following elements: a. Thesis – make a claim about which rhetorical strategy (or strategies) is the most important for achieving the purpose of the text. b. Summary – briefly summarize the significant aspects of the text c. Support – using material from the Analytical Circle assignment, describe what the text does, explain how what it does attempts to fulfill its purpose, and explain how that supports your thesis. d. Conclusion – comment on why this article, its argument, or your rhetorical analysis of it matters. e. MLA citation style and Works Cited page Grading Rubric Criteria Not Yet Moving Toward Expectations Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations Thesis Lacks a stated, overarching point or includes multiple points; not all parts of the text relate to or support the main point. There is a single claim but it may be general, vague or obvious; may list rhetorical strategies without making an argument about them; not all elements of the essay relate explicitly to the main claim. There is a single, thoughtful, interesting main claim about how the article uses rhetoric; the main claim is developed consistently throughout the body of the essay. There is a highly sophisticated main claim about how the article uses rhetoric to meet its purpose beyond the expectations of a college writer. Organization Order of paragraphs/ points seems random; points stand alone lacking transitions to connect them. Order of paragraphs/points is acceptable; some points may lack transitions or use weak transitions Paragraphs/ points demonstrate an effective organization pattern (most Thoughtful order with especially elegant transitions.
- 2. English 102H College Writing and Rhetoric (such as first, next, etc). important to least, general to specific, etc) to support the argument; explicit transitions make the relationships between points clear. Summary Lacks summary; does not accurately identify main point; includes supporting information; includes essay- writer's opinion. Identifies main point but is vague or general; includes most of the main points; objective tone. Accurately identifies main points in detail; includes only main points; objective tone. Demonstrates nuanced understanding of main point. Rhetorical Analysis Does not include adequate examples of rhetorical strategies; lacks analysis of how the examples support the article's purpose as stated in the essay’s thesis. Some examples of rhetorical strategies but may lack specific details; an attempt at analysis that may be superficial or obvious or may not connect to article's purpose or essay's thesis; some strategies may be analyzed more completely than others; the amount of analysis is significantly less than the rhetorical example. Adequate examples of rhetorical strategies; thoughtful, in- depth analysis of how each strategy supports the article's purpose and the essay's thesis; approximate balance between the rhetorical example and analysis. Particularly effective presentation of rhetorical examples; analysis of how they support the article's purpose and essay's thesis beyond the expectations of college writing. Correctness Multiple surface- level errors that undermine reader comprehension and/or author ethos; unclear wording/syntax. Some surface-level errors that do not impair reader comprehension; typo-type errors that demonstrate inadequate attention to proof-reading; repetitive sentence length. Mostly free from surface-level error (only one or two obvious errors at the most); varied sentence length. Completely free of error; sophisticated, varied sentence construction; engaging voice and personal style.