In your analysis, you should identify and describe the rhetorical situation (genre, audience, purpose, stance, and context). Specifically, you should pay attention to:
the speakers primary argument
secondary claims that support or extend the primary argument
types of evidence that the speaker uses to justify his or her claims
assumptions that the speaker makes about the topic or expects the audience to make about the topic
the organizational, mechanical, and rhetorical delivery of the argument and evidence.
Because you are analyzing a video recording of the speech, in addition to a transcript of the text, you should also consider the speakers tone, gestures, and use of visuals. Note that a successful rhetorical analysis does not offer an independent analysis or argument about the subject matter of a text; instead, it answers the following questions:
What rhetorical strategies does an author/ a text use to persuade its audience?
Why?
To what effect?
Criteria:
This essay should demonstrate your ability to:
Analyze a text in the context of its rhetorical situation
Write a thesis-driven paper, supported by evidence
Exhibit development through the writing process (drafts, peer review workshops, conference)
Create clear, well-edited writing that is largely free of proofreading errors and errors of grammar, mechanics, and syntax
