Immigration

RWS 100 Project 3 Prompt: Analyzing Rhetorical Appeals and Evaluating the Persuasiveness of the Argument

For this paper you will write a formal academic essay of approximately 4 pages, not including the Works Cited page. Choose ONE essay to analyze—Jacoby. The Jacoby essay starts at the bottom of page 418. In your essay, you will identify the rhetorical strategies used to support the argument and analyze how those strategies contribute to the author’s appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. Your paper will evaluate the extent to which those appeals—ethos, pathos, logos—persuade the intended audience and discuss how those strategies are based on key assumptions the author makes about that audience.

Evaluation Criteria: Successful papers will

Signal the topic, and give some indication of how the paper will proceed;

Describe the author’s project, providing a brief account of the argument;

Identify the main rhetorical strategies such as tone, appeals, use of evidence, assumptions, word choice, refutation, and indicate any logical fallacies;

Evaluate the extent to which the appeals persuade the intended audience and discuss how those strategies are based on key assumptions the author makes about that audience.

Address an academic audience unfamiliar with the text;

Use an effective structure that carefully guides the reader from one idea to the next. Pay particular attention to body paragraphs, making sure they focus on a central idea, and use transitions between your paragraphs (and ideas);

Be thoroughly edited so that sentences are readable and appropriate for an academic paper, including meticulous attention to grammar as well as MLA formatting and citation;

Make sure that quotations and references from the texts are properly integrated and accounted for, and use correct MLA format.

Part 1, Introduction

Introduce the topic of your paper.

Briefly introduce the author’s project and argument.

State your claim—how well do the author’s rhetorical strategies and use of appeals persuade the intended audience? Do NOT simply write an announcement.

Part 2, Body

Identify and explain the author’s main claims.

Critically discuss the author’s rhetorical strategies—emphasizing appeals (logos, pathos, ethos)—assumptions, and evidence used to support the claims.

Evaluate to what extent the rhetorical strategies you have identified would persuade the intended audience.

Use appropriate details and quotations from the author to support your analysis, and comment on HOW these quotes support your analysis. (Another way of saying, make sure your quotes are in quotation sandwiches).

Part 3, Conclusion:

Comment on how this argument has affected you as an individual and how it might affect other readers.

Comment on the significance of the argument—why is it important to those making immigration policy?

ASSUMPTIONS TO CONSIDER:

Assumptions the author makes about the audience’s beliefs and values.

Unstated values, beliefs, and premises that are necessary for the author’s claims to be valid.

Gaps in an argument that may indicate an assumption the author is using.

Assumptions embedded in definitions and key terms.

Look for assumptions embedded in the rhetorical frames the author constructs, ie style, word choice, metaphor, analogy, syntax etc.