the governor’s good call on healthcare
ENGL 1020 Essay #1: Rhetorical Analysis
Length: 800 words, minimum (not counting the Works Cited list); 1,000 words max
Format: MLA Format (see p. 514); Save in a file type supported by Turnitin (.doc; .docx; .pdf)
Research Required: 2 items– the article being analyzed and one other research source about the text
Due Dates: 1/26: Topic Proposal (SW #1, 10pts)
2/4: Full-Length Draft (DF #4, 10 pts)
2/9: Peer Collaboration (DF #4 Reply, 10 pts)
2/11: Final Draft (“Turn in Essay 1” link, 100 pts)
Topic:
Write a thesis-driven rhetorical analysis of an op-ed, editorial, or opinion-based article published within the last year.
Your essay should identify important, interesting, or problematic rhetorical choices in the article and evaluate these
choices, considering the article’s intended audience and rhetorical context.
See Chapter 6 in Everything’s an Argument and the class notes for more information: the definition of rhetorical
analysis, examples of how to analyze each element of an argument and arguments as a whole, a guide to writing
a rhetorical analysis — step by step.
What Your Essay Should Not Be:
• Your essay should not present your personal opinions on the topic raised in the article. Instead, it should focus
on the writer’s use of rhetorical techniques.
• Your essay should display college-level writing in its use of academic tone, critical thinking, revising, and
proofreading.
Essay Structure:
Your introductory paragraph should be short and focused, so that the bulk of your essay is your analysis. Provide
the article’s title and author. Quickly explain any relevant context or background information your reader needs
to know about the article’s topic. Include a thesis with a clearly defined claim about the rhetoric of the essay’s
argument by indicating the major points that you will include.
In the next paragraph, provide a brief (one paragraph) summary of the author’s argument.
Present your rhetorical analysis in the following body paragraphs. Stick to the focus you established in your
thesis statement. Each paragraph should contain one point that illustrates the essay’s overall thesis. These
points will be the rhetorical devices you have identified, relevant examples from the article to provide evidence,
and your analysis of its function in the text.
In the conclusion, wrap up your analysis and maintain the same focus, but try to do more than just repeat your
claims. Give your reader something to think about by considering the broader implications of your analysis.
Evidence and Research Required:
The essay should provide evidence in the form of textual quotes and paraphrases, but this should not overwhelm your
claims. At least one additional source is required to provide information about the text and/or its writer.
MLA Works Cited and In-Text Citations:
OWL at Purdue Website: MLA Works Cited of Electronic Sources provides sample citations of online articles to list after
your essay. The citations required within the essay body are explained here OWL at Purdue: MLA In-Text Citations or on
p. 494-515 of our book.
Plagiarism: Write your own analysis in your own words and only use research for reference. Always name the author of
a source where you use it in the essay. Use quotation marks whenever you quote a source directly. You are responsible
for avoiding plagiarism and correcting citation problems before you submit your work. Your essay will be submitted to
Turnitin.
please use this link as your source for annotation
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/our_views/article_a3bfc52e-55b6-11eb-bc48-d3906fd301ec.html
