The Rhetorical Analysis
Housekeeping:
Agenda:
- Review instructions for Project Two
- Practice rhetorical analysis of short works (in preparation for longer works)
Project Two
Instructions for, and examples of Project Two
Since the start of this class, we have already been doing rhetorical analyses of written texts, on both of the two levels of analysisoutlined in Good Reasons:
- Analyzing rhetorical features focuses on the work in the abstract - the internal features, strategies and conventions of the piece, such as its use of aesthetic appeals, it's core thesis/arguments, and use of evidence and support.
- Analyzing the rhetorical context of a written work requires investigating factors of time, place, and audience of the piece and how those vectors impact its strategy and reception: what particular situation or conversation is the piece mean to respond to? what were the contexts of its publication?
The intro paragraph of the sample rhetorical analysis in Good Reasons - "An Argument of Reason and Passion: Barbara Jordan's 'Statement of the Articles of Impeachment'" - provides a solid example of the role context and content can be combined in starting off an assignment like Project Two:
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On March 9, 1974, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee began an impeachment hearing against President Richard Nixon for his role in the cover-up of the Watergate scandal. On July 25, 1974, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan stood before this committee and delivered an 11-minute speech known as "Statement on the Articles of Impeachment." The argument of this speech is that the president should be impeached because his actions threaten both the Constitution and the people of the United States. Jordan states, "It is reason, and not passion, which must guide our deliberation, guide our debate, and guide our decision." Subsequently, she uses a strong logical argument that she supports with appeals to both her credibility and the audience's feelings of patriotism for the Constitution.
The context of Jordan's speech is important for three reasons. ... (Good Reasons 84)
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The student example of Project Two on The Communist Manifesto devotes its first paragraph to contextual analysis:
| For the last century, the greatest threat to the modern world was the Cold War; the threat of global nuclear destruction was a real possibility for over four decades and billions of lives were at risk due to the differing political philosophies of two superpowers. The United States government portrayed the communist ideology of the Soviet Union as a great evil and even today, communism has an undesirable connotation in America. However, very few Americans understand the basic principles of communism. The Communist Manifesto was written in 1848 by two social thinkers, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, in a call for action against the system of economy employed by a majority of Western nations. |
And its second continues contextual analysis before segueing into features analysis and the thesis of the rhetorical analysis as a whole:
| The 19th century witnessed the birth of the Industrial Revolution. The economic shift from small-scale production to production on a large-scale changed the lives of millions of people worldwide as well as altering history forever. The economic theory of capitalism governed this economic shift; the elite upper class, or the bourgeoisie as Karl Marx and Frederick Engels referred to it, controlled the means of production – the factories, the industrial equipment, and the capital, or money, needed to run the factories. Meanwhile, the massive working class, or the proletariat, would work in poor conditions for low wages. The authors argue that capitalism merely concentrates wealth into the hands of the few, and in doing so, power as well – “Capitalism has agglomerated population, centralized the means of production, and has concentrated property in a few hands. The necessary consequence of this was political centralization.” The proletariat is forever confined to remain in poverty – “No sooner is the exploitation of the laborer by the manufacturer, so far at an end, that he receives his wages in cash, than he is set upon by the other portion of the bourgeoisie, the landlord, the shopkeeper, the pawnbroker, etc.” Therefore, The Communist Manifesto argues that capitalism will ultimately fail due to a revolution by the proletariat. Karl Marx and Frederick Engels effectively employ the art of rhetoric in outlining the goals and theory of communism as well as convincing the reader to take a specific course of action: revolution against capitalist society. |
You took up both of these challenges - features and context analysis - in executing Project One; you identified the appeal of particular advertisements through analyzing its internal features and the particular audience(s) it was designed to win over. In Project Two we'll be handling these factors a bit more explicitly and in reference to written that are in one way more complicated (longer and with more diverse goals than selling a discrete product) and in another more simple (the argument of the written work you choose is likely more straightforward and explicit than the advertisements you have studied).
Thesis statements for Project Two
Thesis statements for rhetorical analyses are a bit tricky. The central argument of the piece you are analyzing is its thesis. Your thesis,however, will be an argument about how that that thesis is made and supported.
The "skeletal structure" for the thesis will likely be some variation on the following:
A = Author(s)
W = Work being analyzed
T = Thesis of that work
X, Y, Z, Q (etc.) = particular strategies used in making/supporting T
In W, A argues T through X, Y, Z.
For instance, the thesis of the example from Good Reasons:
| Subsequently, she uses a strong logical argument that she supports with appeals to both her credibility and the audience's feelings of patriotism for the Constitution. |
Has this skeleton:
| Subsequently, A uses a X that A supports with appeals to both Y and Z. |
The thesis for Project Two example on Nickel and Dimed:
| In this book, Ehrenreich cleverly utilizes statistics and her own personal experiences as well as the experiences of others, in order to bring to light the harsh reality facing those Americans who are shockingly close to poverty and debt despite their daily hard work. |
Has this skeleton:
| In W, A uses X, Y, and Z to T. |
The one on Fast Food Nation:
| Through his appeals to audience, pathos, concern, and statistics, Schlosser makes a compelling argument similar to that of a modern day The Jungle (by Upton Sinclair), by taking a good look at the fast food industry and analyzing what the implications and consequences really are when we buy a happy meal. |
Has this skeleton:
| Through his appeals to X, Y, Z, and Q, A makes a compelling argument similar to that of a modern day The Jungle (by Upton Sinclair), by taking a good look at the fast food industry and T. |
And, finally, the example on The Communist Manifesto has this thesis:
| Karl Marx and Frederick Engels effectively employ the art of rhetoric in outlining the goals and theory of communism as well as convincing the reader to take a specific course of action: revolution against capitalist society. |
And this skeleton:
A1 and A2 effectively employ X in outlining T1 as well as T2.
In Class Rhetorical Workout
Before calling it a day, let's put the skeletal structure to work by generating rhetorical analysis thesis statements for "Don't Blame the Eater" and "The Empire of Images."
Assignments
The following teams (formed today) will be used both for today's in-class exercise and for our work on Fame Junkies. For today, get in your groups and come up with thesis statement for both a rhetorical analysis of "Don't Blame the Eater" and "The Empire of Images" (i.e., two thesis statements - one per essay). Your thesis should be a complete sentence and utilize the skeletal structure covered above.
For our next class, read the introduction - "Hooked on Fame" - to Fame Junkies and the chapter your team has been assigned.
Gloss your text (write in your text and take notes using READING strategies from Good Reasons and They Say/I Say) -- and keep the following basic reading strategies in mind
Assignments:
Team 1 - Chapter 1 ("Going to Fame School")
Team 2 - Chapter 2 ("Mobs of Fame-Starved Children")
Team 3 - Chapter 5 ("The Desire to Belong")
Team 4 - Chapter 7 ("Monkeys, Us Weekly, and the Power of Social Information)
Comments (3)
Paul Elden said
at 1:02 pm on Sep 27, 2011
Team 2 on "Don't Blame the Eater"
In the article “Don’t Blame The Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that fast food chains are responsible for many health problems in today’s youth due to lack of general health information, poor product labeling, and high availability through logic built on personal experience, statistics, and well known health facts.
Hannah Livernois said
at 1:07 pm on Sep 27, 2011
Team 4 has changed their name to Team Inglorious Bastards and shall be known as such.
In the Empire of Images, Susan Bordo suggests that our culture has adapted the idea women and girls should be perfect to satisfy the empire through the use of personal experiences and cultural analysis.
In “Don’t Blame the Eater”, David Zinczenko argues that fast food companies are responsible for children obesity through the use of personal experience and statistics.
Colton Michael Dale said
at 1:07 pm on Sep 27, 2011
Team 2
"Don't Blame The Eater" Thesis -
In the article “Don’t Blame The Eater,” David Zinczenko argues that fast food chains are responsible for many health problems in today’s youth due to lack of general health information, poor product labeling, and high availability through logic built on personal experience, statistics, and well known health facts.
"Empire Of Images" Thesis -
In this article, “Empire Of Images”, Susan Bordo argues against the rising power of media as a whole, and how media itself has a negative impact on today’s society by creating the notion that people need to abide by certain rules and ideas to be widely accepted as beautiful. She does this by giving examples, using her own personal experiences, statistics, and the well known ideas that society has pressured upon us such as media enforcing general age and gender stereotypes.
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