WRT 120 Rhetorical Analysis Assignment
Page Requirements: 3-4 pages (typed, double spaced text)
Grade: 20 points
Purpose: To analyze the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” and its impact on the contemporaneous audience and current one. These are important skills for academic success because they demonstrate that 1) you understand what you read and 2)that you know how writers make deliberate rhetorical choices to reach their audience/s.
Procedure:
• Read and annotate the “Letter,” highlighting main points and rhetorical strategies (use of examples, credible sources, supporting evidence for assertions, arrangement of main points, etc.)
The essay will analyze the “Letter” based on the questions below. However, the essay should not read like a list of answers to questions. Use the questions as a guide only. The main point of the essay will be the extent to which you agree or disagree with the author’s main points and why. Put the argument into historical context.
• What is the author’s purpose?
• Why is the issue important?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Note the language of the address.
• What are the connotations of the language?
• What do the language choices convey about the author’s image of the country?
• What is the author’s tone? How do you know?
• How does the author use logos, ethos, and pathos?
• What assumptions does the author imply about his audience/culture?
• Was any part of the “Letter” obscure to you?
• Overall, what is your impression of the “Letter’s” rhetorical effectiveness?
• What does the address convey about the time in which it was written?
Assessment:
1. Contains a thesis statement that captures the reader’s attention, contains persuasive logic, previews the essay and provides a framework for the essay or paper.
2. Each paragraph supports the logic/argument of the thesis statement.
3. Plentiful and specific details are used to support the thesis statement: examples, statistics, anecdotes, etc. Information is correct
4. Demonstrates unity and coherence: transitions are used between paragraphs and between ideas in the same paragraph.
5. Conclusion is correctly drawn from the body of the paper and is not simply repetitive.
6. Language is concise and clear; word choice is appropriate. Writer’s voice is distinct and well-expressed.
7. Writing is grammatically correct and free of typos
8. APA or MLA formatting is correct.