Rhetorical Analysis
A Note to Instructors . . .
COMPSS (Composition Open Materials Promoting Student Success) is a collection of free, high-quality course materials—readings, videos, discussion prompts, group activities, and sample assignment guidelines—available to you as you design and lead low- or no-cost courses in any modality (face-to-face, online, or hybrid). Almost everything about COMPSS can be adjusted to fit the goals of your courses. COMPSS materials can be used instead of or in addition to traditional textbooks; like traditional textbooks, COMPSS materials supplement (but do not replace) the lectures, activities, and other content you develop for your course.
This unit contains five sections, and each section includes materials for at least one week of instruction. Because one of the guiding principles behind COMPSS is choice, we have provided an abundance of content for you to sort, adopt, adapt, or reject at your discretion. Some sections include more materials than you might typically choose to assign; we invite you to make use of as many or as few of these materials as you like.
All original materials are licensed CC-BY and can be adopted, remixed, or shared at will as long as the materials are attributed (see items in bold font with the * symbol next to them); some linked materials may have stricter licensing guidelines, although they are all free to use.
One final note: Students who have already completed another COMPSS unit may already be familiar with some of the materials included here.
We hope you and your students will benefit from using these free, high-quality OER!
Section 1: Becoming Familiar with Rhetorical Analysis
Students will . . .
- Begin considering rhetorical appeals: ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos.
- Begin considering audience and purpose.
- Begin practicing rhetorical analysis.
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Readings
- Major Assignment Guidelines: Rhetorical Analysis *
- "De-Coding Assignment Guidelines" *
- "Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Towards Rhetorical Analysis"
- "Rhetorical Analysis in the Real World: A Useful Thinking Tool"
- "Assessing Source Credibility for Crafting a Well-Informed Argument"
- "How to Read Like a Writer"
- "Writing in Global Contexts"
- A collection of essays for students to analyze
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Videos
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Discussion prompts and/or group activities
- Option 1: Practice Close Reading*
- NPR’s This I Believe series includes short narratives based on core beliefs that shape people’s lives.
For this discussion, navigate to the This I Believe website by clicking on this link. Skim several of the essays and choose one from the collection that interests you.
Apply the steps demonstrated by Dr. Brian Artese in his video on close reading (click here to access). Based on your close reading of the “This I Believe” essay of your choice, reflect
on what “close reading” means when it comes to analyzing texts. Consider the following
questions:
- What did you learn or notice that you might have missed if you had not read closely?
- What steps should we take to make sure we are reading closely with intention?
- NPR’s This I Believe series includes short narratives based on core beliefs that shape people’s lives.
For this discussion, navigate to the This I Believe website by clicking on this link. Skim several of the essays and choose one from the collection that interests you.
Apply the steps demonstrated by Dr. Brian Artese in his video on close reading (click here to access). Based on your close reading of the “This I Believe” essay of your choice, reflect
on what “close reading” means when it comes to analyzing texts. Consider the following
questions:
- Option 2: Reflect and Analyze*
- As the old saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20.” We’ve all had moments when we've wished
we had said something or responded to a rhetorical encounter in a certain way. Consider
a rhetorical encounter you’ve had that you wish you had responded to differently.
This could be something that’s happened recently or something from the past. Describe
the situation and answer the following questions from Ryder’s short article, "Rhetorical Analysis in the Real World":
- What do I want to say to whom?
- What parts of my message might be hardest for my audience to hear?
- What are my options about how to say the more difficult parts?
- Which of those options align best with my own values?
- Based on your responses to the questions above, how would you respond to the rhetorical encounter now?
- As the old saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20.” We’ve all had moments when we've wished
we had said something or responded to a rhetorical encounter in a certain way. Consider
a rhetorical encounter you’ve had that you wish you had responded to differently.
This could be something that’s happened recently or something from the past. Describe
the situation and answer the following questions from Ryder’s short article, "Rhetorical Analysis in the Real World":
- Option 1: Practice Close Reading*
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Activities and low-stakes writing assignments
Section 2: Preparing to Write a Rhetorical Analysis
Students will . . .
- Observe and begin to practice close reading.
- Conduct prewriting in preparation for their rhetorical analysis essays.
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Readings
- Texts students will be analyzing
- "Rhetorical Analysis" *
- "Argument Analysis"
- "Reading Like a Professional"
- "Reading Games: Strategies for Reading Scholarly Sources"
- "Punctuation’s Rhetorical Effects"
- "Understanding Visual Rhetoric"
- "Beyond Black on White: Document Design and Formatting in the Writing Classroom"
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Videos
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Discussion prompt and/or group activity
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Activities and low-stakes writing assignments
Section 3: Drafting the Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Students will . . .
- Craft thesis statements.
- Begin drafting their rhetorical analysis essays.
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Readings
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Videos
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Discussion prompts and/or group activities
- In 6-8 thoughtful sentences (total), address all of the following questions: *
- What do you find most interesting or surprising about what we have learned so far?
- What are you most interested in learning more about?
- What questions or concerns do you have at this point?
- In 6-8 thoughtful sentences (total), address all of the following questions: *
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Activities and low-stakes writing assignments
- Activity based on DMHO website *
- Rhetorical Analysis Activity: Re-Cut Movie Trailers
- Source Integration Activity *
- Begin or continue composing the rhetorical analysis essay—a complete first draft will be due in the next section for peer review.
Section 4: Engaging in Peer Review and Revising the Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Students will . . .
- Learn about logical fallacies.
- Submit complete first drafts of their rhetorical analysis essays.
- Engage in peer Review.
- Revise their rhetorical analysis essays.
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Readings
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Videos
- "No One Writes Alone: Peer Review in the Classroom, A Guide for Students"
- Activity: Peer review—see discussion prompt below.
- "Five Fallacies"
- "Counterclaims"
- "No One Writes Alone: Peer Review in the Classroom, A Guide for Students"
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Discussion prompts and/or group activities
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Activities and low-stakes writing assignments
- Logical Fallacy Activity *
- Reverse Outlining + Revision *
- Peer review of rhetorical analysis essay—see discussion prompt above.
Section 5: Finalizing the Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Students will . . .
- Reflect on their peer review and revision processes.
- Edit and proofread their rhetorical analysis essay drafts.
- Submit the final drafts of their rhetorical analysis essays.
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Readings
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Video
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Discussion prompts and/or group activities
- Discussion of peer review and subsequent revision experience *
- Initial post: Consider your experience conducting peer review. In 5-7 thoughtful sentences,
consider some or all of the following:
- What specific element(s) did your peer reviewer help you improve in your draft?
- What specific element(s) were you able to identify and highlight in your peer’s writing to help them improve, and how successful do you think you were in helping them improve?
- In what way(s) did reviewing and providing structured feedback on your peer’s writing help you look at your own writing with fresh or wizened eyes?
- What do you now understand or appreciate about the process, benefits, or challenges of peer review that you will carry with you as you tackle future writing assignments?
- Response: Respond to the person you partnered with for peer review.
- Initial post: Consider your experience conducting peer review. In 5-7 thoughtful sentences,
consider some or all of the following:
- Discussion of peer review and subsequent revision experience *
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Activities and low-stakes writing assignments
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Major Assignment
These materials were compiled by the COMPSS team. All materials created by the COMPSS team (see items in bold with the * symbol next to them) are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License and are free to use: they can be adopted, remixed, and shared at will as long as the materials are attributed. Some linked materials may have stricter licensing guidelines, although they are all free to use.