As you grow your rhetorical skills, one of the best things you can do is dig into another piece of writing and explore the piece rhetorically. In a rhetorical analysis, you focus on the rhetorical decisions the author is making in order to be effective as a writer. Instead of responding to the content of the essay, a rhetorical analysis asks you to explore the writing choices themselves. Ultimately, an exploration of another author’s decisions as a writer will help make you a stronger reader and writer.

Instructions

For this assignment, you are required to complete a rhetorical analysis of one of the following texts. You should choose just one of these for your rhetorical analysis.

Barker, D., & Pollen, M. (2015, December 15). A secret weapon to fight climate change: Dirt. (Links to an external site.) The Washington Post. https://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/a-secret-weapon-to-fight-climate-change-dirt/

Davidow, B. (2012, July 18). Exploiting the Neuroscience of Internet Addiction. (Links to an external site.) The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/07/exploiting-the-neuroscience-of-internet-addiction/259820/

LaFrance, A. (2019, February 12). The New Measles. (Links to an external site.) The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/01/the-new-measles/384738/

Once you make your decision, you will write a short essay of 800 to 1000 words.

What is the context for the argument being presented?

Who is the target audience? How do you know? How does the author appeal to that audience?

What is the author’s tone of voice in the essay? It is effective? How do you know?

How does the author appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text.