Rhetorical Analysis For this assignment, you will draft an essay that analyzes and evaluates two news articles that discuss the same topic from two different perspectives. For instance, think of a current issue and find an article that focuses on the pros of this issue and one that focuses on the cons of this issue. Then, you will compose a short essay that examines the rhetorical context (author, audience, topic, purpose) as well as the strategies used to convey its message (diction, tone, evidence, source reliability, and/or images). Since you are comparing two arguments, your ultimate task is to argue which piece most effectively reaches the audience. Please note: your task isn’t to argue which side YOU agree with; your task is to examine the effectiveness of each argument based upon HOW it was written to an audience. Also, your task is not to summarize the articles, but to analyze them. Assignment Guidelines 1. Your essay must follow a formal essay structure, to include an intro with a detailed thesis, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. a. An introduction should open by engaging the reader with the topic. Then, you should formally introduce the authors and titles of your articles. Your introduction should end with a thesis that sets up the focus for your paper and outlines your main points. b. Your thesis statement should clearly state which piece was most effective and which strategies you focus on in the paper to arrive at that conclusion. c. Each body paragraph should follow the MEAL plan (see handout in Content Resource) and should include specific examples (quotes or detailed references) from each of the articles to highlight your points. d. Finally, your conclusion paragraph should summarize your main points and explain the overall significance or discuss the greater implications in terms of audience and purpose. 2. Your essay must be two pages in MLA format with an additional Works Cited page to document your two sources. Within your paper, you should smoothly and ethically integrate your quotes with proper in-text citations. These citations must correspond to the Works Cited page. For example, if the citation on the Works Cited starts with the author’s last name Jones, then your in-text citation should look something like this: (Jones par. 12). 500-700words.
