Topic Sentence May Look Rhetorical Analysis
For this assignment, refer back to what you learned last week about rhetorical strategies and reread The Coddling of the American Mind. Then:
- Choose two strategies you learned about that you see examples of in the article
- Develop one full (5-8 sentences minimum) paragraph for each strategy, analyzing the authors’ use of that strategy.
- Start each paragraph by making a claim about whether or not the authors use this particular strategy effectively or not.
- For example, a topic sentence may look like this: “In the article, the authors establish strong logos.” OR “In the article, the authors fail to establish effective logos.”
- Then, spent the rest of the paragraph proving your claim correct.
- Select examples (a min of two quotes) from the text where the authors use this strategy.
- Explain why that example is an effective or ineffective use of the strategy.
To help you with this, here is a sample paragraph:
Additionally, the writers’ use pathos to appeal to the reader and
convince their audience of school administrators. The usage of pathos is found in the authors’
diction, choosing words that have heavier emotional impacts than their
synonyms. For example, they claim, “It would also tone down the perpetual state of
outrage that seems to engulf some colleges these days, allowing students’
minds to open more widely to new ideas and new people.” The authors’
choice of the words tone, outrage, and engulf all add to the emotions of the
reader and how the situation is viewed. This is an effective appeal because
now the reader is looking at the topic with a much more emotional
investment. Words like these lead the reader to feel outraged him or herself, and feeling that encourages the reader to take the authors’ side and act on the issue. Now the reader is considering the “outrage” and how it is
affecting the academic climate as they become more emotionally invested and therefore more caring.