Each analysis of each of your four sources should:
1. Identify the source. Start with a description of the source, including what genre it is and kind(s) of media it is, its title (if it has one), the title of the larger source it may be contained within, and any other identifying physical features you can describe in 1-3 sentences. (These are the formal constraints)
2. Next, explain the purpose/argument/message. Refer to either its purpose, it’s argument, or it’s message, depending on what kind of source it is and how you prefer to explain it.
3. & 4. Explain the speaker and audience, in any order:
Who/what is the speaker/rhetor/source/writer(s)/organization/or
producer, and How and Why is that significant? How does the
originator of the source affect the message? What is the credibility
of the source (its ethos).
How can you tell what audience the source is directed to? What are
the signs and cues? Describe the audience. Do not simply say that
the audience is “everybody.” You must be more specific in your
description of the audience.
5. etc. To the extent and in the order your please, consider the following:
—What rhetorical appeals does the source make? Logical and rational (logos)?
Trustworthiness, reputation, and credibility (ethos)? Emotional? (pathos)?
—Occasion/rhetorical situation
—Tone
—Style
—Exigence
—Social constraints (religious, political, historical factors that help shape the source and limit what it can do, say, and present).
Introduction = ~ 3 sentences.
Introduce your research topic, research question, and what the reader should expect in your report: a rhetorical analysis of four sources in a variety of genres that help answer your research question. That’s it.
Conclusion = ~ 3 sentences. Summarize what the reader has just read. You do not need to state your thesis or argument. It’s okay if your do, but really, this is not a research paper or traditional college essay, as you know from having read and gone over the assignment several times and participated in classes and peer workshops.
PRINT AND STAPLE YOUR PAPER TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR IT.
