AP Language and composition

1. AP Language and composition Rhetorical Analysis Multi-Draft Essay

2. Rhetorical Analysis • The second major multi-draft essay for this course is a rhetorical analysis of an essay of your choice.

3. Getting Started • Select an essay to analyze. This is entirely your choice and there are literally millions of essays that you could choose. However’ I will offer a few suggestions… • READ IT before you officially choose your essay! You’re going to spend some time and effort analyzing this thing; choosing it before reading it is like agreeing to go to a college that you’ve never visited and don’t know anything about! • Consider length, but don’t choose only on length. Too often students choose an essay that is too short. Also think about how long might be too long. If your essay is extremely long, it will limit the scope of your analysis. • Look for essays on a variety of topics from a variety of writers. However, if we have read a writer whom you really enjoyed this quarter, consider finding other essays written by that person. • Keep an open mind when looking—it is best not to assume based on your reading of 2 sentences.

4. Getting Started… • READ YOUR ESSAY • THEN READ IT AGAIN • THEN READ IT ANOTHER TIME • It is disturbing to me how many students attempt to analyze an essay that they have only skimmed. Apply what you have (hopefully) learned about active reading. Spend time with pen in hand wrestling with your text!

5. Your Analysis… • Introduction (may be personal, but not a requirement) (this is an opportunity to establish ethos.) • This is your opportunity to get your audience thinking in terms that they will need to think to understand your analysis. • Thesis/Argument – Your statement that defines the writer’s argument – this becomes your argument. • This is sometimes difficult for students to understand. The point is that we won’t all analyze an essay in the same way. That means that the fundamental statement in your analysis is your essay’s argument.

6. Your Analysis… • Context – you might need explain the context of the writer’s argument. This will (at times feel like summary) • Think about the “Letter From The Birmingham Jail”—would that essay make sense if you didn’t know why Dr. King was in jail? Or, if you didn’t know about the letter that he is responding to? • Analysis of how this writer defendeds their argument. • You may discuss their use of logos, ethos, pathos here. • You might also discuss the writer’s use of rhetorical strategies in crafting their argument.

7. Your Analysis… • Analysis of the validity/success of the argument. • Analysis of the weakness of the argument • This is not the focus the essay, but it might be important. You’ll need to be the judge of that. • Conclusion • If you use the phrase “In conclusion” and then paraphrase your argument, you automatically flunk.

8. Final Thoughts… • You may write from 1st person perspective, but NEVER use the phrases “I think” or “I believe”!!! • Analyzing the argument is more important than arguing whether or not you agree with it. This isn’t an “I agree/disagree” paper. • Use everything we’ve done in this class so far to your advantage. • This takes time—it might be a couple/few days before you feel you’re coming to an understanding of your analysis. • Also—all of your essay ARE argumentative.