This assignment asks you to write a rhetorical analysis of one of the first two chapters of The New Jim Crow. This does not include the introduction to the book. Select one of the following chapters as the focus of your rhetorical analysis:
Chapter 1: “The Rebirth of Caste”
Chapter 2: “The Lockdown”
Your rhetorical analysis essay should be between 3-4 pages and include the following content:
Identify all of the elements of the rhetorical situation for the chapter and describe the major strategies you believe demonstrate that Alexander was working toward the purpose, context, and audience you identify. You can arrange your essay by first identifying the writer, audience, subject, purpose, and context of the text and then describing what you see to be the major strategies and how they support your understanding of the writer, audience, subject, purpose, and context.
More specifically, your essay will explain how Alexander attempted to persuade her audience. How does she seek to convince her audience that they ought to read attentively and be open to being persuaded by the her? How does Alexander structure her argument? These questions ask you to analyze how Alexander appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos.
While your essay will by necessity summarize the argument presented in the chapter you select, the majority of your essay should consist of analysis. In other words, your essay is an analytical argument about an argument.
Your essay should contain the following sections:
An introduction containing the following information:
an introduction to the author and the selected book chapter that includes that authors name and the title of the chapter and the book
a brief summary of Alexanders argument
any additional contextual information that your audience might need to understand the Alexanders argument
a thesis statement that serves as a guide to your essay for your readers, asserts your conclusion and takes a stand on the Alexanders rhetorical strategies, and states what techniques you will analyze as well as the impact of these techniques on the effectiveness of the text. Examples of strong thesis statements for this assignment:
Jones effectively convinces his audience that ————- through the use of statistics and surveys paired with emotional stories.
Although Myers includes many convincing logical arguments through the use of historical facts, her readers may doubt her objectivity because of her sarcastic tone.
Thompson uses personal stories and tells of her extensive research in the area to make her readers believe in her credibility. These appeals to ethos, combined with her friendly tone, create an effective argument for ————.
Roberts employs the rhetorical appeals of pathos and ethos effectively. However, his use of unsupported logical appeals causes his readers to doubt his claim that —————— is supported by research.
Mitchells attempt to convince the audience that ——————– is unsuccessful because of his insensitive word choice, angry tone, and clearly biased presentation of the issue.
Body Paragraphs that do the work of analysis. Please note that the following bullet points do NOT represent individual paragraphs. It is a list of things that should be included in this section of the essay:
Identifies the intended audience. Is this audience one with prior knowledge on the subject? Is the audience made up of stakeholders? Is this a friendly or hostile audience? In other words, is the audience likely to agree or disagree with the author? Does the author try to appeal to certain values that the audience may hold?
Analysis of the appeals Alexander uses (ethos, pathos, logos)
An evaluation of the effectiveness of the Alexanders writing. Based on the chapter, is it likely that the author has successfully persuaded the audience through the rhetorical appeals you have identified?
The body of your paper is where you will do the work of analysis. You cannot simply summarize here. You may quote/paraphrase from the article in order to support your thesis statement and provide examples of the authors technique, argument, writing style, etc., but this information should be introduced as an example and followed by an analysis.
Note: You are responsible for determining the organization and content of your body paragraphs. You may decide to organize the body of your essay by the rhetorical appeal (ethos, pathos, logos), or you may decide that the body of your essay will mirror the structure of the authors argument from the chapter. This is a stylistic choice and is entirely up to you.
A conclusion that does the following:
sums up your argument
expresses the significance of the patterns and techniques you found in the work you analyzed
articulates what the effect accomplishes for the audience of the chapter
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