Appeals

Writing Project #1: Academic DiscourseOpinion Editorial Analysis

Draft Due Feb 6

Final Feb 13

Format Requirements: Paper must be 3-5 pages, typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point font, with one-inch margins in standard MLA format with a works cited page.

Texts:

You are responsible for finding an opinion editorial and making it available to me. You may use one of the opinion editorials found on the link on Canvas, or you can choose any other one you would like. Please submit a link to the op ed when you turn in the rough draft and the final draft of the essay.

Essay: What appeals (Ethos, Pathos, Logos) are used in the opinion editorial?

Your task is to consider the texts rhetorical situation and demonstrate an accurate reading of the claim, the main supports, and the appeals used in that argument.

You should give a brief overview of the text but focus your essay on showing an understanding of the argument being made and how it is supported. You will need to identify any appeals that are being used as support to the claim. This paper is not simply a summary of an argument. It is an analysis of the argument put forth by the text.

Structure:

The essay should follow an academic structure with an introduction and thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The body paragraphs should bring in significant details from the text as evidence to support the paragraph. The goal is to show an understanding of how the op ed uses rhetorical appeals to support its claim.

Here are some questions that might help you think about the rhetorical situation:

What is the argument?

Who is the audience?

What contextual elements influenced the production of the text?

What appeal(s) does the author employ to persuade the audience?

In what ways are these appeals significant?

Are there other elements that clearly lend support to the claim?

In what ways are these significant?

How do the appeals or other elements build to support the claim?

Grading Criteria:

I will use a holistic scoring rubric to evaluate your paper that takes into account your mastery of such facets of writing as organization, development, grammar, mechanics, and usage.

A successful essay must accomplish the following (though not necessarily in this order):

a) Introduce the rhetorical situation of the text

b) Give an overview of the text

c) Identify the argument

d) Analyze the argument and rhetorical appeals to show how the argument/main claim is being supported

Key RWS 305W Learning Objectives Met with This Assignment

Understand the concept of rhetorical situations: the relationship among writer-audience-subject-context

Apply critical reading strategies to a variety of publicly and individually produced texts

Work with demanding readings and learn to interpret, incorporate, and evaluate these readings

Use writing as a way to learnto think about, question, and communicate ideas

Develop successful, flexible strategies for generating, revising, and editing texts

Understand the collaborative and social aspects of the writing process

Critique your own and others texts

Show initiative in problem solving situations

This is a discussion post about the essay I am going to write that I did a week ago.

In the article “Has social media ruined romance?”, Luis Zavala uses pathos to appeal to the readers’ emotions by showing that romance has been destroyed by social media. Zavala opens his argument by describing romance as once being filled with meaningful moments, “…the anticipation of seeing each other,” sparks, and butterflies, which creates a sense of emotional loss and nostalgia. This lifts the reader emotionally and creates excitement, then he slowly brings the reader down by claiming that those moments are fading and no longer exist. He says, “…the time of comparing, setting up expectations, and possibly ruining our relationships is here with the evolution of social media.” It feels like an intentional emotional shift from happiness to disappointment. Zavala is making the loss of those special moments feel personal. Zavala makes the reader feel happiness, then creates sadness and anger towards social media. This use of pathos strengthens his argument by making readers not only understand but also feel the loss. This article forces readers to reflect on their own romantic relationships and question the role of social media in their lives.

https://thedailyaztec.com/120947/opinion/has-social-media-ruined-romance/