Rhetorical Analysis Memo

Context: Understanding the rhetorical situation (exigence, audience, and constraints) is a versatile skill that you need in any situation in order to be a successful writer. So far this quarter, you researched an organization in order to understand its values, you then used your understanding of the organization to develop a targeted resume and cover letter. In all these tasks, you’ve had to be mindful of the rhetorical situation for the documents you’ve submitted. For this unit, you will get the chance to analyze the rhetorical situation more thoroughly. Rhetorical analysis is an evaluation of a document by breaking it into parts to study how effective those parts work together to make achieve its purpose.

Assignment: For this assignment, you will complete the following tasks:

Task 1: Select either your Resume or Cover Letter as the sample you will be analyzing

Task 2: Write an Analytical Memo (600-800 words) addressed to me in which you rhetorically analyze your selected document.

Using the Carroll article as a guide. You will use your knowledge about the company, your research, your knowledge about resumes and cover letters to analyze how well you addressed the exigence, the target audience, and the constraints (including ethos, pathos, and logos) for your selected document in order to achieve your purpose (to get an interview). In the end, you will make conclusions about what makes your resume or cover letter stand out from the crowd and what areas you could have improved to achieve your purpose.

• Be sure to discuss the exigence, audience, and constraints (including ethos, pathos, and logos).
• Consider which aspect of the rhetorical situation you should discuss first and make careful decisions about organizing the information in a thoughtful and meaningful way.
• You DO NOT have to define any rhetorical terms from the Carroll article since I am your target audience. Just discuss them as though everyone understands what those terms mean.
• Provide examples from your resume or cover letter when necessary to provide evidence and illustrate any points you wish to make.

You memo should follow this format for the heading:

To:
From:
Subject:
Date:

Audience: For this assignment, your target audience is your instructor. You should demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of genres, rhetorical situations and your ability to identify and analyze the rhetorical choices within a genre.