Your Task
Pick one of the following articles: “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr or “Just One More Game” by Sam Anderson.
Then, write a rhetorical analysis on that article–analyze the article’s rhetorical moves. In your analysis, you must examine the
text’s argument and then determine what’s effective or ineffective about the overall argument. The goal here isn’t to express
your personal opinion about technology or particular points raised in the article; rather, you are looking at how the author has
made their point. How were some rhetorical strategies used, and do you think they were used effectively? Ultimately, you
must show how the author’s rhetorical strategies make his/her argument strong or weak. You don’t have to examine every
device used–you should focus on the ones that help you best evaluate the argument’s effectiveness. Remember, a rhetorical
analysis is not a literary analysis.
Audience
Your intended audience for this will be first-year college students.
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to:
* apply skills in summarizing and synthesizing information
* apply knowledge of rhetoric, specifically the situation and appeals
* gain experience in citing and integrating sources
* critique a writer’s argument and how he/she uses rhetorical devices & strategies
Grading
An ‘A’ paper will:
* have a specific argument that comments on an article’s rhetorical effectiveness
* support its argument with evidence from the text
* demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the rhetorical situation and appeals
* address its audience appropriately
* follow MLA style and other guidelines
* be clear and concise
* be free of grammatical and stylistic errors