Overview
You will select one of your short papers and expand it into a full rhetorical criticism paper.
Assignment Purpose
1. Skill building: You will practice analyzing rhetorical texts using rhetorical methods and concepts, practice researching, and practice advanced writing.
2. Assessment: You will demonstrate your ability to analyze rhetorical texts, your research skills, and your advanced writing skills.
Three Options
There are additional instructions for each option.
1. Neo-Aristotelian analysis of Tamika Mallory or Mitt Romney speech
2. Non-fiction narrative analysis of a documentary
3. Pentad analysis of a documentary.
Worksheet
You must submit a worksheet for your text. The is worth 1 point. Instructions will be given in class and we will work on it in class.
Length
Approximately 4,500 words (9 double-spaced pages), excluding bibliography. Covering the required topics is more important than the word count.
Style Guide
APA
Sources
Total of 4 sources. You can refer to the lecture slides, but they don’t count as a source. You must write about the sources (quotes and/or paraphrasing) and properly document each quotation and each paraphrasing. There are two types of sources you need:
1. One source must be a scholarly source defining a concept related to your analysis. Instruction for each option tell you what concept you should be defining.
2. Three of the four sources must be regular sources about your text. Acceptable sources would be news articles and reviews by noted critics. To find sources, first use the library’s newspaper database and then do general internet searches. Quote or paraphrase descriptions of the rhetor, the audience, audience reactions, historical context or other relevant facts.
Grading
1. Clarity of writing: 10%
2. Free of errors—punctuation, quotes, references: 10%
3. Demonstrated knowledge of rhetorical concepts: 30%
4. Accurate identification of concepts in your text: 35%
5. Critical insight: 15%
Neo-Aristotelian (traditional) Method Paper Structure
NOTE: Page lengths are approximate and meant as guidelines only. The listed page lengths add up to 4,500 words (500 per double spaced page).
Introduction—1/2 page
Briefly introduce your topic and state your research question.
Describe the context of the speech—1 page
Why was the speech given? What historical events were going on? What was the political or cultural environment surrounding the speech?
Rhetor’s purpose—1/2 page
What was the speaker trying to accomplish? What was the purpose of the speech? Here you might look at the list of “speech acts” in the lecture slides
Organization of the speech—1 page
How is the speech organized? Examples include chronological, cause-effect, point/counterpoint. Is there something useful about how the speech is organized? What do the opening comments accomplish? What do the closing comments accomplish?
Logos, ethos, pathos—2 ½ pages
Use a scholarly source to define logos, ethos and pathos. What words in the speech are linked to logos, ethos and pathos? Is the speaker using all of them or relying on one more than the other?
Delivery style—1/2 page
What was the speaker’s emotional tone? Did they read or speak extemporaneously or impromptu or a combination? What was the effect of the speaker’s delivery style?
Assessment—1 ½ pages
Did the speaker choose the best means of persuasion for their purpose?
Critical insight—1 to 2 pages
Discuss at least one of the following three things: What is the ideology of the speech? How does the speech shape the audience’s understanding of the identity of someone or some group? What are the most significant examples of figurative language and what is there rhetorical aspect?
Here is my paper for what you will be basing this paper off of:
Paper One: Speech
What was the situation that led up to the speech? The situation that led up to the speech by Tina Mallory was the killing of George Floyd. Celebrities like Jamie Fox, Stephen Jackson, and Karl-Anthony Towns were also present in the speech to speak out against black killings. After the killing of George Floyd on the pavement, many black people set out on the streets to protest the killing of back people. George Floyd was not the first, and he was not going to be the last in the killing of back people, and the black community had enough.
What was the speaker’s purpose? Mallory’s purpose was to speak up against the brutality and force used against the black community. She intended to show that black people had enough of the violence, and if there was no justice, there was no peace. In her speech, she expressed deep sentiments that the black people were going through, but they could not do anything about it. She was keen to point out the racism going on even in speeches made by President Trump at that time. Mallory wanted to invoke emotions in the audience to highlight the injustice that was police brutality towards black people.
Who was the speaker’s target audience? The speaker’s target audience was the black community, the law enforcers, and the government as a whole. The black community was her target audience because she shared their pain, and she wanted to instill confidence and motivation to speak up against the injustice they were going through. The law enforcement system was her target audience to show them that they were ready to fight back from police violence. The government was also her target audience because she wanted to showcase the grievances of the black people community. She wanted to government to restore order and take actions to protect the black community against being subject to violence and racism,
Mallory’s vocal tone was passionate and angry. She had gone to the site of George Floyd’s murder, and it had ignited anger and desire to convey her sentiments passionately. Mallory employs pathos in her speech when she says, “…We are at a point when folks, grandmothers, all the way down to little babies are tired…..I heard someone saying on TV today that it feels like every black person is being hunted.” In this part of her speech, she connects the feelings of black people as one of someone who is hunted. In this way, she evokes empathetic pain of what most black people feel daily.
Mallory employs ethos when she says,” And if we don’t get no justice, there ain’t gonna be no damn peace. That’s the bottom line.” This powerful statement shows her authority and the outcome of the injustice if black people do not receive fair treatment.
Mallory employs Logo when she says.” He said he is a nationalist and if you understand the history of white nationalism in America, to have the President say that, we were in a state of emergency at that moment.“ She is building a logical argument on the foundation of the violence happening against the black community. In this part of her speech, she shows that the state finds violence, and people need to recognize this and fight against it.
Do you think the speaker made the right choices to accomplish their purpose?
The speaker made the right choices to accomplish her purpose. Her purpose was to show the world that the black community was ready to retaliate if no action was taken to stop the injustice. Highlighting the feeling of being hunted and being tired of looking over the shoulder because of fear was a good choice. Telling the people in simple terms what the President was saying in his meetings was a good move to show that they were not afraid to point out the foundation of this violence. The presence of celebrities is also a good choice because people can see that they are not alone, and celebrities from the black community shared their grievances with them.