Assignment: Write a paper which performs a rhetorical analysis of one
of the following essays:
Swift, A Modest Proposal
Purpose: This paper analyzes a persuasive piece of writing, taking into consideration its rhetorical
appeals, rhetorical situation, intended audience, exigence, style, and organization.
Details: The main goal of this assignment is to identify and examine the writers rhetorical strategies and
how these strategies help to achieve the overarching purpose of the piece. What is the writers
purpose? What rhetorical strategies does the writer use in order to achieve this purpose? Where is
their approach rhetorically effective? Where is their approach rhetorically ineffective?
Your Thesis: As part of this analysis your paper will need to convey an original thesis of your own
about this piece of writing. This thesis should relate to what the author does and why, in your
judgement, it succeeds or fails as a rhetorical strategy. Though you may choose to focus on the
rhetorical approach as a whole, you will probably find it easier to focus on one specific detail.
Your Analysis: When composing your analysis, try to avoid simply pointing to a writers use of
appeals, style, arrangement strategy, etc. Instead, look at both the purpose and the effect of the
rhetorical moves, asking: first, why might the writer have chosen this appeal? And second, what
effect does this appeal have on the audience? By considering these questions, you will effectively
evaluate the choices the writer makes when attempting to reach their audience. It is important to note
as well that you do not need to cover every appeal and persuasive strategy. You might focus on the
strategy you found most compelling or prevalent.
For example: A really rigorous thesis might look something like: Dr. King repeatedly invokes the
moral integrity of his readers, both by naming it directly and by referring to it indirectly, to show that
he and his readers share the same core values. This is effective because it is easier to convince readers
that your ideas can fit within what they already believe than to try to change peoples minds. This
thesis expresses a specific point which the paper will then argue: it tells me what Kings letter does;
whether this is effective; and it explains why. And then analysis will follow through on this by citing
a few examples in this is the case.
By contrast: The following does not succeed as a thesis statement: In this essay, the author uses
ethos, pathos, and logos to convey their message. Thats true of almost every piece of persuasive
writing like saying The author of this novel uses plot and character to create a story or This
painter uses shapes and colors to create an image. Im looking for something specific that you
noticed about this particular piece of writing.
Swift, “A Modest Proposal”
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1080/1080-h/1080-h.htm
