Anxiety of the Influencer: Hannah Arendt and the Problem with Social Media” by James Ogden Sharpe. Analyze and evaluate the writer’s argument and evidence based on the principles of rhetorical and critical analysis. In your thesis, you are essentially arguing whether or not the author’s rhetoric or argument is successful and why you understand it to be so. A successful essay will focus on demonstrating why your position on the text is correct through a detailed analysis of the article you are engaging with.
Ensure you include the following in your essay’s introduction:
1. Who is the intended audience of the text?
2. What is the purpose of the text (to argue, inspire, cajole, etc.)?
3. What is the thesis or main argument of the essay?
4. Then, most importantly, end your introduction with YOUR thesis statement,
which should be your position on whether or not the author successfully put forward their argument and what rhetorical strategies/techniques make their argument strong/weak. These rhetorical strategies/techniques should then connect to the topic sentences of your body paragraphs.
The majority of your essay should be based on key examples of how the author attempts to support his or her position. While your analysis may not be a matter of being “right or wrong,” if you do not support your argument about the text with evidence (examples from the text), your assertions will be ungrounded and therefore less convincing. Exceptional essays may engage in analysis of the essay’s structure, style, rhetorical techniques, evidence, and other aspects.
MLA ESSAY FORMAT AND CORRECT CITATION PRACTICE ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS
ASSIGNMENT. Refer to your Canadian Writer’s Reference handbook for reminders about necessary MLA formatting (double-spacing, page number and course information placement, etc.) Also, please refer to the course syllabus for this course’s late policy and warnings regarding plagiarism.
Marking rubric:
Strong
Good
OK
Weak
Overall Organization and essay structure:
