ENG1021 Unit 1 Essay Guidelines

This assignment has two parts, and each part is worth 50% of the overall grade:

1. Short creative argument: Choose a speaker whose body you will inhabit in order to make an argument using rhetorical appeals
2. Self-reflective analysis: Perform a rhetorical analysis of the text you wrote in Part 1

Part 1: Short creative argument

This is creative side of the assignment. Here, you are allowed to take on the persona of anyone (or anything). The trick is that you should choose a persona that is in need of making an argument. For example, you could choose:

• someone who already has a negative reputation (for example, the minotaur from Borges’s “The House of Asterion”)
• someone who is trying to disprove a fact, rumor, or lie (for example, a murderer declaring his innocence as he walks out to face the firing squad)
• someone who wants to enact some sort of change (for example, a contemporary South Carolinian calling for a second Civil War and a need to finally secede).

No matter whom you choose, there should be a specific rhetorical situation in which you are making your claims and providing the evidence that supports them. You will use a variety of rhetorical appeals (logos, pathos, and ethos) in an attempt to persuade your audience.

In addition to choosing your persona, you also get to choose your specific audience. Remember that who your audience is drastically affects how you should construct your argument. Using words like “ontological verisimilitude” and showing off your PhD skills will not get anything across to kindergarteners. But using a great deal of slang or over-the-top emotional pull could also backfire (picture those commercials with Sarah McLachlan where images of sad dogs appear over and over while “In the arms of an angel” croons in the background). It’s very important to consider your audience so that you know what will connect with them.

Note: You will not only most benefit from the assignment—but also most enjoy writing it—if you choose a creative persona that interests you in some way. It does not have to be a famous person by any means. You can create a character. But whether you choose an existing one or create your own, be specific in your choice. The more specific you are in terms of who the person is, what their argument is, the situation in which they’re making this argument, and their chosen audience, the more you will learn.

Part 2: Self-reflective analysis

This is the analytical side of the assignment. You want to examine the diction, title, tone, transitions, organization, and the rhetorical appeals you used in part 1. You are looking at how you put your argument together and whether or not you made an effective argument. Look back at part 1 and examine the types of rhetorical appeals you used. Then evaluate why you used those specific appeals and if you deem them effective or not.

In part 2, you don’t necessarily have to say that your argument in part 1 was effective. Instead, you could say that the rhetorical appeals you used in part 1 were not effective, but then you would also need to explain why you chose to use those ineffective appeals. Regardless of whether you claim that your argument in part 1 was effective or ineffective, you should use evidence from part 1—including at least three direct quotations—to support your argument.

Part 2 is entirely dependent on what you include (and don’t include) in part 1, because you’re discussing why you made those rhetorical choices. The purpose of part 2 of this assignment is to raise your awareness of the value of writing and reading with a critical eye toward rhetorical analysis (as well as creativity).

Requirements

• Part 1 should be at least 2 pages long
• Part 2 should be at least 2 pages long
• Formatted according to MLA guidelines
• Double-spaced, with 1-inch margins
• 12-point Times New Roman font
• Engaging title
• Clear, well-developed theses for Parts 1 and 2
• Clear usage of well-developed rhetorical appeals in Part 1
• Clear explanation of rhetorical choices in Part 2, including diction, title, tone, transitions, organization, and the rhetorical appeals
• Use of at least three quotes (from Part 1) in Part 2
• Use of precise, vivid, and clear language in Parts 1 and 2
• Free of grammatical errors: this means proofreading your final draft several times