Rhetorical Analysis Questions

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English 1301: Rhetoric and Composition I Rhetorical Analysis Questions Questions for analyzing logos appeals 1. Identify the writer’s central claim by providing the best answer (as in, you can make the best case for it based on textual evidence) to the following questions: • Imagine that an editor forced this writer to replace the hundreds (or thousands) of words in this article with a single sentence. As compensation, the editor guaranteed the writer that readers would agree with this single sentence. What one sentence would the writer choose? Or to ask it another way . . . • As with all arguments, the writer makes lots of claims in this piece. But which one does she most want her audience to grant her? If a genie said to the writer, “I will make your audience agree with one of your claims,” which one would she choose? Some further tips . . . All argument begins in agreement (at the very least people engaged in argument have agreed to use words rather than weapons). Consequently, a writer will make many claims that her opponents agree with. However, her central claim will be one that her opponents disagree with because, after all, this disagreement is what motivates the writer in the first place. After you’ve identified the writer’s central claim, ask yourself: “Do her opponents agree with this claim?” If you answer “yes,” then you’ve probably not identified the central claim; if you answer “no,” there’s a good chance you have identified the central claim. Make sure the claim you identify represents precisely—no more, no less—than the minimum the writer would be satisfied with. For example, if a writer is arguing that students with concealed handgun licenses should be allowed to carry guns into UTA buildings, she is not arguing that “everyone has a right to bring a gun to campus” (that’s a much

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