In a brainstorm and planning assignment, I said that I was going to be analyzing the following speech.
I will be analyzing President’s Trump speech on immigration on May 2019. I selected this speech since Immigration has been an important topic in our country for generations. Below is the speech that I would be analyzing.
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-modernizing-immigration-system-stronger-america/
Instructions for this Assignment:
This assignment will be your first major essay of the semester. You will write a full rhetorical analysis. Please remember, you are not addressing whether the content is right or wrong, but whether the argument is effective. Once a first draft is turned in though, there can be no change in subject.
Elements of your assignment
Carefully read/view your choice and formulate a claim about the effectiveness of the argument that is being made. In order to do this, you must analyze the parts of the argument and decide how effective each part is in persuading the audience to accept a particular argument. Key points to start with are:
What is the purpose of the argument?
Who is making the argument?
Identify the audiences (s) for this argument.
What is the central claim that is being made?
What types of evidence / appeals are used to persuade the reader?
Why are these appeals effective?
Approaches
You can research the subject being covered and even the writer/producer of the piece. However, outside research is not required in this essay. Do not forget to cite the item that you are analyzing.
As you write, you might find that your thesis, or central claim, of your paper, may not be fully formulated until you have written a substantial analysis. Don’t worry – your original ideas will probably not change, but they will be more precise as you waited to see where your analysis took you. Keep these points in mind as you develop your analysis:
What are the facts about the subject you are analyzing?
What are the contexts?
Each item you analyze must be discussed and not just listed as self-evident.
Is all of your evidence centered on the subject itself? It should, even though you can bring in outside research, don’t forget that you are analyzing the argument, not the outside research.
Most of all, remember that your analysis constitutes your own argument.
Format
MLA format will include:
Double space only throughout the essay
One-inch margin all around
Times New Roman at 12 point font
Heading to include your name, my name, the class name, and the date essay is turned in.
Your last name and page number in the right top corner (header) on each page.
In-text citation is expected as you will cite from the original piece (and any other relevant source) to develop your analysis.
A works cited page to include the original piece, even if it is the only source you used.
3 to 4 pages in length.