Rhetorical Analysis Discussion Forum

Welcome to the Rhetorical Analysis Discussion Forum!

Now that you have read, analyzed, and discussed some of the appeals and strategies used by Anthony Abraham Jack to persuade his intended audience in his 2018 New York Times editorial, "It's Hard to Be Hungry on Spring Break," it is time to share your work with your peers.

The goal here is to post your paragraph response to each question below by Thursday, April 30th by 11:59 pm and then respond to your peers by Sunday, May 3rd by 11:59 pm. However, you can start as early as you like!  Please know that you must post your paragraphs before you can see what your peers have posted. Once you post and you receive feedback from your peers, Manny, and me, you may edit your paragraph responses until Sunday, May 3rd at 11:59 pm. Quick Tip: Manny and I may not be providing feedback after 5 pm on Friday (May 1) and on Saturday or Sunday (May 2nd and 3rd), so please do not wait until the last minute to tackle this assignment. Discussion Forums require real-time participation and cannot be made up.

If you need help with how to participate in a Discussion Forum, you can find directions here Links to an external site.. In addition, if you have not heard of Digital Citizenship and Netiquette, please review these slides before participating: Digital Citizenship & Netiquette .pptx Download Digital Citizenship & Netiquette .pptx

Instructions:

Part I (40 points): Post Four Paragraphs

Post your full-paragraph reply to each of these four questions by selecting the "reply" icon.  I suggest you copy and paste the requirements into a separate document so that you can work to develop and carefully proofread your answers, and then paste them into the forum when they are complete. 

1. Write an Academic Meaty Sentence (don't forget his major claim!) and brief summary (3-5 sentences) for Anthony Abraham Jack's 2018 New York Times editorial, "It's Hard to Be Hungry on Spring Break." Just in case you need it, you can review the template here: what I like to call THE ACADEMIC MEATY SENTENCE-1.pdf Download what I like to call THE ACADEMIC MEATY SENTENCE-1.pdf

2. Discuss one or two strategies Jack uses to appeal to emotion and explain whether or not he is persuasive for his intended audience. Support your analysis with an example or direct quote from the text as illustrated in this "A" quality post:

In the first sentence of his editorial, Jack (you may use the last name once you have introduced full name) appeals to the emotions of happiness and nostalgia with his strategic use of connotative meaning and vivid, concrete language. First, the word "conjure" (1) is associated with magic or ghosts. He could have simply written "brings up," but the choice of "conjures up" has more positive associations with it, which may better entertain the reader. Next, he uses the vivid phrase "hitting up the clubs at night" (1). The term "hitting up" appeals to young people, as it's how many of them speak. In addition, going to clubs at night sounds fun so the reader wants to continue. Jack uses these strategies to hook the reader and set them up for a reality that is quite different than what the first sentence suggests: students going hungry rather than on spring break. This is a smart choice, as the reader might not understand what they are getting into, but they will continue reading because of their happy association with the subject. If the writer started off with a negative situation, he could lose his intended audience. 

3. Discuss one or two strategies Jack uses to appeal to reason/logic and explain whether or not he is persuasive for his intended audience.

4. Discuss one or two strategies Jack uses to appeal to his credibility and/or character and explain whether or not he is persuasive for his intended audience.

Part II (10 points): Two Paragraphs in Response to Your Peers 

Choose two peers, preferably ones that have not yet been responded to, introduce yourself and write a paragraph (a minimum of five sentences for each paragraph for a passing grade) in which you address one or more specific strengths in their analysis and/or writing; and as needed, point them in the right direction if one or more of their paragraphs are not fully and/or correctly responding to directions or demonstrating understanding of the assigned rhetorical concepts (appeal, strategy, pathos, ethos, logos). For example, they may have only written one sentence for number one, the Academic Meaty Sentence, but no summary; or they could be confusing ethos with pathos. Another person might not be showing that they understand the difference between appeal and strategy. This is your time to not only help your peers but to strengthen your understanding of these important concepts by helping to teach them.

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me!  I am here for you!