For this essay in English 102, you will write a rhetorical analysis in which you form a
position about the rhetoric of a famous speech. For this assignment, you will select a famous
speech from an instructor-provided list, support your position on the speech’s rhetoric with clear
points, locate and integrate evidence from three to four scholarly secondary sources, and
address a counterargument.
In order to understand a text/speech, a reader/listener must examine the ideas and information the
speaker presents. An analysis is a writing genre that helps a reader understand the context of a
text by breaking it into parts and evaluating how it works and what it means. According to The
Bedford Handbook, the goal for a rhetorical analysis, or a critique, is “to offer your judgment of a
text and to persuade readers to see it through your analytical perspective” (122). For this
assignment, you will read and critically analyze one of the famous speeches from the list
provided in Moodle. You will have some options—you may take a position (argue) on whether
the speaker effectively and fairly achieves his or her purpose, considering the rhetorical strategies
(diction, tone, point of view, logic, assumptions, organization, pacing, etc.), or you may focus on
and explore in depth one of his or her claims to argue for or against.
Prompt
Select a famous speech from the instructor-provided list in Moodle. Review your selected speech
carefully. Think about the context, subject, speaker, purpose, and audience. Then, in a welldeveloped essay, analyze the rhetorical strategies used to convey the speaker’s message and how
these strategies affect the audience. Support your analysis with specific evidence from the
speech.
Remember that analysis is more than simply agreeing or disagreeing with a speaker. True
rhetorical analysis puts aside personal bias and assesses the speaker, message, timeliness,
language, audience, etc., in judging the effectiveness of the argument. What is the speaker
attempting to do? How and why?
Resources
• Little, Brown Handbook
o Thesis Statements (pp. 28-33)
o Writing Critically (pp. 172-174, 177-180)
o Integrating Sources (pp. 608-613)
o Citations and Punctuation (pp. 634-644)
o Works Cited (pp. 644-680)
• Chapter 4, “Rhetorical Analysis,” Crosscurrents in Composition, pp. 69-83. You may
find yourself using the concepts you learned when writing an analysis in previous
English classes to consider the speaker’s or author’s strategies, though you will likely
not name them—logos, ethos, and pathos. In fact, for each speech or article you
explore, you will want to think about how effectively the author uses reason and
support, appeals to authority, and connects to the audience.
• Chapter 6, “Arguments,” Crosscurrents in Composition, pp. 119-34.
• Additional resources placed in Moodle.
Essay process
• Complete the readings and assignments that complement this essay.
• Choose a speech for your analysis (from the list provided).
• Draft and revise, reread, and revise again. Get help: See a tutor in the writing center for
an objective view of your work.
• Submit the final draft in Moodle by the assigned deadline. (This essay is worth 100
points, major assessment category. See the syllabus policies for essay submissions.)
• Note: To receive a passing grade, the final draft must meet all essay requirements as
listed on this writing assignment, described in the course syllabus, and outlined on the
assignment submission page in Moodle. The final draft of the essay will be evaluated
for content and development; language and form; MLA and sources. (See also the
Freshman English rubric, available as a separate document.)
Questions to consider when developing your analysis
These are ideas intended to deepen your analysis and increase your development. You may or
may not use the answers to these brainstorming and drafting questions in your essay.
• What is the speaker’s argument? Write a two to three sentence summary. (NOTE: It’s
useful to carefully consider all source material—primary and secondary—you intend to use.
That way you reduce the risk of misunderstanding the speaker’s or author’s claims or taking
the ideas out of context.)
• What does the speaker reveal about himself in the speech?
• Is the speaker biased, meaning is his argument in favor or against one thing, person, or
group over another? Does the tone portray a bias?
• Does the material contain any fallacies? Does the author make generalizations or
assumptions (a statement or idea we accept as truth without fully researching and locating
evidence to prove it) when developing his argument?
• What sources does the author use to create his or her argument? What references does he
make to support his claims?
• Does the author overlook arguments or have a counterargument? What omissions does he
make, if any?
• What is the author’s language, meaning does he use connotative language or euphemisms in
the argument?
• What is the text’s purpose? All argument strives to persuade, but what is the root of that
persuasion? What is the specific motive? Are there any secondary purposes? To inform, to
entertain, etc.?
• Keep in mind that you are displaying your critical thinking skills. Writing, like life, rarely
falls into exact categories (“this or that”). Consider the ideas you agree with and disagree
with. To what extent do you agree or disagree? For example, do you agree with the basic
assertion but dislike the assumptions or tone? Do you disagree with a claim but concede
that the author may have a valid point? Remember that pouncing on one idea you disagree
with and ignoring other content or the context does not demonstrate a thoughtful
consideration of the article and the author’s intentions.
Creating a short summary
• Read the speech once without interruption, annotating initial reactions.
• Reread the speech at least two more times, making more annotations in the margins that
focus on the rhetorical situation and strategies. Highlight key points the speaker makes in
his or her argument and sources he or she uses (or lacks).
• Using your annotations, write a ten to fifteen sentence summary of the speech.
• Rewrite your summary, narrowing it down to two to three sentences. Remember to focus on
key points to help the audience understand the speaker’s argument.
Tips to remember when drafting your essay
● Your analysis should exhibit a close, analytical reading of the primary source and
supporting source materials.
• You should focus on analysis, not summary. You should offer your interpretation of the
effectiveness of the speech’s elements, not merely what it is “about.”
● Your analysis should rely directly on evidence from the speech to support your
claim, including quotes from the speech. Use parenthetical citations for quotes,
paraphrases, and summaries.
● If you don’t know where to start, begin with an outline. Then, develop your points into
complete sentences and paragraphs.
Suggested outline
While the essay can take many forms, here is an example outline that may help you develop and
organize your thoughts.
● Introduction
o Subject: Author’s name, title of the work, year of publication (context)
o Summary: What is the author’s argument? Write a 2–3 sentence summary.
o Include your thesis statement (your main claim), analyzing the strengths or
weaknesses of the argument.
● Body: 3-4 paragraphs
o Center each paragraph on a central idea or point from your thesis. We call these
“claims” or “assertions” (strong, arguable points that further develop and prove
your main claim). Note: You may dedicate a paragraph to background
information or context for the speech only if this information is too detailed to
include in the introduction.
o Present examples and quotes from the speech and include relevant secondary
support. (However, your words and ideas should move the essay forward.)
o Prove how your use of these examples and quotes support (and validate) your
paragraph’s claim and your main claim. (This is the “evidence-commentary” part
of your paragraph.)
o Include a fully developed counterargument that anticipates and refutes an
opposing view.
● Conclusion
o Recapture the ideas of your thesis and claims, giving your reader a sense of
fulfillment or closure about your analysis.
o Explain what your analysis reveals about the speech/speaker/audience.
● Works Cited page
o Make sure you have the speech and any additional sources on the Works
Cited page.
Essay Requirements
• For this assignment, you will be writing a critical analysis of a famous speech or responding
to an argument in that speech.
• You need to use quotes from the speech to effectively analyze the argument. You will be
required to use the primary source—your selected speech—and three to four secondary
sources that support the development of your analysis. These secondary sources must be
scholarly, print-based sources from the library databases. (Print-based sources are those with
stable page numbers.)
• Your essay must use correct MLA formatting: 12-point, Times New Roman font; uniform
double-spacing with 1-inch margins; indented paragraphs; correct heading; and no extra
spaces between paragraphs. (See p. 681 in the Little, Brown Handbook.)
● The main body of your essay should be four full pages—which means the words should fill
the entire fourth page and spill onto the top of the fifth page. Essays that are too short (that
are not four full pages) are considered underdeveloped and may receive reduced scores.
Failure to meet the length requirement can result in a serious grade deduction or failure, and
the essay will not be appropriate for use in the proficiency portfolio. Note: Your Works Cited
page does not count toward the length requirements. The Works Cited page is a separate
page.
● This should be a multi-paragraph argumentative, analytical essay that includes a thesis
statement in a fully developed introduction; assertions to further the thesis development;
examples and quotes from multiple library sources used and cited correctly in your body
paragraphs; robust commentary to explain and prove each point; a conclusion; and a works
cited page with a primary source and at least three (3) academic sources. For this
assignment, you will be writing a rhetorical analysis. See the readings and resources listed in
this document and in Moodle for this essay.
Source Requirements
• Your rhetorical analysis must include the famous speech on the works cited page. This is
considered your primary source.
• Your essay will include a minimum of four (4) sources total: your primary source (the
speech) and at least three scholarly secondary sources from the library (database articles or
books).
• Encyclopedia and dictionary entries do not count toward the secondary-source requirement. If
you use an encyclopedia or dictionary entry, this will count as an “extra” source and not
toward fulfilling your research requirement.
• Make sure you use the correct MLA Works Cited entries for your sources. See pp. 644-
• 679 in the Little, Brown Handbook.
• Follow MLA formatting for in-text citations. See pp. 634-644 in the Little, Brown Handbook.
• Integrate your sources properly. See pp. 608-613 in the Little, Brown Handbook.
Additional secondary sources
• You are not limited to three secondary sources. In fact, you may discover you need additional
research to develop your essay. However, you should use no more than five secondary
sources.
• Although your original three (3) secondary sources must be pieces of scholarly research
from the library, any additional research you include may be anything you choose, but it
should add value to your paper—for example, a source that also analyzes or interprets the
speech or offers insight into the speaker’s purpose or strategy. These additional sources may
come from your textbook or from the library databases. You may use websites to help
develop your analysis with additional secondary sources; however, you should understand
that the quality of your sources and the way your sources are used in your essay will be
evaluated and affect your grade.
• Avoid sources like BrainyQuotes, SparkNotes, and Cliff Notes. There are strong sources
available, but you need to take the time to research.
