Rhetorical Analysis

When first hearing about this assignment in class, and then reviewing the guidelines about it when starting to develop ideas, I was daunted because I didn't really know what Rhetorical Analysis was. We had learned about the rhetorical devices that authors used to build arguments in writing, but before that, I had never heard (or at least not that I remember) of Rhetoric.  However, through the process of learning the rhetorical aspects, and identifying and applying them in various works, I gained confidence in this assignment. I wrote a rhetorical analysis essay on an article about the lack of affordable housing in Tucson and its impact on homeless and other at-risk populations. In my analysis, I found the author, Patty Machelor, to be effective in using rhetorical strategies to support her argument that the lack of affordable housing in Tucson is contributing to the homelessness crisis. However, I also pointed out that her use of an anecdote detracted from the overall argument. While the anecdote may have been emotionally compelling, it did not provide any new information and it broke up the momentum of the argument. 

Reflecting on my experience writing this essay, I realize that the learning about rhetoric and  the rhetorical devices that are used by authors is a valuable skill that can be applied to various types of writing. It will certainly help my own writing to be more persuasive and interesting, but it will also help me when reading, to see what tricks and devices authors use to make their argument more appealing. I also had a really fun time relating Machelor's work to other sources from the internet and analyzing if the support that she used was really the best to build her argument.