Analytic & Argumentative Writing Textual Analysis/Visual Rhetoric

Authors and creators often aim to persuade their audience to think or feel a certain way. Visual and textual analyses share the goal of informing or persuading an audience. When analyzing a visual document, it is essential to consider ethos, pathos, and logos, as well as the overall effectiveness and persuasiveness of the image.

You will begin this essay by selecting a digital advertisement. This advertisement could be located on a social media site, a gaming platform, or website. Once you have selected an advertisement, you will write your analysis with a focus on these important points:

1. What is the purpose or goal of the advertisement? What idea does the image introduce and how does that image relate to the message they want to convey to their audience?

2. Who is the intended audience? Different social media platforms attempt to engage specific audiences, so you will need to identify the audience you believe the advertisement is engaging.

3. What strategies/tools does the advertisement use to create that message? Does the advertisement rely on specific colors or symbols to engage and persuade the audience?

4. Do the strategies work? Are they successful?

5. Address the “so what” question. Why should the audience be aware of the persuasive techniques used in the advertisement?

After spending time evaluating images, it’s clear that many advertisements introduce more than one message, so part of your job will be to focus on one message; that is, you are identifying and analyzing that message. You will then support your perspective with evidence, explaining how the strategies/techniques you’ve chosen convey the meaning you’ve determined. Then, you will evaluate the success of those strategies. Finally, you’ll argue why this type of advertising awareness is important.

Each essay must include:

· An introduction that summarizes the advertisement, provides context, and leads to the thesis

· A thesis that is clear, concise, arguable, and specific

· A minimum of three, well-developed body paragraphs that use the PIE organization method (point, illustrate, explain)

· A smooth transition between all paragraphs

· A conclusion that answers the “So what” question. How does this analysis relate to the larger conversation about the broad topic? Why is this important for consumers to consider?

The commentary genre allows writers to express their opinions, insights, and analysis on a specific topic. Podcasts have become a significant and easily accessible medium for sharing information, opinions, and stories, reaching a broad and diverse audience. Podcasts are a great example of commentary. Select a specific podcast or podcast episode that has resonated with you recently. Write a commentary analyzing its impact, content, and delivery.

Consider the following questions as you craft your essay:

· How does the podcast engage with its audience and provoke thought?

· What is the main topic or issue addressed in the podcast, and why is it significant?

· How effectively does the podcast present different perspectives or counterarguments?

· In what ways does the podcast use storytelling or interviews to enhance its message?

· What are the strengths and weaknesses of the podcast in terms of content and production quality?

· Answer the “so what” question. Why should your reader care about this commentary?

Your essay should introduce the podcast and episode you’ve chosen. Summarize the content for your reader and introduce your thesis, which should argue how effective the podcast is and the intended impact it has on the audience.

The body of your essay should reflect on how the podcast has influenced your thinking or perspective on the topic.Your analysis of the content should focus on the main arguments presented in the podcast. Consider how the podcast engages with its audience (e.g., through storytelling, interviews, humor).

Your conclusion will summarize your main points and restate your thesis. Try to avoid repeating your thesis statement; instead, argue why the reader should care about this topic. Think of your reader and think about how you can persuade them to see the significance of podcasts as a medium for commentary.

This essay will help you critically engage with contemporary media and develop your skills in analyzing and articulating your perspectives on current issues.

When we write, we spend time thinking about our goal, our audience, and the medium we will use to share this information. Presentations must consider the same concepts, so the focus on ethos, pathos, and logos is key. As a presenter, you want the audience to consider you a credible resource (ethos). A presentation offers a different medium for you to engage with your audience, so building an emotional connection (pathos) is also important. The best presenters can balance an emotional appeal, perhaps the use of humor, and engaging content (logos) to persuade the audience and achieve a specific goal.

For this assignment, you will create a presentation about the field of study you are interested in pursuing in college. This presentation will require you to consider your personal motivation along with research information about the degree field.

Your presentation should include the following elements:

· Personal interest – what about this degree of field interests you?

· Overview of the degree or field – what information is important for you to share with your peers?

· Specializations and Focus Areas- what would you like to do once you complete your academic goals?

· Practical Experience – Research and share any opportunities including internships, additional certificates, or current job openings.

Once you locate the answers to these questions, start planning your presentation. You can use any digital program you feel comfortable with include PowerPoint, Canva, Prezi, or Google Slides.

The best presentations will share visual information that will keep your audience’s attention. So, think about creating presentation slides that supplement your topic. Avoid including too much text or reading directly from your slides. Professional writing has a common rule that slides should follow a 6X6 rule, no more than six lines of text and no more than six words per line. Like all rules, this rule can be broken, if necessary, but this is your overall goal.

Reflection on Your Writing Process

As you reflect on the essay you recently completed, take some time to consider the various stages of your writing process. Reflection writing will help you gain insights about the processes that contributed to your writing, the personal struggles you encountered, and your perception of the final document. Ultimately, you are considering the effectiveness of your strategies and the final result of your process.

Below you will find a list of guiding questions you can use to help you organize and reflect on your writing process. You do not need to respond to every question, but they should help you summarize, organize, evaluate, and reflect on your own writing process:

Pre-writing and Planning

1. How did you approach the initial stages of your essay?

2. What strategies did you use to brainstorm and organize your ideas?

3. What resources or tools were most helpful during this stage?

Drafting

1. Describe your drafting process. Did you write multiple drafts or a single one?

2. How did you ensure your thesis statement was clear and supported throughout the essay?

Revising and Editing

1. How did you work on improving the structure, coherence, and clarity of your essay?

2. Did you seek feedback from peers, instructors, or writing centers? If so, how did you incorporate this feedback into your revisions?

Attributes of Effective Writing

1. What personal attributes (e.g., persistence, creativity, attention to detail) helped you create an effective piece of writing?

2. How did these attributes influence your writing process and the quality of your final essay?

Personal Struggles

1. What specific struggles or obstacles did you encounter while writing this essay?

2. How did you overcome these struggles? Reflect on how these challenges have impacted your development as a writer.

Perception of the Final Document

1. How do you perceive your final essay?

2. Are you satisfied with the outcome? Why or why not?

3. What aspects of your essay do you think were most successful, and what areas do you believe could still use improvement?

Overall Writing Process

1. Looking at your writing process as a whole, what have you learned about your approach to writing essays?

2. How might you adjust or improve your writing process for future assignments?

Your reflective essay should be thoughtful and supported, providing detailed examples and specific experiences to illustrate your points. The format of this essay can use a narrative approach with storytelling elements when applicable. This reflection will not only help you understand your strengths and areas for growth as a writer, but it will also prepare you for future writing tasks.

Review Essay Prompt: Artificial Intelligence in Education

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming various sectors, including education. As AI becomes more prevalent, the academic world must consider its ethical implications, especially for college students.

This assignment asks you to write a review essay examining the impact of AI on education. Since AI is such a large topic, consider completing these tasks first:

· research any necessary foundational information about AI in education. What information do your readers’ need to know about AI?

· consider your personal use of AI, any instructor information you’ve received about AI, and your college’s stance on AI.

· review the information you’ve gathered as you begin to formulate your review of AI.

A review essay should be an objective review of both the benefits of a concept as well as the challenges. In this essay, consider both

Benefits of AI in Education:

· Analyze the potential benefits of AI for students, educators, and educational institutions.

· Include examples of improved learning outcomes, personalized learning experiences, and administrative efficiencies.

Challenges and Concerns of AI in Education:

· Address the challenges and concerns associated with the use of AI in education. Is it ethical for a student to utilize AI to assist them with their coursework?

· Consider issues such as data privacy, equity in access to AI tools, and the potential for bias in AI algorithms.

Once you introduce the pros and cons, you should end your essay with a focus on the future prospects of AI in the college setting and your own reflection regarding the use of AI in the college setting. After considering this complex issue, what is your stance on AI use in education?

Profiling a Significant Person in Your Life

The Profile writing genre allows writers to investigate and learn about the character and experiences of a person or place. This essay gives you the opportunity to share a comprehensive, engaging, and often enlightening new perspective of the subject with your reader.

Have you ever been told you should listen to a friend’s or family member’s stories to learn more about them? Is there a place that you can close your eyes and see vividly? Your goal is to write a profile of a significant location or person in your life— this could a family member, friend, neighbor or a location that has meaning for you. The aim is to reveal and share unique aspects of your subject through vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and personal reflections.

You’ll start this essay by choosing a subject that has had a meaningful impact on your life. Consider someone whose story, personality, or actions intrigue you and can offer a rich narrative for your profile or a location that you can vividly describe. This could be a grandparent whose cooking feels like home, a coach who encouraged you to try something new, or a place you visit when you want to feel safe or calm. Start thinking about the information you need to describe this subject.

After spending time thinking about the descriptions, you can start organizing your ideas into a profile essay that brings your subject to life for the reader. Your essay should include:

o Introduction: Introduce your subject, providing necessary background information and capturing the reader’s interest. Consider starting with a compelling anecdote, memory, or an intriguing fact about the subject.

o Body: Develop the profile through detailed descriptions and narratives. Highlight key aspects your readers need to know in order to understand the significance of the subject. Discuss the subject’s impact on you and others, weaving in quotes and stories.

o Conclusion: Summarize the key points and reflect on the broader significance of your subject. Why is this person or location important to you? Offer closing thoughts that provide a sense of closure and insight.

Questions to Guide Your Writing:

· What unique qualities or characteristics define your subject?

· How has this person influenced or shaped your life and the lives of others?

· What specific stories or anecdotes best illustrate your subject’s personality and significance?

· How can you use descriptive language to create a vivid, engaging portrait of your subject?

· What broader themes or insights can be drawn from your subject’s story?

As a college student, you are uniquely positioned to identify areas within your college experience that could be improved. For this assignment, you will write a proposal essay that introduces a specific problem or area of need at your college and presents a plan or suggestion to address the problem. Since proposals are persuasive acts, you should consider your audience and their needs as you plan your essay. Finally, your proposal should offer a feasible solution to the problem, supported by research and evidence.

Proposals commonly include the following elements:

Introduction: Introduce the problem or need you would like to address. Consider using an emotional appeal to hook your reader in the introduction by explaining how this situation impacts the reader.

Problem Description: What does the reader need to know about the problem? Who are the current stakeholders? Who does this problem impact?

Proposed Solution: Introduce your solution and explain how it addresses the problem. Be as clear and direct as possible since you are trying to persuade the reader to agree with this specific course of action.

Benefits: Persuade your reader to support your proposal by explaining the benefits of your plan.

Consider the Counterargument: What may hold back your reader from agreeing with your proposal? What objections should you consider?

Feasibility: How do you plan to implement your proposal? Provide evidence or examples of similar solutions that have been successful at other colleges.

Conclusion: Summarize the key points of your proposal.

Once you’ve determined your proposal topic, use the previous sections to start outlining your essay. You will want to consider the roadblocks for your proposal and address them as a way to build your reader’s confidence about the proposal and persuade them to support your ideas.

Possible Topics:

· Improving mental health services on campus.

· Enhancing campus sustainability initiatives.

· Increasing access to career services and internship opportunities.

· Revamping or expanding campus dining options.

· Enhancing academic support services.

· Improving campus safety and security measures.

A reading response is commonly described as an essay that shares a close reading of a text and provides a thoughtful, critical evaluation of various elements about the story, organization, or author’s writing techniques. This analysis starts with your interpretation of the text, so keep notes of how you feel and your immediate thoughts as you read the short story. These notes will help you transition your perception of the story into an engaging reader response essay.

You may have to read the text several times and consider different elements including the plot, characters, writing style, symbolism, and other unique elements. Annotating the text as you read will help you organize your thoughts and questions about the story.

For this assignment, you will select a short story to read, annotate, and analyze. Once you’ve read the story, think about the aspects that you found the most interesting because a unique literary analysis will come from your perception of the piece. You should consider why your perception or response to the text may be different than others? What makes your understanding of the story unique?

Your essay should include the following elements:

· An introduction that introduces the short story’s title and author. Include a short summary of the story.

· A thesis statement that introduces your interpretation of the story.

· Body paragraphs that develop your perceptive on the story. This might include body paragraphs that analyze the theme, characters, narrative strategies, and other interesting aspects.

· A conclusion that addresses your thesis and offers a final thought or reflection on the story’s impact or relevance.

Here is a resource of many open-resource short stories you can review as you decide what store to select. You can also view The College Voice’s article “Ten Short Stories that will change Your Life.”

During your college career, you will be asked to write in multiple genres, including memoir. A memoir is a powerful genre because it gives you (the writer) an opportunity to reflect on the events that have shaped your life. Writing a memoir provides you with the opportunity to share your experiences and connect with others.

One unique aspect about a memoir is that it focuses on a specific experience rather than telling a story of your entire life. A memoir reflects on a specific event, a period of time, or a series of experiences that led to profound change. The experience you introduce in your memoir could have occurred when you were a child or last week, but your essay will focus on what you’ve gained from the experience.

To begin, spend a few minutes thinking about important or defining moments in your life. These could include learning a new skill, meeting a new person, facing adversity, or a major life event. Once you decide on an experience, focus on describing the event in an engaging and vivid way. You should also think about how this experience has helped shape who you are today.

Your essay should include:

· An introduction that hooks your reader and provides necessary background information. How can you introduce your experience and build suspense so the reader wants to continue reading.

· Body paragraphs that set the scene and describes the experience. Where did it happen? What do you remember about the location? What time of day was it? Was there any background noise or smells?

· A reflection and description of the impact this experience has had on you as a person. Consider your immediate reactions and your long-term impact.

· A conclusion that focuses on the broader implications of your experience. How do you think this experience will impact your future self and your future choices?

If you’d like examples of published short memoirs, you can review the article “18 Essay-Length Short Memoirs to Read Online on Your Lunch Break.”

Creativity and storytelling are commonly used to share stories, strong emotions, hopes, and fears. Essentially, it is a genre that allows you to express yourself in formats other than strict essay writing. Creative writing is a skill that has many benefits including enhancing communication skills, developing critical thinking skills, and stimulating the imagination and creativity. These skills can be transferred to many other types of writing and communication.

Writing in one of the creative writing genres may seem exciting or overwhelming. Many students are eager to create content that uniquely expresses their thoughts and emotions while others prefer to enjoy other writer’s work. Based on your preference, you can select one of the following prompts.

Option 1: Locate a publisher, press, magazine, blog, or agency that you find interesting. The goal is to locate publishing opportunities for college students. Review several of the published examples and write a creative writing piece that fits well in that organization or publication. For example, you may review the publication Words with Weight and decide you’d like to write a short story for this publication.

If you select this option, you should learn about the genres writing conventions. For example, if you want to write a flash fiction piece, you will need to know about the word limit and common themes.

Option 2: Locate a publisher, press, magazine, blog, or agency that focuses on college writing and publications and select a piece to analyze. Your essay should consider the type of publication, the author’s piece, your perceived meaning, and any writing strategies you notice. You can review the Reading Response chapter for more information about this type of writing.

If you select this option, you will also need to learn about the genre. For example, if you choose to evaluate a piece of literary journalism, you need to understand how factual report writing is combined with narrative techniques to engage the reader.

Whether you are a creative writer at heart, a student who wants to develop their creative writing skills, or a student who simply enjoys the writing of others, this essay introduces you to opportunities for college writers. A good resource to start your creative writing research is Where to Publish Writing by Teens & Older Students or Where Young Authors Can Submit.