What is a Rhetorical Analysis Essay?
"Freeform" writers such as myself, have a difficult time writing rhetorical analysis essays. RA essays require sophisticated writing in evaluating the way a text is structured to influence an audience. A rhetorical analysis demonstrates how the text, the author, and the audience share a correlation. When analyzing the content, one must include the way the Rhetor effectively uses rhetorical strategies to support their argument that they convey in their writing. Encouraging the author's argument is not the purpose of a rhetorical analysis essay, but instead analyzing how they use particular tools to help support their claims. Overall, when writing an RA essay, one should evaluate the content of the text and determine whether the text successfully reaches the author's objectives.
In weeks one through seven, I have participated in many academic activities that helped prepare me to write a well developed rhetorical analysis essay. Such as, "Connect" close reading assignments, applying metacognitive reading tools when annotating scholarly academic articles, and writing multiple drafts leading to my final RA essay while employing the feedback that I have gotten through my participation in peer review.
Artifact 1 Image: An excerpt from the annotations of my close readings of Artis Henderson's memoir, Unremarried Widow.
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Close Reading Connect Assignments
Throughout the first half of the Winter quarter, our primary focus was on the memoir, Unremarried Widow, written by Artis Henderson, which correlates with our theme of the rhetoric of mourning. To help build our knowledge on how to write an RA essay adequately, we were exposed to many assignments. Such as "Connect" close reading assignments. These assignments helped us gain a better understanding of the intended message and how it is conveyed throughout the memoir. I sat in front of my laptop with a cup of coffee in one hand and started the assignment. Throughout the progression of finishing the task, I found myself diving deeper into the meaning behind the text. I was no longer reading through the lines but rather understanding the way the words are portrayed. I had to think about the tone, context, and rhetorical tools that were applied throughout the memoir to help convey Henderson's message. When participating in the connect assignments, I learned to use my metacognitive readings to help broaden my knowledge and learn how to improve my annotating skills. Therefore, the repetitive tasks helped turn these concepts into habits. These tools drastically assisted me through the progression of finalizing the RA essay due to understanding what tools were applied in the memoir to establish an understanding that will strengthen my argument and aid in avoiding any vagueness that may contradict my claims. Even though the close readings guided me through the RA Essay, other Connect assignments also assisted me in improving my writing skills. Some tasks on Connect involved punctuation, subject-verb agreement, citing sources, paraphrasing, and quoting sources. By attempting these assignments on Connect, my grammar has improved, which aids with my writing skills as a whole.
Artifact 2 Image: An excerpt from the evolving process of forming a well-structured thesis.
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The Evolving Thesis
Starting the process of writing a fully developed rhetorical analysis essay was a tremendous burden, and let me make this clear, I wrote some “shitty” drafts. Still, you know what, that is entirely okay because drafting and incorporating any feedback while editing helps dramatically in the revision process. In my “shitty” first draft, my thesis was written clearly but lacked insight. The thesis was focused too much on stereotypes rather than the way Henderson uses characterization throughout her entire memoir. Therefore, I carefully revised my thesis to focus on the way Henderson uses characterization to convey her message. My first draft lacked clarity as to what rhetorical strategies Henderson employed in her memoir, so I needed to incorporate more analysis and scatter evidence in my essay, which negatively affected my thesis. A thesis is like the frosting of the cake. You need just the right amount to please the crowd. My comments stated throughout the entire essay required a share of relation to the thesis, so I had to add specific ideas and shift around my wording to avoid any vagueness. My rhetorical analysis essay was written as a sociology paper; therefore, I did not successfully write a rhetorical analysis thesis. To improve my thesis, I added more complex ideas to make it arguable and sophisticated. My thesis began to expand in length, so my biggest concern was sounding too “wordy.” But I was told that it is entirely okay; only if my thesis relates to my ideas that are being conveyed throughout the entire rhetorical analysis.
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The Introductory Paragraph
Remember when you were a young child learning how to ride a bike? The first time you fall, but you get right back up and shake it off due to the excitement of learning a new activity, but you fall all over again; however, that does not stop you from trying until you learn to grasp the concept successfully. That is how I felt when writing my RA essay. The first two attempts were utterly disorganized. Conveying ideas without some sort of structure is like going for a drive without knowing the directions. As a person who needs drastic improvements in the area of rhetorical analysis, It was no surprise that my eagerness to finish my RA essay was eating me alive. When beginning the essay, I typed down all of my ideas down without following a specific template. For instance, the “paraburger.” Nor did I pay attention to any of the vagueness stated in my employed ideas. I should have been on the right path to writing a proper RA essay of Henderson’s memoir, Unremarried Widow, by following a particular template. Still, instead, I was summarizing the entire text, the lack of analysis led to a poorly written essay. I revised my past mistakes when finalizing my rhetorical analysis essay by establishing more analytical arguments to support my claim of Henderson using characterization throughout the memoir by grasping examples of Henderson’s memoir and outside sources. Learning from my mistakes and applying what I’ve learned from previous assignments has helped my academic ethos and assisted me in being part of an academic discourse community.
Artifact 3 Image: An excerpt from my final introductory paragraph demonstrating drastic improvement
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Peer Review
Participating in peer review and getting feedback from my professor and classmates has helped me make significant revisions for my final rhetorical analysis essay, which led to drastic improvements. When I first saw my document marked and covered with red comments throughout my entire essay, my heart dropped. There were times when I questioned my writing skills but then realized that those comments weren’t written for me to doubt my ability to write but instead helped shape my writing skills to grow as a writer. I soon realized that giving my peers feedback is more helpful than receiving input because I was able to see different perspectives and find inspiration by reading their work. When I first heard of peer review, I automatically assumed that it was just “busy” work. Still, when participating in the activity, I learned that I could always find ways to help enrichen the rhetorical analysis, which helps me understand what concepts make a well-developed essay and apply those concepts into my writings. Receiving feedback is also very important in the revision process because it also helps the writer gain another pair of eyes to catch any mistakes and find ways to make the essay stronger. After all, suggestions are being advised by those who have a different perspective on their views. Because of peer review, I learned that my essay was focused too much on stereotypes, and instead of analyzing Henderson’s strategies to convey her message, I summarized. Without peer review, I would remain lost in the revision process and have submitted a poorly written essay with weak analysis. Writing an essay with academic rhetorical analysis and with a scholarly ethos is part of the RA essay rubric, which means I am fulfilling the course objectives.
Artifact 4 Image: A screenshot of the feedback that I received from my professor for my first draft of my RA essay.
RA Essay Reflection:
Recovering from my rhetorical analysis drafts was chaotic, but I finished the task, and now the tension of waiting for my score lingers through my mind. For my final rhetorical analysis draft, my RA essay focussed on how Henderson uses characterization and historical and cultural context as her primary rhetorical strategies in conveying her message of how women are constantly stereotypically labeled. Throughout my RA essay, I demonstrated how Henderson and other women in the memoir struggled to overcome these stereotypes through their experiences as military wives. The message that she successfully spreads is about how certain people create assumptions towards military wives, and one must learn to demolish these myths, so she conveyed this by providing us flashbacks of memories that focused on the historical culture of military wives. Even though women value their independence, it can be difficult in a community that forces them to “obey” specific rules. I was incorporating evidence from the memoir and outside sources about how Henderson characterizes her characters as evidence for my claims. For instance, I used the character Teresa as an example. Teresa falls under the classic military wife stereotype, a woman who follows orders from their husbands despite their self-interests. Still, Henderson carefully explains that not all women are the same by using her character traits and by introducing other characters throughout the memoir. Overall, It was challenging to meet the requirements of the RA essay rubric, I was afraid of writing a paper that did not provide enough analysis. I consider myself more of a creative writer, rather than an analytical one, so this essay was challenging. I overcame this hurdle, but continually asking questions and employing all of my feedback in my essay. Throughout the revision process, I focused on the devices that Henderson used and provided examples that support her argument. Despite the difficulty, this assignment has taught me to step out of my comfort zone and practice new ways of writing, which have helped me become part of an academic discourse community. Exposing myself to new ways of writing and learning about different rhetorical analytical tools allows me to become a better writer. Therefore, I am grateful for the opportunity to be introduced to new tasks that will shape my writing skills.
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Comparing the RA to the RP essay
The process of writing the RA and RP essay was entirely different. Each piece had its stylistic way of writing, as they both differ in the use of rhetorical strategies and genre conventions that were employed in the text.
In my rhetorical analysis essay, I had to analyze the text of Henderson's memoir, Unremarred Widow, by using metacognition tools to help understand how Henderson conveys her intended message through the use of rhetorical strategies. Henderson employs a vast amount of vivid details and emotions to help her persuade the audience into understanding her stance of the argument and believing Henderson's claims. She convinces her audience through the use of historical and cultural contexts. Employing genre conventions allows Henderson to make her audience her primary focus, which is generalized towards women. Notably, young women who have lost and are grieving, or are feminists or military wives. She reaches the audience by letting herself in the reader's mind through the use of sensory details; this allows the reader to understand her stance towards her argument. Henderson's intended message is based on the historical and cultural context of military wives and how others stereotypically label them. She conveys her message through the use of rhetorical devices such as imagery, appeals, and flashbacks. In my RA essay, I used a significant amount of quotes to support my argument. The RA essay involved research, care analytical revision, and plenty of evidence.
The RP memoir essay, on the other hand, included more of a creative type of writing rather than analytical. I had to portray dialogue, sensory details, and flashbacks to convey my intended message. Both essays shared some similarities as well, such as employing sensory details, appeals, flashbacks, and both the innocent and experienced voice. My targeted audience for the RP memoir essay was young adults who have suffered from a loss of a loved one. I drew my audience in by conveying significant amounts of vivid details that make the reader feel as if they were in a trance, reliving my past as if they were there next to me the whole time. I also used dialogue to help my audience understand my emotions and what was going on in the essay. I want my readers to understand that just because we lose someone important in our life doesn't mean we have to lose ourselves as well while falling into temptations. For instance, people would instead find an easy escape to deal with the pain, rather than embracing the pain and converting it into a drive. People go to drugs, alcohol, and toxic relationships to numb the pain. So throughout my memoir, I am going to discuss my experience of how I coped with the loss of a parent without falling into temptations that will only do me harm. My use of imagery and dialogue will help me get my intended message across to the public.
RP Memoir Essay:
RA Essay:
Artifact 5 Images: Two excerpts from my RP Memoir and RA Essay demonstrating the way I ended both essays differently while incorporating some rhetorical strategies.
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The Power of Dialogue
Dialogue is like the icing on a birthday cake. This strategy is one of the most significant elements of the entire RP memoir essay. Without dialogue, there would not be a way to add emotion or demonstrate clarity. The first piece of dialogue that I used was with my mamá. One piece of dialogue that stood out the most in my memoir was with the Dean of the School. Throughout our interaction, you can sense the feelings in which I am enduring, such as anxiety. Dialogue adds more details that permit the audience to gain a better understanding of the tone, setting, emotion, and the intended message. I used quotations from the memoir as evidence for my argument that most signified emotion, and that also supports my claims, which also gives me credibility as I am analyzing the text. The same goes for the dialogue that I have chosen for each character that I introduced in my RP memoir. Throughout each piece of dialogue, a different emotion is conveyed. Providing dialogue also demonstrates credibility because you are allowing the audience to see your pain through the use of flashbacks.
The quotes that I have chosen in my RA essay demonstrates the use of the innocent and experienced voice. Using this strategy allows Henderson to convey her message through emotions and also permits her to develop characters throughout the memoir. In my RP Memoir essay, I used my innocent and experienced voice when talking about my memories and what I learned from that painful experience. This genre convention has allowed me to convey emotions and clarity while introducing my characters. My retrospective voice is what allows the audience to relate to my character and help the reader understand my intended message. Both essays had different requirements and writing styles. Yet, they both had one thing in common, the importance of clearly developing a connection with the targeted audience, either through the use of flashbacks or sensory details. Those who want to improve their writing can embrace all the techniques that we have learned in class. These techniques will allow us to make growth as a writer. These tools have allowed me to also earn my part in being part of an academic discourse community, and I remain grateful for the opportunity new ways of improving my writing for future references.
RP Memoir Essay:
RA Essay:
Artifact 6 Images: Two excerpts from my RP Memoir and RA Essay of which I used dialogue.
Final Reflection:
After writing two entirely different essays and consistently revising them before final submission, I learned many different stylistic pieces of writing. I learned how to write a rhetorical analysis correctly and how to write a memoir that demonstrates a bundle of emotions. In the rhetorical analysis essay, I learned to cite sources and look beyond the obvious by analyzing the text. I was able to understand the different strategies that Henderson incorporated in her memoir, which allowed me to use the same techniques for my RP Memoir Essay. In my memoir essay, I used a variety of tools such as dialogue, imagery, and illustrated both characters and setting. In both essays, I had to focus on a primary audience. They were both different audiences in which I wanted to convey my intended message. The process of writing these entirely different essays was eye-opening to the various elements of writing, and the distinct purpose of creating a piece worth reading. I genuinely enjoyed writing these essays and seeing my progression throughout the entire Winter quarter. Participating in the process of writing these essays and going to office hours or conferences has allowed me to be part of an academic discourse community and follow the course objectives of Writing 39B. I know that I often mention the importance of being part of an academic discourse community, but the Writing 39B course was my first actual academic discourse community, and I am grateful to be a part of it and for. everything that I have learned.