Essay #2 Assignment
ENG. 1010/Emily Whitby
Due: November 4, 2013
In this assignment, your task is to
compose an essay in which you describe how one
text attempts to persuade the reader.
You need to draw on examples from the text and evaluate the persuasive
language in these examples using rhetorical
appeals, advertising appeals, and logical
fallacies.
Remember, this is not an essay
about your opinion of the text, or whether the text is “good” or “bad.” This is an essay in which you make an
argument about how the text persuades readers, and then support your claims
with examples from the text. In order to
accomplish this, you will need to discuss 1)
what the author is trying to achieve, 2)
how the author uses persuasive language to do it, and 3) whether the author is successful in persuading the reader and why. You must focus on these three things in your
essay in order to get credit for the essay.
Formatting:
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3-4 pages
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Double spaced
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12 pt. Times New Roman
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1” margins
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Include a Works Cited page at the end of your
essay (this does not count as a page of your essay)
Essay #2 Drafting Questions
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What is the author trying to make us think,
feel, or believe?
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Why does the author want us to think, feel, or
believe this?
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What rhetorical appeals does he or she use?
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What logical fallacies can you find in the text?
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Give specific examples of how the text tries to
persuade us.
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Give specific quotations from the text that are
particularly persuasive or manipulative.
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What specific words or images does the author
use to persuade us?
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Does the author succeed in his or her
purpose? What makes him or her
successful?
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What makes the author’s argument important or
significant?
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What else needs to be said about the
persuasive/manipulative language in the text?
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Overall, what can be gained by considering the
text’s persuasive language?
