English 101 Essay Two: Rhetorical
Analysis Essay (750-word minimum)
Alice Walker, "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens" (or Another Text of Your
Choosing)
November 3:
Please upload your outline and essay to Canvas before class
begins.
Please bring two (2) copies of these documents with you to
class.
November 14:
Please upload your revised outline and revised essay to
Canvas by the end of the business day.
You will be developing a rhetorical analysis of Alice Walker's
"In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens" or another text of your
choosing.
Please review the discussion of this genre in the Little
Seagull Handbook, pp. 68-76, including the key elements:
Summary of the Text
Attention to the Context
Clear Interpretation or Judgment
Reasonable
Support for Conclusions
More specifically, you may consider some of these possible
approaches:
To what degree does Walker employ the classical
rhetorical appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos?
Explain how effectively she uses these appeals.
Explain Walker's discussion of the different images
traditionally used to describe black women, and black women
artists in particular. Which cultural contexts does she
identify as producing and perpetuating those images?
Explain the concept of contrary instincts and how Walker
uses this term to develop her argument.
Explain similarities and differences Walker identifies in
the experiences of African American women of the 19th and
20th centuries and the European women of the same time
period as discussed by Virginia Woolf.
Explain the differences between high and low art and the
use of these different forms by African American women as
Walker describes them.
Explain Walker's concept of "the notion of song" as it
relates to the experience of the African American women she
discusses.
Explain the importance of searching, as mentioned in
Walker's title. How does the notion of process function in
Walker's argument?
If you do not wish to discuss Walker, you may use another
text:
This text can be a song or music video or set of
songs/videos.
See the sample essay for an example of an analysis of
the relationship between a song and its video.
This text could be a commercial or set of commercials
for a particular brand or product.
For example, what makes the Progressive commercials
so effective or ineffective at making one want to
purchase that insurance?
Are the commercials starring Flo and her associates
more or less effective than those featuring Dr. Rick and
homeowners turning into their parents? Why?
This text could be an essay or article (or perhaps a
podcast or blog) that particularly interests you.
For example, what makes Malcolm X's discussion of
learning to read in prison so powerful? What rhetorical
appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) does he employ?
Papers must be double-spaced, and include an outline
(which does not count toward the 750-word minimum).
Be sure your thesis is clear and precise and that your
supporting evidence is adequate and effective.
Also be sure to eliminate all mechanical errors and to
use spell-check, both with your computer and your own eyes.
