Name

Mr. Voulgarides
English 12
Date:

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Due Dates (submitted to Google Classroom)

 Working Thesis + Outline: Wednesday, January 15th
 Final Copy: Sunday, January 19th 11:59pm
 Final Copy audio recording: Sunday, January 19th 11:59pm

Context: Over the last few weeks, we’ve looked at how past and contemporary
African American writers have examined the topics of race, identity, justice, literacy,
and systematic oppression here in America. From Baldwin to Coates, generations of
writers responded to the times, and created a social commentary through writing.

Task: In a well-developed essay, analyze the rhetorical choices the writer makes to
convey his message.

In your commentary, be sure to:

 Focus on language: Identify the rhetorical choice
 Consider the effect on the audience: Discuss how the writer may be
appealing to audience’s reason, emotions, or sense of trust in the author
 Consider author’s purpose: Why does he do this? How do these language
choices to develop the argument?

Be sure to:
 Include a clear thesis that addresses the prompt
 Develop your argument with precise and relevant evidence
 Analyze how the speaker uses specific rhetorical choices to develop
the central argument. Throughout your analysis, address the
rhetorical situation (SOAPSTone)
 Organize your ideas logically. Sequence information to enrich your
reader’s understanding
 Be mindful of sentence fluency. Engage your reader and craft
sentences that deliver maximum impact.
 Follow the conventions of English rules for grammar, spelling, and
punctuation
 Adhere to all MLA Formatting Conventions, including a Works Cited
Page
 Options for Rhetorical Analysis:

Option 1: Analyze the rhetorical choices the writer makes to convey a well-focused message.

Choose one of the following to analyze:

 Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

 “My Dungeon Shook: A Letter to My Nephew on the Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation” by James
Baldwin

 “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro” by Frederick Douglass

 “Learning to Read” from The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley by Malcolm X and Alex Haley

Option 2: Theme
Coates explores several broad themes, including race, racism, and systemic oppression; fear; father-son relationships;
the search for identity; education; and justice, among others. Trace the development of one or more of these themes
throughout the text. How does Coates develop this theme? What events or details are most central to his development
of this theme? Analyze the rhetorical choices Coates makes to develop his argument.

Option 3: Motif
Examine Coates’s use of motif to develop a well focused argument:

Option A - The Body: Trace the development of the author’s use of the motif of the black body, showing how
examples and language choices develop a well focused message. Why does he use this language and how does
it affect his audience? What does Coates say about the precarious nature of his body? What dangers does he
cite that threaten the safety of his body? Examine the specific instances in which Coates describes his black
body, the violence enacted upon it, and his attempts to preserve his body and the bodies of loved ones. What
explicit ideas about the perceived value of black life do these examples support?

Option B: The Dream: Trace the development of the author’s use of the motif of the Dream, showing how
examples and language choices develop a well focused message. What, exactly, is “the Dream” as Coates
describes it? Who is able to experience the Dream? What prevents Coates and his loved ones from realizing
that same Dream? How does Coates’s version of the Dream differ from other, idealized versions of the Dream
favored by popular media, literature, and other outlets? Why might Coates’s aversion to the Dream as it is
traditionally conceived be difficult for Americans to accept?

Other possible options: Armor, Galaxies, etc.

Option 4: Compare and Contrast: Building on the Traditions of Icons

Option A: Both Between the World and Me and “My Dungeon Shook” Ta-Nehisi Coates and James Baldwin,
respectively, write “letters to young relatives” in order to reach a larger audience and establish purpose and
argument about race in America. In your analysis, compare and contrast the rhetorical choices of the writers.
How do Coates and Baldwin approach the topic, establish claims, and connect with their audiences?

 Option B – Examine the Metaphor of Mecca: How does Coates’s use of language regarding the Howard
University evoke the experience of intellectual and spiritual development? How does Coates build on the
form Malcolm X established in his “Letter from Mecca” and or, “Learning to Read.” Establish a position,
comparing and contrasting Coates’s and Malcolm X’s use of language.

Option 5: Develop your own prompt with approval from teacher

Some questions adapted from Penguin Random House Teachers Guide https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/teachers-guide/220290/between-the-
world-and-me/ (thanks for the reminder MP)