English 1004

Rhetorical Analysis
Due Dates
• The first draft of your paper is due on Tuesday, October 22nd . Please bring two
printed copies to class with you and submit a copy to Moodle. Also submit a copy to
your Online Tutor

• The final draft is due on Thursday, 10/31. Please bring one printed copy to class and
submit a copy to Moodle. Also, bring a printed copy of the feedback you received from
your Pearson online Tutor and your draft from in-class conferencing

200 Points

Paper Requirements:
* You are to write a 1200- to 1500-word rhetorical analysis of a documentary photograph/s that you have selected.
You will have to select a photograph or two that has had some research done about it, as this assignment requires
secondary sources.
*Should include 2- 3 secondary sources
*Should include photo/s in your essay (no more than two)
*Double-spaced
*One-inch margins
*12 pt. standard font—Times New Roman
*MLA Formatting (See our text or Purdue Owl).

Purpose
Based on what you have/will read in the textbook and what we have discussed in class about rhetoric and
the rhetorical appeals or artistic proofs (ethos, pathos, logos), this assignment asks you to think about how
and why a particular visual/photograph works (or doesn’t work) rhetorically.

In addition to being well written and organized, the most successful responses to this assignment will do
the following (these are not listed in order):
 Depict/reflect the various strategies for analyzing a visual, which includes components of
the Rhetorical Context and the Persuasive Effects of a photograph as outlined in your Allyn
and Bacon text on pages 232-235.
 Describe the rhetorical context surrounding the visual (purpose, original target audience,
cultural context etc – see page 232).
 Describe the Persuasive Effects of your selected photograph (how people/landscapes
function in the photo and composition elements such as distance, angle, frame, light, focus,
scale, repetition, line, color etc. – see pages 233-235)
 Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of how the artistic proofs (rhetorical appeals)
are working in the text.
 Include a clear and precise thesis statement (an analytical claim with reasons about how the
text works)
 Explain and analyze how the photographer builds and presents his/her message/argument.
 Explain and analyze how the author connects with (or fails to connect with) the
original/current audience.

Audience
Your audience for this assignment is your classmates and me.
You will receive comments from one classmate on this draft, and from me during our in class conference
time and from your Pearson online tutor. You will use these comments to revise your paper.

Citation and Documentation

When using quotes to support your analysis (and you should), you must include proper MLA in-text
citation and a works cited entry. (See Purdue Owl for how to do this).

Tips for Doing a Rhetorical Analysis (See page Moodle and 255-263 in your text for an example of
this essay).
 The first thing you need to do is select a photograph/s to work with. You may want to select
photographs that connect to a particular time or movement throughout history that is interesting to
you. You should be able to find at least three secondary sources that you can include as part of your
analysis, so make sure you select your photograph accordingly. (See page 228, 230, & 260-261 in
your text for an example of an acceptable photo)
 Next, study the visual under analysis and pinpoint the message in the photograph. Decide what you
think the author is trying to persuade the audience to think or do. Look at the example analysis on
page 255 of our text for an understanding of how to address both the persuasive effects and
rhetorical context connected to your visual.
 Then, try to develop an interesting and specific claim/thesis about what the photograph means.
Think about how the visual is working, what types of appeals it relies on, how it establishes logos,
ethos, and pathos, and the ways it engages with the issue at hand. In short, you’ll need to be
rhetorical and not political as you work out your analysis.
 Next, identify those places in the photograph/s that speak directly to your thesis. What parts of the
photograph/s make you argue what you’re arguing in your analysis? How and why did they make
you come to your claim or conclusion? At this point you might also want to think about
organization. How might you best incorporate these points into your rhetorical analysis? In what
order should they go?
 Then, start writing. In a formal essay, you’ll probably begin with an engaging introduction that also
includes your very specific thesis statement. (For example of a thesis statement, see Lydia
Wheeler’s “Two Photographs Capture Women’s Economic Misery” on page 260 of our text. She
writes, “A close look at these two photos shows that through their skilful use of photographic
elements such as focus, framing, orientation, and shape, Stephen Crowley and Dorothea Lange
capture the unique emotional and physical realities of their subjects, eliciting compassion and
admiration, respectively.”)
 Early in your paper, identify the rhetorical situation for the photo/s you are analyzing. In other
words, explain who you think the target audience is and why you think the photographer took the
photo. This discussion will provide important background information for your readers.
 As you move into the body of your essay, you’ll need to analyze the elements of the photo you
have identified in your thesis. You do this by first summarizing the portion of the photo you want
to deal with. It’s your job to provide context for such descriptions. Next, use your own writing and
thinking to demonstrate how this section of the photo is working in reference to your claim. Be
very clear about how this particular section of the photo advances what you intend to say about the
photo as a whole. This is your analysis section, and it’s the most important thing you will do in this
paper. Finally, conclude your essay with a synthesis of the analytical work you’ve done, and leave
your reader with something interesting to think about in the conclusion.
 If you get stuck, return to the criteria for analyzing visuals section of your text from page 232-235.
Remember that there is a sample rhetorical analysis for you to reference in Moodle and page 255 in
your text.