TAMIU FYWP Essay 3 Rhetorical Analysis 1301

Unit3 Peer Review Workshop

Directions: Mark your responses directly onto the paper you are editing. Or, you can write your
answers here. If you are unsure, simply state that something seems off but you are unsure of
what.

1. Is the essay in MLA format? If not, what suggestions can you make to the author to get it
to MLA format? Here is the link to OWL Purdue MLA so you can check:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_g
uide/mla_general_format.html

The essay is mainly in MLA format; however, the author is missing the Works Cited
page (which would only be the article she used to write the essay).

2. What is the thesis statement? Mark it in the essay.

“The article proposes arguments through statistics, mentioning polititian interviews, and
national events throught the article, to defend its stance.”

3. Is the author’s thesis statement clear and direct? Does it mention the name of the article
and the author of the article? Does it contain the 3-5 subpoints (rhetorical strategies) that
each body paragraph will discuss? Does it mention what the article/author’s argument is?
Does it mention if the argument is successfully, strongly, or persuasively made? If not,
give the author suggestions for revision.

The author's thesis statement is clear and direct but does not mention the article's name or
authors. Nevertheless, it does contain three subpoints that each body paragraph will
discuss. Yes, the author states how they propose arguments to defend their stance. The
thesis does mention how the arguments support the author’s stance; however, it does not
specify if they are successfully, strongly, or persuasively made. The author can revise
their thesis to: "The authors, ___, successfully defend their stance through statistics,
mentioning politician interviews and national events throughout the article, to support
their position in the article, ____.”

4. Does the author primarily focus on discussing what rhetorical strategy the author is using
and how/why it is effective, given who the intended audience for the source is in each
paragraph? If not, what are they focusing on? How can they switch their focus?

In the author's introduction, she mentions the rhetorical strategies used by the author;
however, she doesn't explain how/why they are effective given the intended audience. I
think she should mention the target audience in the introduction. Additionally, the
introduction contains details, such as information about the authors, the article, and
rhetorical strategies. I think the author could shift their focus on these details in the
introduction by integrating them into a more comprehensive thesis statement.
TAMIU FYWP Essay 3 Rhetorical Analysis 1301

5. Does each paragraph contain relevant topic sentences that let the reader know what the
paragraph is about and aren’t too vague or too specific? How can the author improve
their topic sentences if you believe they need revision?

The first topic sentence defines statistics, and while this is important, she should mention
logos in the topic sentence. For example, “The authors employ logos by integrating
statistics in their research article, enhancing their overall credibility.” After that sentence,
the author can expand on how/why it enhances the credibility of the authors.

6. Where could the author use more detail to further illustrate their explanation of the
rhetorical strategy being used and/or how/why it is effective? Mark these areas in the
text.

The author can use more detail to further illustrate their explanation of the rhetorical
strategy being used and how/why it is effective in the sentence: "The article proposes
arguments through statistics, gathering data from experts in the field, and referencing
specific national events throughout the article, to defend its stance." To provide more
specificity, the author might elaborate on the nature of the data, specifying whether it is
numerical, quantitative, or qualitative. Additionally, instead of a general reference to
"mentioning politician interviews," the author could determine that they are gathering
insights from interviews with political experts. Lastly, the author could briefly identify
which event they will discuss in relation to national events. After incorporating these
revisions, the author can state how each subpoint effectively defends the author’s stance.

Does the author avoid using words like “we, me, my our, I, us, etc.”? Mark in the text
where the author is getting distracted from what should be the main focus of the
paragraph or where they are not conducting a rhetorical analysis.

The author maintains an objective point of view throughout their essay.

7. What are three things that this author does very well?

1. The author explains the topic of her essay very well, with important details being
integrated into her writing.

2. The author has an intriguing hook.

3. The author’s essay flows very well, emphasizing her main points.

8. What are three revision suggestions you have for the writer?
TAMIU FYWP Essay 3 Rhetorical Analysis 1301

1. Make sure your thesis statement mentions the subpoints, article, authors, their
stance, and how it’s effective.

2. Condense some of the details of your intro into one sentence, which could be your
thesis.

3. Make sure your topic sentence mentions ethos, pathos, or logos.

9. What other strategies can I mention as part of the ethos?

If your article mentions a story that’s supposed to make the author appeal to a specific
emotion, you can express how that’s an example of ethos. If not, you don’t have to
mention ethos in your essay (I was struggling with the same thing).

10. Is the argument proposed a strong one?

Yes, the argument is strong; make sure to really emphasize it throughout your essay.

11. Are there any unneeded details included?

Maybe remove the sentence defining statistics. If you choose to keep it, mention it after
your topic sentence.