When writing a rhetorical analysis, you are not saying whether or not you agree with the argument.

In this essay, you’ll be practicing the rhetorical analysis strategies we’ve been working on in this
unit. You will be analyzing the first chapter in the book, Stamped: Racism, Anti-racism, and You
by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi for the rhetorical strategies the authors used to write the
chapter. A rhetorical analysis should explore the rhetorician’s goals, the techniques (or tools)
used, examples of those techniques, and the effectiveness of those techniques. When writing a
rhetorical analysis, you are NOT saying whether or not you agree with the argument. Instead,
you’re discussing how the rhetorician makes that argument and whether or not the approach
used is successful.
In rhetorical analysis, first you’ll need to summarize what you’ve read (this should amount to
about half a page to a page of your essay). Next, you’ll identify the rhetorical elements of the
writers’ rhetorical situation–the exigence, audience, purpose, message, context, and genre.
Then, you’ll need to identify evidence from the chapter that shows how the writers were
responding to their rhetorical situation. Finally, you provide a brief evaluation of their work–how
successful they were at achieving their purpose for their given audience.
You’ll have to do a little bit of research on the internet to find out about the authors and the
book. You may find it useful to watch Trevor Noah’s interview with the authors. If you’re a
student who benefits from hearing the text as you read, you should know that this book is
available at Audible.com.
What Makes It Good? (Grading Criteria)
● The main point (thesis statement) of your rhetorical analysis should be what the chapter
accomplished and how the authors accomplished that purpose, the rhetorical strategies
they used in the chapter to make their message effective. (A template for the thesis may
be something like this: “In Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism and You, authors Jason
Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi __[what the chapter did]__, by __[how they did it]___.”
● The essay should provide a brief summary of the chapter of no more than one page.
● The essay should discuss the context of the chapter.
● The essay should be organized and provide an introduction and conclusion.
● The essay should include textual evidence of your claims (that means examples from
the chapter in the form of direct quotes).
Intro. 0.5 pg
summary – 1 pg.
Analysis sections – 1 pg. each (3)
Conclusion – 0.5 pg
4-5 pages probably