Extra Credit Assignment - Analyzing Political Rhetoric

*Completing this optional assignment will allow you to erase 2 minor violations (either absences or missed reading responses) but you'll need to do a thorough and engaged job with it.

For this assignment, I'd like you to write an 800-900 word essay in which you examine the political rhetoric of a recent debate or stump speech. As we're in the heat of an election season, it shouldn't be too difficult to find something on Youtube that you can watch and re-watch in order to perform careful analysis. Before you watch the event, however, you need to read an essay over at Writing Spaces called "Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis." Reading this will provide you with the language you'll need to perform rhetorical analysis, and I'll expect that you show an understanding of the various concepts discussed in this article, especially these key terms: exigence, audience, rhetor, constraints. You might also refer to the Aristotelian appeals: ethos, pathos, logos.

Keep in mind that this essay should not simply be a summary of the debate/speech but needs to be a well developed argument about the speech/debate that summary could play a role in. You need to come up with an original argument about what makes a particular candidates speech effective from a rhetorical standpoint. What is the candidate trying to accomplish? What is s/he trying to make us believe, think or do after hearing their speech/talking points? You should also have specific points of evidence that supports your claim. For instance, quotes from the speech and analysis of those quotes.

To get credit, you'll need to meet the following criteria

• An original argument regarding the rhetorical effectiveness of the candidate's speech
• Familiarity/understanding of concepts from the reading 
• Use of concepts from the reading to illustrate and analyze certain features of the speech/debate 
• Realization and illustration of the candidate's argument. What s/he wants us to think, do, believe after hearing. 
• Works Cited page that cites the speech (you might have to look this up on Purdue's OWL or other resource) and the Writing Spaces article

If you're not meeting these criteria, I may send your essay back to you and ask you to revise.

Due Date: I will accept these any time before the course final (8am on 12/12)