Essay Prompt

For your first essay assignment, you will be writing a rhetorical analysis of an argument about fast food and

health. First, you will need to choose an essay on which to write your analysis.

Choose one of the following:

1. David Zinczenko, “Don’t Blame the Eater” (They Say/I Say pp. 391-394)

2. RadleyBalko, “What You Eat Is Your Business” (They Say/I Say pp. 395-399)

3. Michelle Obama, “Remarks to the NAACP” (They Say/I Say pp. 417-433)

The following is an overview of the requirements for your essay:

1. After your introductory paragraph, write a brief summary of the argument. This is the “They Say”

part of your essay (see Chapter 1 of TS/IS). In this section, use your skills of summarizing

(Chapter 2 of TS/IS) and paraphrasing to highlight the main points of the essay. The summary

section should be no more than one third of your paper, and should normally fit into one concise

paragraph.

2. Next, you should compose a rhetorical analysis of the essay. In your analysis, you should first

identify the claim the writer is making and the types of evidence he or she is utilizing. Then you

should discuss the rhetorical situation of this piece, which is the purpose, occasion, and audience.

You should also consider the use of ethos, pathos, and logos and offer specific examples. You do

not have to discuss all three (ethos, pathos, and logos) if they do not play a significant part in the

text, but you may wish to discuss it anyway if the absence itself is noteworthy!

3. Finally, your rhetorical analysis should draw a conclusion about how effective the argument is and

focus your essay around that conclusion. Whether you agree or disagree with the author’s position

is not the point – your essay should analyze and evaluate the author’s effectiveness as a persuader.

This claim you make about the arguer’s effectiveness will become your thesis statement, which

appears at the end of your intro paragraph.

Essay Criteria

A successfully written paper will contain the following components:

• Length of the final draft should be three full pages minimum, typed, doubled-spaced, and with

proper MLA formatting, heading, and Works Cited page.

• Sources: (2 Total) You are required to borrow from and cite the essay from our text book you

have chosen to write about — as well as one other source, either print or online. All sources must

be cited in MLA style, both in-text and on the Works Cited page.

• The essay should contain a strong thesis statement that follows the claim + reason = thesis

formula. This thesis should make a claim about the effectiveness of the author’s argument, not

about whether you agree or disagree with the argument.

• In your essay, you should use your skills of summarizing and paraphrasing. I expect to see at

least one section that is paraphrased and properly cited.

• You must use at least three direct quotes from the essay you have chosen (see Chapter 3 of

TS/IS). Make sure you include proper attribution, citation, and commentary with your quote

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