Lecture Notes for Critical Analysis

Lecture Notes for Critical Analysis

Your reading assignments for the Critical Analysis essay are as follows: Starting at the

bottom of page 134 in your Composition and Rhetoric Guide, read the section that covers

"Textual Analysis" and "Purpose and Technique" (134-136).

The Critical Analysis essay relies heavily on being able to understand what another author is

writing about, and being able to analyze whether that author is successful at achieving his or her

purpose. We arrive at this conclusion about the author's success by examining how the author

uses Rhetorical Tools to achieve his or her intended purpose. Having said this, you will want to

go back in your Comp/Rhet Guide and also reread the "Appearing Credible" section

(Ethos, Pathos, and Logos) on page 102.

Once you have figured out what the author's purpose is for writing (what the author is trying to

communicate to his or her audience), then you can craft your thesis statement. The formula for

your Critical Analysis Thesis is: Subject (who the author is and what the author is writing about)

+ an argumentative opinion about whether or not the author is successful at achieving his or her

desired purpose.

Your Body Paragraphs for this essay will be about the following: Body Paragraph One – Is the author successful in terms of using Ethos or not? Something about

Ethos, trustworthiness, or credibility should be your Topic Sentence for this paragraph.

Body Paragraph Two – Is the author successful in terms of using Logos or not? Something about

the author’s use of logic and reason should be your Topic Sentence for this paragraph.

Body Paragraph Three – Is the author successful in terms of using Pathos or not? Something

about the author’s use of emotion and imagination should be your Topic Sentence for this

paragraph.

You may choose any of these articles/essays listed on the EReader to analyze in order to

write your Critical Analysis essay. The link to the EReader is:

http://english101electronicreader.blogspot.com/

* “When May I Shoot a Student?” by Greg Hampikian (found in the Introduction section of

your E-Reader)

* “The Black Silence of Fear” by William O. Douglas, Supreme Court Justice (found in

the Op-Ed section of your E-Reader)

* “New Orleans Mayor: Why I’m Taking Down My City’s Confederate Monuments” by

Mitch Landrieu (found in the Op-Ed section of your E-Reader)

* “The New Censorship on Campus” by Jeffrey Herbst and Geoffrey R. Stone (found in

the Op-Ed section of your E-Reader)

* “To the Louisiana I Know” by Kristen Becker (found in the Op-Ed section of your

E-Reader)

English 101 H1 & I3

Essay Two: Critical Analysis

Your assignment is to choose one of the five articles listed below in order to write a Critical

Analysis essay. Your essay should be no less than 750 words (very close to three, full, double

spaced, typed pages), and should have a solid thesis statement that is well-supported by topic

sentences and concrete details and examples. Your essay should be typed in 12 point Times

New Roman font and adhere to MLA format guidelines (see: The Little Seagull Handbook – pgs.

190-200 for correct formatting). You may use personal experiences to serve as examples, but do

so by using third person and avoiding the use of first and second person pronouns.

For this essay you will want to determine an author’s purpose and success (or unsuccess) for

writing one of the articles listed below. In order to do this, you will need to textually analyze the

article you choose to write about, paying careful attention to the author’s use (or lack thereof) of

Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. Remember, you are writing for a general academic audience that may

or may not be familiar with the article you choose to write about. It is important that you clearly

explain what the author is hoping to convey and accomplish with the text. Keep in mind that you

are writing about the author’s use of uses Ethos, Logos, and Pathos to achieve a desired outcome.

Lastly, you will also need to incorporate at least one direct quote (from the source you analyze)

into the body paragraphs of your essay. You may, if you’d like, have all examples (in all of your

body paragraphs) be direct quotes that you cite from the source you choose to analyze. If you do

so, then your essay will have a total of nine direct quotes (three in each body paragraph). You

must also create a Works Cited. There should only be the one source that you chose to analyze

and write about cited on your Works Cited. All five sources that you can choose from can be

found on your E-Reader: http://www.english101electronicreader.blogspot.com

1. “When May I Shoot a Student? (2014)” by Greg Hampikian (found in the Introduction

section of your E-Reader)

2. “The Black Silence of Fear (1952)” by William O. Douglas, Supreme Court Justice

(found in the Op-Ed section of your E-Reader)

3. “New Orleans Mayor: Why I’m Taking Down My City’s Confederate Monuments

(2017)” by Mitch Landrieu (found in the Op-Ed section of your E-Reader)

4. “The New Censorship on Campus (2017)” by Jeffrey Herbst and Geoffrey R. Stone

(found in the Op-Ed section of your E-Reader)

5. “To the Louisiana I Know (2014)” by Kristen Becker (found in the Op-Ed section of your

E-Reader)