Womens Rights
A synthesis compiles information on a single topic from multiple sources and presents the information logically so that audiences can better understand a subject. Generally, syntheses provide points of overlap in information in order to organize the material effectively. A rhetorical analysis often presents a critique of a text’s purpose and message by analyzing specific rhetorical elements (think of the rhetorical dimensions that we’ve been studying and/or stylistic elements such as diction, imagery, tone, organization, details, etc.). A rhetorical analysis may also critique the composer’s use of design and delivery as mediums through which the text’s message is conveyed to its audience.
Your Assignment: Write a 1500-word synthesized rhetorical analysis of three (3) sources on one issue. (the issue being the oppression of women)
At least one source must incorporate visual(s)/media;
At least one source must be text-based;
You need the OK from me on all of your sources
Before you begin your analysis, you will write a rhetorical precis for each article. Then, your analysis should provide a synthesized overview of the sources that offers key points of interest presented by the material, and connect those points of interest to your evaluation of the issue’s rhetorical treatment in your source material.
Keep in mind that you are composing an evaluation of the issue’s treatment by the texts you have chosen; you are not providing your position on the issue. For example, you are not writing about how you feel about the topic, about how well or how poorly an author uses ethos throughout an article, or whether the pathos is effective or ineffective. Instead, you might focus on how the author’s ethos supports or enhances points of interest within the article and how that influences your audience’s understanding of the topic.
Writing Tips
Pre-Writing: Use the library databases to identify a topic that you find significant and interesting (remember to go beyond pro/con debates and choose a topic with multiple perspectives to consider).
Analyzing the Articles: To help you accomplish your analysis, here are some questions to consider about the articles:
Who is the intended audience for the text? How do you know? How does the author try and reach them?
What is the purpose of the text? How do you know? When and how is it articulated?
Does the author seem credible? Why, or why not? How do they build their credibility?
What might be a reader’s reaction to the text? What emotions does it evoke?
How are the elements arranged or organized? Why? Does the arrangement seem logical?
When and where was the text written? Was it timely given this context? Why, or why not?
Writing the Conclusion: Analysis consists of unpacking what an author says, how she says it, and why she says it. Your goal is to synthesize the articles as a way to understand the effects of the rhetorical techniques on the authors’ intended audiences. Consider the overall assertions of the debate by examining the collective arguments of all three authors.
