WR 097

Minor Paper 3: Response to Rhetorical Technique

Length: 1-1/2 pages

Due: Thursday October 23th

Purpose/Goals:

The purpose of this exercise is to give you practice evaluating rhetorical techniques. When you are through you should be able to identify and discuss the effect of a writer’s rhetorical techniques.

Task:

Choose one of the following passages:

Brooks “Harmony and the Dream” paragraph 14 (NS 279)

Catton “Grant and Lee” paragraph 5 (NS 373)

King, “I Have a Dream” paragraph 4 (NS 634)

Make a copy of the paragraph to annotate – you will be turning this in with your work. On this copy actively mark the text with any highlighting, questions, comments you have as you read.

Identify any of the rhetorical techniques you discover there. They may include:

parallelism

repetition

metaphor or simile

symbolism

definition

tense shifts

rhetorical questions

tone shifts

varying sentence structure and/or length

dialect or non-standard usage

Prepare a 1-1/2 page reflection on the rhetorical techniques you find in the passage. Identify the technique(s) you have discovered and discuss their effect.

When you compose your response, reflect on the following aspects of the author’s diction:

1.  How does the rhetorical technique contribute to the tone of the essay? What message is conveyed by the write’s choice of words/structures? Does the device draw readers into the passage or push them away? Does it slow down or speed up the reading? Does the technique provide emphasis? Does it make the passage more persuasive?

2.  Try substituting other words/phrases in the sentence. Which one requires you to change the sentence structure?

3.  Does the voice or attitude of the original sentence change when you substitute these alternate words/phrases? If so, why?

4.  When and why might these phrases be used in your own writing?

Once you identify the rhetorical technique) s, you need to decide how to organize the supporting material.

The following strategies will be involved in the process:

Integrating Sources

These are the steps to follow when you refer to specific parts of the text:

1.  underline key words or phrases;

2.  decide whether you want to summarize, paraphrase, or quote;

3.  introduce the specific segment with an effective verb and integrate the summary, paraphrase, or quotation into your sentence;

4.  after the citation, put the page number in parentheses-before the end of-clause punctuation.

Paraphrase

Paraphrase means taking a short passage from a source and rephrasing it so that it is in your own voice and fits into your piece of writing. A paraphrase contains all the information from the original passage, but puts the information largely in your own words. Paraphrases are usually the same length as the source text and are used when:

·  the words are not memorable enough to quote;

·  the ideas in the source need to be changed in some way to fit the ideas in your paper.

Writing a phrase involves the following steps:

·  select a passage that you think makes an important point or supports an idea into your paper;

·  put the passage into your own words and grammar. The best way to do this is to cover up the passage and rewrite the main ideas;

·  reread the original passage and revise your paraphrase.

Quotation

Ina academic writing, you are usually balancing your voice with the ideas and research of other people. When you decide to incorporate quotations from experts into your own writing follow these guidelines:

·  keep exceptionally memorable passages;

·  strengthen arguments by referring to acknowledged authorities in the topic;

·  capture the flavor of the original diction.