Brainstorming Activity Textual Analysis
Instructions: Read and annotate your chosen essay, and fill out this worksheet as thoroughly as possible. (Be sure to write down page numbers as you take notes and fill out this sheet! It will save you a lot of time later as you’re drafting your essay.) When you’re done, upload your Brainstorming Assignment to the specific location in MyHills.
- Explain your initial reaction to the essay’s argument or method. (Write at least three or four sentences).,
- What is the author’s thesis or main argument? (If you can’t find a specific sentence, you could explain what main argument the author seems to be making.),
- List the author’s major supporting points (main points).,
- What types of support does the author offer to develop the main point(s)? (Studies interviews statistics news stories personal narratives hypothetical examples comparisons definitions etc.),
- What seems to be the author’s purpose (entertain inform raise awareness persuade)?,
- What assumptions (if any) does the author seem to make about the audience’s values and/or experiences?,
- How would you describe the author’s ethos in this essay? Explain. (Does she appear trustworthy and knowledgeable? Does she seem to have good will? Is she likeable? How does she come across?),
- What textual components contribute to the author’s ethos (her credibility/the audience’s view of her)? List specific textual elements contributing to this ethos. Then, explain how each one negatively or positively impacts her ethos and why it would impact her ethos in that way. Be sure to list page numbers so you can easily find these references when you draft your essay. (Often rhetorical methods like tone, point of view, personal examples, and source integration impact ethos.)
- How does the author make use of pathos (appeals to the audience’s emotions) in this essay? List specific examples of ways the author uses (or abuses) pathos. Then, explain how each example would impact the audience and why it would impact the audience in that way. (Stories, imagery, connotative language, organization of content, statistics, and even point of view often contribute to pathos.) Brainstorming Activity Textual Analysis
- How does the author use logos (appeals to logic)? List examples of logical appeals from the essay. Then, explain how each example might impact the audience and why it would impact them this way. (You will want to look at organization, examples, statistics, definitions, source references, etc.) Brainstorming Activity Textual Analysis
- What, if any, logical fallacies do you see in the author’s argument? Using the logical fallacies definitions in Inquiry, list them here and explain how you see them in the text. (Note: If you don’t see any logical fallacies, don’t list any.)
- Look at the introduction. What method does the author use in the introduction? What impact does the introduction have? Do you think it is effective?
- Looking at the overall essay development, do you see any logic behind the order in which the author presents major points or any pattern behind the use of examples? Explain
- Look at the conclusion. What does the author seek to accomplish in the conclusion? What methods does she use? Is the conclusion effective? Explain.
- Do you believe the author succeeds in accomplishing her purpose? Is the essay’s argument effective? Explain.
- Which of her rhetorical methods do you think most helps or hurts her argument? Explain.
© Kara Wilson and Indian Hills Community College