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Writing the Rhetorical Critical Essay

No amount of instructions in writing the rhetorical critical essay can substitute for a clear, creative writing style and meticulous research and citation. Nor can these instructions provide you with the rhetorician's gold, an idea about how a given rhetorical artifact works as a strategy.
1. Find a rhetorical artifact
2. Research the artifact in its historical-critical context
3. Read and outline its rhetorical structure
4. Advance a preliminary thesis about some aspect of rhetoric you have discovered in the artifact.
5. Research the rhetorical concept(s) involved in your thesis.
7. Outline the essay. Most successful papers will take the form of 1) an introduction including a thesis statement and synopsis, 2) a brief account of the speech situation or context, 4) an extended analysis of the arguments in the speech relevant to the thesis, and 5) a conclusion that briefly summarizes what you have already said. Your citations and bibliography should follow a standard form for research papers such as the MLA Guide.
8. Write the first draft
9. Rewrite the essay and revise the thesis as necessary
10. Check your references and add your reference list to the end of the paper.
Common Errors in Rhetorical Critical Essays
Errors in Form and Content Errors in Citation and Format
Artifact is trivial, undocumented or unrelated to topic. Lacks title or name of author.
Paper lacks thesis, clear argument or organization. Lacks page numbers.
Paper is unresearched. Lacks list of references.
Lacks substantive/detailed analysis of artifact. Primary document not in reference list.
Includes historical research but lacks rhetorical analysis of the language of the speech; or the reverse. Does not cite sources in the sentence, or in parenthesis at the end of the sentence or paragraph where they are used. Even if you paraphrase or use the information without quoting it directly you must still cite the source of the information.
Relies too much, or too little, on secondary sources, especially if it relies on only one book or article. Use and acknowledge the work of others but don't simply rehearse what they said. Does not mark quotes either in quotation marks or block quotes. This amounts to a claim to have written this material yourself and is thus indistinguishable from plagiarism.
Uses too much or too little direct quote. Strike a balance and keep your own voice in control of the argument througout. Never begin or end a paragraph with a quote. Does not cite available page or paragraph numbers.
Contains errors of fact or unsustained assertions. Document your facts, don't assume common knowledge and don't make stuff up. Does not cite author of quote in sentence parenthesis, or cites someone else in place of the author, such as an editor or web site.
Style is overly familiar, colloquial, journalistic, exaggerated or opiniated. Adopt a clear, plain style. Does not follow recognized style sheet (such as MLA, APA or Chicago) consistently.
Contains frequent errors of spelling and grammar. Use spell and grammar check. Then check the spell check. References are incomplete or lack crucial information.