Journal #4

Well I did get most of the things accomplished that I had listed on my previous blog. I have the two articles picked out that I would like to use for my rhetorical analysis. These articles are different from the original two I had picked out last week.

After discussing the rhetorical analysis drafts in class, I now have a much better understanding of exactly what I need to do. I was a little lost because I have never written a rhetorical analysis before but Mrs. Stewart said my outline was good and I was ready to write. So, I guess I am. I feel more prepared since I have already lead a group discussion which was basically an oral rhetorical analysis.

I polished my annotated bibliography and I only have twelve sources. I don’t know if that is enough or if that is what is expected. I only put the sources I get the most use out of in my annotated bibliography so I think it is pretty solid.

As of now, I am ready to write my rhetorical analysis. I have a great plan to guide me through my draft.

I. Introduction
A. Audience of paper: W131 students
B. Explain what a rhetorical analysis is and why it is useful
C. Introduce the author of each piece and tell where each of the articles appeared originally
1. Are the original sources credible?
2. Give the purpose of each piece in a short one-sentence summary
D. Give thesis
II. Body
A. Audience
1. Give the audience of each source
2. Explain how I know the audience with examples
3. Compare/contrast the similarities/differences between the authors
B. Credibility
1. Are the authors credible? – If so explain why. If not, also explain why.
C. Compare and contrast organization
1. Did the authors keep focused?—if not, briefly quote a section not on topic
2. Subtitles of chapters—give examples if evident
3. Describe any pictures and explain why they are useful
D. Describe each author’s paragraph development
1. Too long? Too short?
2. Give examples of any strange transitions
3. Which author has better paragraph development and why
4. PIE
E. Tone
1. What is the tone for each article?
2. Is the tone appropriate for the intended audience? Give examples of words/phrases/sentences to back up decision
F. Research Methods
1. List any research methods the authors used – are these sources credible?Explain.
2. Mostly primary or secondary research?
3. Explain which article was researched better—Does this make the author and source more credible?
III. Conclusion
A. Explain why the authors’ writing does/does not mirror each others
B. Restate thesis
1. Give specific details to explain claim
C. Again tell readers (w131 students) why it is important and useful to write and read rhetorical analysis papers

I think if I follow this outline I should be able to write a pretty good draft and have no problem meeting page length requirements.