You will provide a rhetorical evaluation of a piece of media and support/reject its argument. Your essay should reflect your clear understanding of argumentative strategies and provide additional outside support for your analysis/claim.

Source Essay will be based on: 13th (Ava DuVernay’s indictment of the American prison system) Your goal is to supply additional support to defend the argument presented or to tear it down. Your essay must include 3-5 reputable/credible outside sources. Your thesis statement should indicate your understanding of the media’s rhetorical value and state your specific claim about that media source. Consider the following questions as you create your argument: *You do NOT need to answer all the questions provided, but you should USE them as a guide

1. What is the major claim/argument/message? How is this communicated?

2. Why is it strong or weak? Can you find ways to strengthen it or reject it using outside sources?

3. How can your 3-5 outside sources help you defend or reject the media’s claim?

4. Which rhetorical appeals does the media use and which influence viewers most: Emotional appeals? Logical connections/proofs? Credibility of sources? Style, language, images? How? What aspects of the argument work better than others? Why?

5. What is the tone of the media? How is it portrayed?

6. What audience is the media trying to entertain and convince, and what audiences does it ignore, and why?

7. Does the argument/media commit any logical fallacies? Are there places where additional evidence could help eliminate them or expose them? 8. What kind of evidence does the media use to prove claims? Is it sufficient? Is it lacking? Why?

9. Can you strengthen or highlight the inductive/deductive reasoning presented? 10. Which appeals are effective or weak? Why? Can you add any of your own to support that viewpoint?

11. Does the media acknowledge different perspectives? Is it fair? 1

2. Does the media address rebuttals? If not, how does this hurt their argument? If they do, are they strong? Can you provide additional support? How do your outside sources help expose the arguments weaknesses or strengthen it’s points. Essay Requirements: – Adhere to MLA format (Works Cited, in-text citations, 12pt Font Times New Roman, etc.) – Attach an MLA works cited page. – Provide 3-5 credible/scholarly sources to support your argument/analysis (see research guide below). – Final draft must be around 1,700 words minimum. – Submit your paper to Canvas by 11:59 p.m. on the day it is due. – Craft an enticing and relevant title. – Have a clear, well-developed, thought-provoking thesis that is maintained and supported consistently throughout the paper. – – Offer your own original ideas and analysis; do not simply summarize–I repeat DO NOT simply summarize. – Ensure that body paragraphs provide strong answers, analysis, and specific support. – Provide logical claims that are well supported by your outside sources. –

Write in an appropriate, college-level tone (third-person, no colloquial language, etc.) – Supply evidence (i.e. direct quotations) from the text, effective paraphrase, and/or examples. – Clearly introduce and analyze all quoted and paraphrased material; show the reader how the examples you’ve included support and prove your points (instead of making the reader guess at the connections) – Be sure your introductory sentences transition smoothly and work to introduce the ideas within each paragraph – Write with clarity and precision, demonstrating a mastery of standard English grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.