Purpose of the Assignment

Analysis of a Text Essay

North Seattle Community College English Department

ENG 101 JC Clapp

Purpose of this Assignment:

Give you a chance to demonstrate critical reading and understanding of a written text;
Provide you with an opportunity to approach a text in various ways;
Give you practice in formulating, making, and supporting a claim that is grounded in an analysis of the text;
Help you make a distinction between opinion and analysis.

Your Task:Write a 3-5 page essay (double spaced) that analyzes an article of your choice in the following ways:

Identify and explain the rhetorical situation surrounding your text (audience, tone, and purpose) – and provide examples from the text that demonstrate how you know.
Identify and explain the parts of an argument found in your text (claim, evidence, assumption, opposition, and qualifiers) – and provide examples from the text that demonstrate how you know.
Identify the types of evidence the author uses (logical, ethical, and emotional appeals) – and provide examples from the text that demonstrate how you know.
State whether or not you think the author accomplishes his/her purpose – and provide examples from the text that demonstrate how you know.
State whether or not you feel the author created an effective argument given the rhetorical situation – and provide examples from the text that demonstrate how you know.

Choosing an Article to Analyze: When selecting an article to analyze, please choose an editorial or commentary – one that has a particular angle/opinion on a topic, not one that is just a “factual” news article. Try looking on the Newsweek website at: – scroll down and click on “Columnists” on the left side of the page. Any of the articles written by the columnists would be appropriate for this assignment. Another option is to go to the “Opinion” section (link is on top right side of page) of the U.S. News & World Report website: You aren’t required to get your article from one of these websites, but they’re a good place to start looking for a topic of interest to you.

The Memo of Self-Reflection: After you’ve finished your essay, write a 1-2 page memo of self-reflection that answers the below questions. Attach this memo to your final draft.

How did you choose the text that you chose to analyze? In retrospect was it a good choice? Why or why not?
What was your writing process for this essay? What steps did you take to complete it? What have you learned about your own process that you can apply to the next piece of writing you do?
What are the strengths and the weakness of your essay? What would you change if you had more time to work on it?

Evaluation: Your essay will be graded using the attached grading rubric.

Due Dates:

Rough Draft due on Monday, April 24th for Peer Review – bring 3 copies

Final Draft due on Wednesday, April 26th(don’t forget your memo!)