Rhetorical Analysis Prompt and Rubric Length: 3-5 full pages. Your "Works Cited" page does not count. Due dates: First draft due by Wednesday September 13 @ 11:55 PM (Online Peer Review) Second draft due Friday September 22 @ 11:55 PM All optional drafts of all essays are due by December 8 @ 11:55 PM. Select and closely read one of the following essays from your textbook: "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr; page 735 "Our Fear of Immigrants" by Jeremy Adam Smith; page 750 “Anti-Intellectualism: Why We Hate the Smart Kids” by Grant Penrod; page 759 After selecting one, please follow the guidelines below, and articulate your argument of the essay’s effectiveness. Use the following questions for analyzing an argument on pages 115-116 in your textbook as a guide: • What is the claim? What is the main point the writer is trying to make? How does the author qualify his/her thesis? • What support does the writer offer for the claim? What reasons are used to support the claim? What evidence does author use to back up those reasons (e.g., anecdotes, data, statistics, etc.)? Are the reasons and evidence convincing? • How does the author appeal to the audience? These discussions will require you to demonstrate your knowledge of the rhetorical appeals we discussed in class. o pathos – appeal to emotion o ethos – appeal to credibility o logos – appeal to logic o kairos/“kairotic moment” – “of the time;” what motivated the author to write the argument at the time? • Is the argument balanced? Does the author address potential counterarguments? If so, how? Does he/she respond to them reasonably and with respect, or is he/she dismissive of them? Be sure to properly cite your article, both in-text and on a "Works Cited" page. See the Purdue OWL resource at the top of our Moodle page and/or pages 496-548 of your textbook for MLA rules/guidelines. Getting Started: Consider the following organization: Paragraph One: Summary Begin your essay with an effective, brief summary of the source text. The key here is brevity. Paragraph Two: Introduction of Purpose, Audience, Effectiveness of Source Follow your summary paragraph with another brief paragraph that transitions from your summary to your thesis and rhetorical analysis. This paragraph should introduce two key components: the author’s intended purpose and intended audience. Most importantly, this paragraph must end with a well-developed thesis statement arguing the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the source author’s argument. Your thesis should clearly state whether the source essay was effective or ineffective (use the "because clause") and should be the last sentence of your second paragraph. Here are a few models: Although [author]’s essay was intended to [purpose of essay], “[title of essay]” is ultimately ineffective because [forecast major points of your analysis (reasons for ineffectiveness)]. [Author’s] es ...

1. Rhetorical Analysis Prompt and Rubric
Length: 3-5 full pages. Your "Works Cited" page does not
count.
Due dates:
First draft due by Wednesday September 13 @ 11:55 PM
(Online Peer Review)
Second draft due Friday September 22 @ 11:55 PM
All optional drafts of all essays are due by December 8 @ 11:55
PM.
Select and closely read one of the following essays from your
textbook:
"Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr; page 735
"Our Fear of Immigrants" by Jeremy Adam Smith; page 750
“Anti-Intellectualism: Why We Hate the Smart Kids” by Grant
Penrod; page 759
After selecting one, please follow the guidelines below, and
articulate your argument of the
essay’s effectiveness. Use the following questions for analyzing
an argument on pages 115-116
in your textbook as a guide:
• What is the claim? What is the main point the writer is trying
to make? How does the
author qualify his/her thesis?

2. • What support does the writer offer for the claim? What
reasons are used to support the
claim? What evidence does author use to back up those reasons
(e.g., anecdotes, data,
statistics, etc.)? Are the reasons and evidence convincing?
• How does the author appeal to the audience? These
discussions will require you to
demonstrate your knowledge of the rhetorical appeals we
discussed in class.
o pathos – appeal to emotion
o ethos – appeal to credibility
o logos – appeal to logic
o kairos/“kairotic moment” – “of the time;” what motivated the
author to write
the argument at the time?
• Is the argument balanced? Does the author address potential
counterarguments? If so,
how? Does he/she respond to them reasonably and with respect,
or is he/she dismissive of
them?
Be sure to properly cite your article, both in-text and on a
"Works Cited" page. See the
Purdue OWL resource at the top of our Moodle page and/or
pages 496-548 of your textbook for
MLA rules/guidelines.
Getting Started: Consider the following organization:
Paragraph One: Summary
Begin your essay with an effective, brief summary of the source

3. text. The key here is
brevity.
Paragraph Two: Introduction of Purpose, Audience,
Effectiveness of Source
Follow your summary paragraph with another brief paragraph
that transitions from
your summary to your thesis and rhetorical analysis. This
paragraph should introduce two
key components: the author’s intended purpose and intended
audience. Most
importantly, this paragraph must end with a well-developed
thesis statement arguing the
effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the source author’s
argument.
Your thesis should clearly state whether the source essay was
effective or ineffective (use
the "because clause") and should be the last sentence of your
second paragraph.
Here are a few models:
Although [author]’s essay was intended to [purpose of essay],
“[title of essay]”
is ultimately ineffective because [forecast major points of your
analysis (reasons
for ineffectiveness)].
[Author’s] essay was intended to [purpose of essay] and is
ultimately effective
because [forecast major points of your analysis (reasons for
effectiveness)].

4. Body Paragraphs
While creating your body and conclusion paragraphs please be
sure to
• analyze the source’s argument using terms/concepts from the
course outlined
above
• use strong essay-level and paragraph-level organization, and
adhere to a logical,
focused structure
• show competence with the fundamentals of sentence-level
writing
• avoid simply summarizing the article (this will result in a low
grade)
• use the source (summary, paraphrase, and/or direct quotation)
to support your
claims regarding the argument’s effectiveness
• avoid expanding on the topic
Conclusion
Simply revisit/review your thesis and your stance regarding the
effectiveness of the
argument. Again, brevity is key here.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Your life experiences, your personal stance on the issue, and
your enjoyment of the essay are
nonessential to this assignment and should not be included.
Your goal here is to dissect the
source and discuss its effectiveness based on the elements of an

5. argument we learned in class.
Use the questions listed in your textbook and on this prompt as
a guide, and STAY FOCUSED.
Rubric for Rhetorical Analysis
Characteristics of the A Paper
• The analysis never strays from its purpose.
• The content and tone are appropriate and effective for a
general audience.
• The writer’s analysis is skillfully supported with evidence and
examples, while also
expertly distinguishing any necessary qualifications.
• The paper follows the pre-determined organization outlined in
the essay prompt.
• The article is cited accurately and correctly, both in-text and
on the works cited page.
• The paper is logically organized without feeling mechanical or
formulaic.
• Sentences are varied in length and structure, according to the
author’s purpose and
emphasis.
• Mechanically, the paper is correct except for very few
excusable errors of inadvertence
and violations of extremely technical rules.

6. Characteristics of the B Paper
• The analysis may not always affect the audience as the writer
expects it to, but it is
focused and interesting.
• The content and tone are appropriate for a general audience.
• The writer’s analysis is supported with evidence and
examples, while also distinguishing
necessary qualifications.
• The paper follows the pre-determined organization outlined in
the essay prompt with only
minor lapses in accuracy and/or correctness.
• The article is cited, both in-text and on the works cited page,
with only minor lapses in
accuracy and/or correctness.
• The paper is logically organized without feeling mechanical or
formulaic, but transitions
are sometimes strained.
• Sentences are usually varied in length and structure to suit the
author’s purpose and
emphasis.
• Mechanically, the paper is generally correct except for some
problems with complex
grammar and punctuation conventions.
Characteristics of the C Paper
• The purpose of the analysis is not always clear.
• For the most part, the content and tone are appropriate for a
general audience.

7. • The writer’s analysis is mostly supported with evidence and
examples, while also
distinguishing some necessary qualifications.
• Writer attempts to follow the prompt guidelines, but there are
inconsistencies with
accuracy and/or correctness.
• Writer attempts to cite the article, both in-text and on the
works cited page, but there are
inconsistencies with accuracy and/or correctness.
• The paper is organized through mechanical or formulaic
methods; transitions are
sometimes strained or missing.
• Even though there are few errors in sentence structure,
sentences are not varied in length
and structure.
• The essay contains a few major errors, and there are several
mistakes in spelling,
grammar, and punctuation.
Characteristics of the D Paper
• Only in a few places does the analysis find its purpose;
mostly, the paper is an unfocused
exercise.
• At times, the content and tone are inappropriate for a general
audience.

8. • The writer’s analysis is inconsistently supported with evidence
and examples and may or
may not distinguish necessary qualifications.
• Writer doesn’t follow the prompt guidelines very well, and
there are consistent problems
with accuracy and/or correctness.
• Writer infrequently attempts to cite the article, both in-text
and on the works cited page,
and there are consistent problems with accuracy and/or
correctness.
• Some principle of organization is apparent, but it is not
successfully followed.
• Errors in sentence structure are frequent enough to distract the
reader.
• The essay contains several major errors, and there are frequent
and/or consistent mistakes
in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Characteristics of the F Paper
• The analysis has no purpose and lacks focus.
• The content and tone are inappropriate for a general audience.
• The writer’s analysis is not supported with evidence and
examples and does not
distinguish any necessary qualifications.
• Writer makes no attempt to follow the guidelines issued in the
prompt.
• Writer makes no attempt to cite the article.
• There is no apparent organization.
• Errors in sentence structure are distracting to the reader and
make it difficult to follow the

9. writer’s points.
• Some errors include failure to understand the basic grammar
of the sentence. Simple
words are frequently misspelled.
Hassin Atahifh
Mr. Sissom
EN140-02
12 November 2017
THE FEAR OF IMMIGRANT
In this work by Jeremy Adam Smith, the author’s thesis
statement is that humans have some level of fear and stereotype
immigrants based on our native development over time and
genetic composition. This composition and development has
been found to be linked with our mores and daily interaction
with the physical and social environment. The indicators
illustrated in this work comes from categorization, systematic
observations, opinions of experts, and news articles from
dailies, the differences in power between immigrants and
native-born as well as xenophobia that were used as evidence in
this work by Smith. He became a force with which to reckon
when he cited the case of Rodrigo and made a lot of people
realize that there are more children who are suffering the same
fate like Rodrigo.
The writer was looking at the plight of immigrants, the
unnecessary fear and injustice suffered in the hands of their
host communities. This intention of the writer was done in a
way that tries to conceptualize the belief that not all immigrants
are nuisances to their host communities and some of them
contribute to the wealth of the communities in which they found

10. themselves. This point that Smith states is quite founded; for
example, most of the menial jobs and hazardous work are
performed by immigrants. Thus, the fundamental reason why
America became a force to reckon with is because it opens its
border to different cultures and races which gives it a blend of
ideas (Land of the Free). Smith also tries to make us understand
that many native-born Americans are seeing immigrants as
people who come to the States to take the limited jobs meant for
them which is why some of these native- born Americans look
at them with fear and repulsion and this stereotype is one of the
most important singular reason that motivate immigrants to be
placed in certain dichotomies. For example, many people think
all the Mexicans that live legally and illegally in the US are
drug peddlers and gangsters while the Africans most especially
Nigerians are fraudsters irrespective even though they do not fit
into the criteria but they are labeled that way.
Jeremy Adam Smith was trying to all Americans and the world
in general. Looking at the article systematically and examining
it in the light of recent happening, one will know that the
problem of immigration is not related to the Americans alone
but to the world at large. Although the essay was intended to
point our attention to the plight of immigrants in America,
“tThe fear of immigrants” is ultimately ineffective because it
highlighted only the plight of the Mexican immigrants in the
State. The essence of me saying this is because Jeremy dwells
so much on the plight of the Mexicans but are theythey are not
the only immigrants in the state;, we all know that there are
other nationals in the state mostly of Asian and African stock,
so why are Mexicans only mentioned?. Although one error in
reasoning which I find in his arguments or essay is that he gives
sufficient amounts of sources (which I can termed liberal) and
data for the side of the argument he seemed to support. H, he
didn’t provide sufficient, and or if I might use the term he
didn’t do justice to the information that support the contrary
view. Another point posited by the author I do not agree with is
the position where he subscribe that having a fear of immigrants

11. is caused by evolution that are deep sited in our genetics he
used the term “molecular.” Psychologists have found out that
most of our behavior apart from the vegetative ones of sucking
or feeding are learned which implies that I believe that the fear
of certain group of people are learned but I strongly agree that
if fear can be learned then it can be reversed. Another reason
why I am of the view that these work was not too effective is
because Smith analogies are quite ambiguous and will not be
fully understood when probably reliable person who is
educated examine it, and to be accurate about the problem of
stereotyping is more common among the uneducated American.
Smith’s article should be framed in such a way that an average
American can read and understand without stress. Another
thing to note in this work which is very important is that Jeremy
didn’t demonstrate a good understanding of the immigrant issue
by taking up strong intellectual opinion and disproving it, most
of the time he developed a contrary claim and he just leave the
claim unattended to. Comment by WritingCenter, GA: Is this the
quote or did you accidentally misquote? I would just double
check my source. OR is this an official term used in sources?
Comment by WritingCenter, GA: ? Comment by
WritingCenter, GA: In this sentence as well as the following
sentences, you give your personal opinion, which I believe your
prompt indicates is nonessential to the paper. Should you keep
this information and not rephrase, rephrase the content, or omit
it completely?
The author is writing this article in the wake of the terrorist
attacks during the past few years in places like Paris, Baghdad,
Africa, Beirut etc. the political responses of to this attack have
revealed a fissure that has been embed in the American life
which is one defined by fear. This brand of fear has led to fear-
based reasoning, which has led to a distortion in the public
perception of immigrants;, immigrants are now viewed as threat
to the limited resources.
The author appeals (ethos) by trying to stimulate the audience
to form a mental picture of immigrants by making the readers

12. relate to immigrants as not just migrants but as people with
families or simply human. For instance, he uses the case of
Rodrigo He also says, “tThere are ways to conceptualize
immigration, not on a deficit model, but as bringing in skills
and resources that grow the economy, potentially growing the
pool of what goes around.” The author also appeal (logos) to
me by making me see reasons why we should not consider this
immigrants as nuisance or deficit but as contributors to the
Economic development of the state which he buttress by saying
that “people with wealth and at the top of the hierarchies aren’t
thinking as carefully about what other individuals can offer and
contribute and this leads them to embrace stereotype.” The
author is quite skillful in appealing to the emotional part of me
or pathos by making me realized that these immigrants are
humans like me and they also bleed and go through the pain of
rejection like me. He did this by citing the story of Rodrigo.
Comment by WritingCenter, GA: Should you cite this
source?
The thesis has its flaws and it strong point which are quite
convincing to a minimum extent but on a larger scale most
intellectual will find it difficult to agree to what Jeremy Adam
Smith is projecting because justice (more information or data)
was not provided to the opposite side of the argument.
Work Cited
Smith, Jeremy. “Our Fear of Immigrants.” The Norton Field
Guide to Writing with Readings. Edited
by Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggn, Norton, 2016, pp.
750-757.