This document provides an overview and schedule for Unit 2 of an English course focusing on rhetorical style. The unit will involve analyzing stylistic elements of essays through works like Performing Prose and Best American Essays. Students will learn to identify aspects of style such as purpose, motives, conventions, and rhetorical devices. A major assignment will require students to conduct a stylistic analysis of one essay and then write their own imitation of that essay's style using a different topic. The schedule outlines the readings, in-class exercises, and assignments for each class meeting over the course of the unit, including analyzing the essay "Total Eclipse," presenting on additional essays, workshops, and drafting their stylistic analysis and imitative essay.

1. ENGL 309 | Rhetorical Style pg 1
UNIT 2 OVERVIEW AND
SCHEDULE
Stylistic Analysis and Imitative Essay
Overview
In Unit 2, we'll do a deep dive into the rhetorical tools of style, using Performing
Prose and Best American Essays. Our purpose is to develop a vocabulary that we can use to
more precisely explain the effects of a given piece of writing, and to better use those
stylistic tools to create different effects in your own writing. Though you’ll be able to
use these tools to help you understand any genre, for this unit, we’ll be looking at
stylistically heightened examples of essays from the Best American Essays of the Century. The
major assignment for the unit will ask you to do an extended stylistic analysis (using
the tools you learned from Performing Prose) of one of these essays, and then write an
imitation of that essay using a topic of your choice.
*
Unit Outcomes
By the time you’ve completed this unit, you should be able to…
• Analyze a piece of writing to identify all aspects of rhetorical style at work
there: purpose or “story”; motives of language, subject, writer, and reader;
physical and social footing; deviation from convention; tropes, schemes, and
images.
• Make decisions about which of these aspects of rhetorical style best
characterize a piece of writing.
• Replicate those aspects of rhetorical style in an essay with a different topic.
*
Date In Class Work Due
Monday,
2/1
Introduce Project 2: Stylistic
Analysis and Imitative Essay
In-class exercise: sentence
rewrites
Read Performing Prose, Ch. 1

2. ENGL 309 | Rhetorical Style pg 2
Wed.,
2/3
The Situation and the Story
Discuss the situation and the
story of “Total Eclipse”
Sign up for an essay from Best
American Essays of the Century
to summarize
Read “The Situation and the Story,” Vivian
Gornick
CAREFULLY read “Total Eclipse,” Annie
Dillard (BAEC pp. 477 – 489)
Browse essay in BAEC to prepare for
choosing which one to summarize for the
class
Friday,
2/5
Drop in Office Hours
Monday,
2/8
Motives of Style
In-class exercise: analyzing
motives of language in “Total
Eclipse”
Read Performing Prose, Ch. 2
Wed.,
2/10
Presentations of BAECs (why
would someone choose this to
imitate?)
Convention and deviation,
distinction, and footing in “Total
Eclipse”
Post a summary of your assigned BAEC
essay – be prepared to talk briefly about what
makes it stylistically interesting.
Read Performing Prose, Ch. 3 – 4
Friday,
2/12
In-class exercise: creating
screen directions for “Total
Eclipse” (physical footing). How
would you film this?
Monday,
2/15
HOLIDAY – Presidents’ Day
Wed.,
2/17
Rhetorical Tropes
Review Stylistic Analysis
assignment from Project 2
Read Performing Prose, Ch. 5 – 6
Friday,
2/19
Tropes and Schemes
In-class exercise: looking for
tropes and schemes in “Total
Eclipse”
Read Performing Prose, Ch. 7 – 8
Monday,
2/22
Quiz on Tropes and Schemes Study Chs. 6 – 7 carefully to prepare for the
quiz
Wed.,
2/24
Imitation Post your answers to “Generative Questions
for Stylistic Analysis before class in Unit 2
Assignments

3. ENGL 309 | Rhetorical Style pg 3
Friday,
2/26
No Class – individual writing
day
Monday,
3/1
NO CLASS – individual writing
conferences
Complete a draft of your Stylistic Analysis
(Project 2, Deliverable #1) and upload to
Stylistic Analysis Workshop in Unit 2
Assignments. We will be completing this
workshop out of class
Wed.,
3/3
NO CLASS – individual writing
conferences
Friday,
3/5
NO CLASS – individual writing
conferences
Complete out-of-class draft workshop of
Stylistic Analysis and post as a comment (to
provide feedback to your partner).
Complete draft of imitation essay and upload
to Imitative Essay Draft Workshop
Monday,
3/8
Workshop Imitation Essays Read your partner’s imitative essay and the
model it’s based on
Wed.,
3/10
Format for Project 2 Draft
Friday,
3/12
NO CLASS Submit Project 2 Draft (Stylistic Analysis and
Imitative Essay) for Evaluation by Friday,
3/12. Upload to Unit 2 Assignments
SPRING BREAK