Two articles or topics for argumentative essay:

1. Should we give money to homeless people?  

2. Everyday People: Homeless and on the street - 'People die out here 

 

Consider elements of purpose and audience such as:

* The style and language used
* The format and organization

 

1. Consider argumentative strategies such as how the author:

* Seeks to present themselves or their viewpoint as trustworthy (ethos)
* Seeks to provide facts and evidence (logos)
* Seeks to get evoke an emotional response from the reader or appeal to their values (pathos)

 

2. Your conclusion should consider which source better communicates its information
Examples:

(NO) Summary: "Johnson has a lot of formal language throughout his paper and hardly any informal words."

(YES) Rhetorical Analysis: "Johnson employs formal language in his essay to appeal to his academic audience. For example, he argues unequal funding in public schools creates a "horrific imbalance between affluent communities and those that are impoverished" (27). The choice to use the terms affluent and impoverished, rather than more popular terms such as "wealthy" and "low-income" show that Johnson is writing for a more academic audience rather than the general public because, etc."
 

Criteria:

* A successful essay will discuss all three persuasive techniques (ethos, logos, pathos)
* Analyze why and how these techniques affect the overall impact of the text
* Use specific details from the texts to support claims
* Maintain the proper transitions to take the reader smoothly from beginning to end.
* Include an introduction and conclusion
* Must be 5 paragraphs