Background
According to the TAMU online writing center, textual analysis, “should explore the [speaker or writer’s] goals, the techniques (or tools) used, examples of those techniques, and the effectiveness of those techniques. When writing a rhetorical analysis, you are NOT saying whether or not you agree with the argument. Instead, you’re discussing how the rhetorician makes that argument and whether or not the approach used is successful.”
Directions for Writing
Use the exploitation of College Athletes
Revisit the speeches you looked at earlier and draft a full analysis of the rhetorical efficacy of that speech. Those speeches once again include:
• “What Streaming Means for the Future of Entertainment” (opens in new window): a speech by Emmett Shear, co-founder of Twitch about why so many people watch other people play video games online
• “My Identity is a Superpower–Not an Obstacle” (opens in new window): a speech by America Ferrera, an actress famous for roles in Ugly Betty, Real Women Have Curves, and Superstore about her early struggles to get cast as a Latina in Hollywood
• “Work Is Not Your Family” (opens in new window): a speech by Gloria Chan Packer, a mental health advocate, about the dangers of blurring lines between our professional and home lives
• “My Journey to Thank All the People Responsible for my Morning Coffee” (opens in new window): a speech by A.J. Jacobs about rewiring the brain to focus on the positive things through an emphasis on gratitude
• “The Exploitation of College Athletes” (opens in new window): a speech by Tim Nevius, a former investigator for the NCAA, about the big business of college sports and how student athletes are taken advantage of
The successful analysis will include the following key elements:
• A specific thesis statement that makes a quality judgment on whether or not the chosen speech is effective at achieving its purpose.
• A discussion of intended audience
• Who is the intended audience? How do you know? What specific sentences or phrases in the speech lead you to this conclusion?
• A discussion of the speaker’s credibility
• How does the speaker indicate experience or expertise on the subject at hand?
• A discussion of strategies used in the speech meant to strengthen the speaker’s message
• Does the speaker appeal to the audience’s emotions? How? Does the speaker try to bond with the audience? How? Does the speaker try to appeal to the audience’s logic? How?
• A works cited page with a MLA or APA-style citation for the chosen speech
