entails a detailed rhetorical analysis (logos, pathos, ethos) of a longer persuasive piece.  You may analyze ONE of four speeches used for the 2020 Democratic and Republican National Conventions (in the lead-up to the election between Biden and Trump in November 2020.  To get a sense of who the people are, you should research their backgrounds and include some of that information in your essay.  

What to watch for: Look at how each speaker tries to persuade with logic (solid reasoning, logical points, perhaps data and statistics, though most speeches won’t contain a lot of stats) emotion (word choice, tone, facial expression, body language, overall demeanor), and ethos (credibility, character, using personal experiences to persuade also sense of trustworthiness, truth, and authenticity of message). 

You also need to pay attention to visual analysis: background, colors, lighting, framing, camera angles, props, etc.  Everything you see and hear–the colors, the background, the camera angles, the music (if any), the lighting–has been carefully constructed.  Consider discussing the more impactful ones in your essay.

Within the essay, make sure to focus on both the spoken rhetoric–the words and arguments made–as well as the visual elements.  You will also include at least one paragraph–possibly your introduction, conclusion, or the lead up to to your conclusion–which discusses how persuasive the speech and visuals are taken all together.  

PLEASE NOTE: You do not need to discuss anything about Biden or Trump as people or which candidate you would or did vote for.  This is analysis of the different speeches in support of these candidates–not an essay about the candidates themselves.

Democratic Senator of Wisconsin, Tammy BaldwinChoose ONE from the following choices in support of Biden:

Democratic Senator of Illinois, Tammy Duckworth–pay close attention to the lighting and what you see at the very beginning of the speech.  Look closely!  Also, make sure to do research on this one.  

Sen. Tammy Duckworth speech at the Democratic Convention | Joe Biden For President 2020

OR choose ONE speech in support of Donald Trump:

Kimberly Guilfoyle, Advisor to Trump (fiancee of Donald Trump Jr. and ex-wife of CA Governor Gavin Newsom)

WATCH: Kimberly Guilfoyle’s full speech at the Republican National Convention | 2020 RNC Night 1

Alice Marie Johnson, had drug charges commuted by Trump

WATCH: Alice Johnson’s full speech at the Republican National Convention | 2020 RNC Night 4

Whichever one you choose, you will need to do a very “deep,” thorough, careful, detailed analysis of both the words and the visual elements of  your topic.  You will analyze the rhetoric–the logos, pathos, ethos of the WORDS, ideas, logic, emotion, credibility of the speech and speakers themselves–as well as the VISUAL elements of the information (lighting, framing, background, shadows, etc.).  You will use the information from our modules to help analyze these images.

Within the essay, make sure to focus on both the spoken rhetoric–the words and arguments made–as well as the visual elements.  You will also include at least one paragraph–possibly your introduction, conclusion, or the lead up to to your conclusion–which discusses how persuasive the speech and visuals are taken all together.  

Within the essay you should make sure to address the following (but answer these as a cohesive whole; do not answer these one-by-one):

• How does the speaker uses ethos or credibility/character to persuade readers?  Does she inform readers of her credentials and professional expertise? Would you say she is an expert and an authority?  If so, of what?  Does she rely on her personal and professional experiences to help support her points?  When using evidence to back her claims, does the evidence add or detract to her authority?  Again, you are welcome to research the speaker to get more details about who they are and how their background help convinces viewers.
• Elsewhere, discuss how the speaker uses logic.  Be aware that very few of these speeches will include data and statistics, so logic is built in other ways.  Is her argument reasonable and relatable?  Does it make sense?  Do her claims, reasons, and evidence convince you to take that position?  What evidence, data, statistics does she present (if any)?  What assumptions does she make about her audience; what knowledge does she expect them to possess?  Would most viewers share the same assumptions, stated or unstated, that she makes?  Why or why not?
• Discuss how the speaker uses pathos or emotion to gain audience approval of her points. How effectively does she use anecdote and stories to create an emotional pull in this essay? Look at the tone she uses, her syntax and diction.  Does she use any strategies such as analogies and figurative language including metaphors and similes, to demonstrate ideas through comparison?  Does she repeat certain points to make ideas more memorable?  Are there any emotionally charged words in the essay that generate particular feelings?
• Examine the visual elements of the speech.  Remember, images can shape perceptions, emotions, and values without the reader’s conscious awareness, thus making their influence quite powerful. Questioning the ways in which visual elements add or detract to a speech’s persuasiveness is key when performing deep analysis. Consider how the visual element relates to the writer’s overall point or argument. Is this relationship explicit or implied?  How does the visual element contribute to the writer’s image, credibility, and/or authority?  How would you define the relationship between the visuals and the words? Does it provide additional support or evidence for the author’s claims? How do colors, lighting, visuals, props get the audience’s attention?

After thoroughly examining EACH of these rhetorical strategies, make an overall determination about which method of persuasion was used most effectively.  Remember, develop your essay as cohesive whole–DO NOT ANSWER THE QUESTIONS ONE-BY-ONE.

Your resulting essay will be a 7-8 page typewritten paper written in standard MLA format, PLUS a properly crafted Works Cited page.  You will need to include quotes or paraphrases from at least five DIFFERENT sources in your essay.  You can use the videos and materials in our modules.  But if you want to do some outside research, you will need to use support your ideas with high quality and reliable academic sources.  Use trustworthy newspapers, magazines, and websites.  If you are unsure about the quality and reliability of your sources, please review the Crash Course “Navigating Digital Information” videos from YouTube that help discuss how to evaluate quality sources. I also put them in the Works Cited/MLA tab so you can learn how to evaluate your sources.

Do not forget a properly crafted Works Cited.  Information on Works Cited is included in earlier modules in our Canvas pages. An improperly constructed page will adversely impact your grade.