Write a summary and analysis of an article. You can choose from four options in Moodle. You cannot write about an article outside of these four options. Your summary will put the main ideas of the article into your own words. Your analysis will focus on logos, pathos, and ethos of the article/author, as well as its audience(s), use of visuals, and other relevant analytic information. The audience is your classmates. You cannot assume that your audience has read your article.
Your essay will contain both summary and analysis of the article and you will have an argumentative thesis statement. Your summary will orient your reader to the main ideas of the text, and your analysis will constitute the bulk of your essay. Your essay will need to show that you have critically engaged with the article.
In terms of other relevant analytic information (other than logos, pathos, ethos, audience(s), and visuals), consider what you thought was most important/noteworthy in the article, how effective the article was at persuading you of its argument and proving its points; and whether or not the article changed or enhanced your understanding of the top. While most of your references to the article will be paraphrases and summary, you should also use quotations. Document both paraphrases and quotations with in-text citations. Provide a References page that includes the article you’ve chosen as well as any other materials you use to understand the article. This can include your textbook, additional articles, websites, etc.
Sample Outline:
I. Intro paragraph: Introduce and summarize the article. Get to your thesis. Suggestions for your thesis are found on the previous page.
II. Analyze the article’s use of one of the rhetorical appeals (ethos, for example). Ethos is a good appeal with which to start because talking about the writer’s, researchers’ or magazine’s credibility is a good precursor to discussing the other content of the paper. Use passages from the text to support this paragraph.
III. Analyze the article’s use of another one of the rhetorical appeals (logos, for example). I only put logos second because of two reasons. 1) After credibility is established, evidence and logic/reasoning provided by those credible sources is a natural next step. 2) Pathos is a big way to end the body of your paper. Use quoted passages from the text and descriptions of visuals to support this paragraph.
IV. Analyze the article’s use of the last rhetorical appeal (pathos, for example). Pathos makes sense here because even if the article doesn’t use much emotional appeal in its text, magazine pictures are usually meant to elicit some sort of emotional response, even if that response is awe, recognition of beauty, shock, etc. I would likely split this section up into two paragraphs: one about the text and one about the pictures. Use passages from the text to support this paragraph.
V. Conclusion: Reiterate the thesis and discuss the efficacy of the article.
