Assignment:
Write a detailed rhetorical analysis of “The Unfinished Masterpiece” chapter from Sarah Lewis’ The Rise. You will need to consider both the words on the page and the layout and arrangement of the text. Look for both obvious and surprising evidence to support your claims. Your argument must address the following questions:
1. How does this chapter attempt to persuade its audience? What is its overall rhetorical strategy? Ask yourself: What is the point of this chapter? How does Lewis make it? Is it persuasive for you? Most simply, what is Lewis doing and how does she do it?
2. What is admirable or commendable in the text that you could imitate in your own academic writing? How might you use it in a later paper for either this class or another course that you are taking or are planning to take? Or, if you find the rhetorical strategies in the chapter problematic, what is problematic about them? How might Lewis improve her rhetorical strategies to address her audience?