Friday, May 18, 2007

Rhetorical Questions

In lieu of commenting on a classmate’s blog, for this week I’d like again for you to post a comment to my blog. This time, I’d like you to write a quick rhetorical analysis of one of the blogs that I asked you to look at for this week.

What is a rhetorical analysis, you ask? In brief terms, it’s an evaluation of a text’s diction, tone, assumed audience, and purpose. I’d like you to briefly comment upon one of the blogs I provided links to last week, considering these aspects of the blog to get an idea of the character—the driving ethos—behind the blog. To do so you should consider who the assumed audience of the blog is and what the overall thesis (purpose) of the blog is. Here are some questions to consider:

  • What topics does the blog address?
  • What is the substance of a standard post? Consider length, format (links, video, text), tone, and language, among other things.
  • What stance—if any—does the blog take?
  • What other blogs does this blog link to?

Remember that when imagining an audience for this blog, you must go push beyond notions of what the audience may favor reading. You should also consider how the posts assume the audience’s education, background, etc.

Write at least 100 words—chances are you’ll write much more. Since this is an in-class writing assignment, I’m not overly concerned that the posts be expertly organized; however, you might want to compose in Microsoft Word first and then copy your response and paste it into the comments section. Have fun deconstructing!

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