About Me

Rhetorical Analysis Blog Assignment—Writing a Critical Introduction

Specifications: 1 page single spaced/two pages double spaced, written and revised collectively by all blog contributors
Submission Type: Please post to your blogs on a separate page (to be demonstrated in class)
Due Date: See Syllabus

At this point, you will have written all 12 or 15 posts on your blogs. Your group has fully (and stylishly) explored the arguments each of your texts is making. Of course, you’ve done this through kairos, ethos, logos, pathos, exigence, and audience.  But you’ve also applied stasis theory to the arguments in your texts to prove the most salient claims they are making.

Now your challenge is to synthesize these arguments into a singular, organized, and fluidly written introduction to what exactly your blog proves. In a sense, this will be a mission statement—a guide to what your blog seeks to do and why. How you do this is up to your group, and should be based on examples you’ve seen of critical introductions. 

But, of course, this is not as easy as just stating a major claim.  You, as writers, will need to establish ethos and kairos, as well appeal to the sentiments and/or logical systems in your readers.  So, how do we do this? What does a good Critical Introduction include? And how will you arrange these items for maximum effect?

Ethos – You’ll need to show your readers your entry point into the texts.  Who are you?  What are your qualifications or statuses as scholars? Why did you choose these texts?  Do you have a narrative of collective interest to share?  Explore this in the first segment of your CI.

Major Argument/Stasis – What do your texts claim as a pair?  What are they?  What do they ask for? What is the exigence of them? What do they elucidate about the evolving issues or genres you’ve chosen?  And what argument does your blog make about the connections between the texts?

Kairos – How is this relevant to readers?  Why is your discussion timely?  How does it relate to our contemporary kairotic moment? What do you expect readers to gain from your blog?

Logos – What is the methodology of your blog?  What comes first?  Second?  Third?  How do you go about proving your major argument? Why do you choose this system?

Pathos – What can you say to encourage readers that they must care or imagine caring about the work you’ve done?