Seniors are writing an in-class Friday on "The Real New York Giants" by Rick Reilly.
This is an analysis essay, in that your task is to analyze Reilly's use of various rhetorical strategies to reach his audience and achieve his intended purpose. In this case, he has written an essay that strikes a chord with many Americans post-9/11, stemming from their desire to pick up the pieces and to move forward after a senseless tragedy. How does he achieve this?
We talked about several ways his essay appeals to pathos, or emotion; it also makes a logical argument. Reilly uses the parallel images of "the pile" to balance the passages about football and recovery efforts. He also uses colloquial expressions, and the players' own voices, to humanize those lost and left behind. The anecdotes peppered throughout serve a clear purpose; his use of concrete description and figurative language is also important, as are the rhetorical questions posed at the beginning of many of the paragraphs.
Your goal is to find a way to focus your essay on those elements of Reilly's article that are the most effective at delivering the message. State that clearly in a sentence: that is your thesis. This will be slightly different for everyone. The essay should be around 500 words, and you'll need to cite your examples by paragraph.
By the way, if you like Rick Reilly's writing, you're not alone. He has won numerous awards and is a member of the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame.
This is an analysis essay, in that your task is to analyze Reilly's use of various rhetorical strategies to reach his audience and achieve his intended purpose. In this case, he has written an essay that strikes a chord with many Americans post-9/11, stemming from their desire to pick up the pieces and to move forward after a senseless tragedy. How does he achieve this?
We talked about several ways his essay appeals to pathos, or emotion; it also makes a logical argument. Reilly uses the parallel images of "the pile" to balance the passages about football and recovery efforts. He also uses colloquial expressions, and the players' own voices, to humanize those lost and left behind. The anecdotes peppered throughout serve a clear purpose; his use of concrete description and figurative language is also important, as are the rhetorical questions posed at the beginning of many of the paragraphs.
Your goal is to find a way to focus your essay on those elements of Reilly's article that are the most effective at delivering the message. State that clearly in a sentence: that is your thesis. This will be slightly different for everyone. The essay should be around 500 words, and you'll need to cite your examples by paragraph.
By the way, if you like Rick Reilly's writing, you're not alone. He has won numerous awards and is a member of the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame.