Length: 1000-1250 words (not including Works Cited) in MLA format, 12-point Times New Roman font

Source limit: One source minimum.

Quotations: Two or more well-integrated quotes

You must include a Works Cited page and use correct MLA format for in-text (parenthetical) citations.

For this assignment, you will write an analysis of the rhetorical strategies and techniques used by a writer in constructing a short essay that focuses on the issue of education. Choose one of the following from our textbook:

“For Many, College Isn’t Worth It” by Richard Vedder (pp. 378-382)

The purpose of this assignment is to think and write critically about a text. To begin your analysis, look at the different rhetorical information and guidelines provided in the chapters of the first parts (Reading and Discovering Arguments, Analyzing Arguments, and Writing Arguments) of our textbook that we have covered and other writing strategies we have discussed in class, such as the writers backing of a claim, use of evidence, logic (or logical fallacies), emotional appeals, credibility, organizational strategies, style, humor, and/or tone. Choose an approach and be selective: you cannot cover all of these elements in a single paper. You must have a thesis about the article you choose and elements of its rhetoric. You might, for example, write a thesis that addresses a single important technique of the writer, a few of the central strategies used by the writer to structure the article, or the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the essay in achieving its purpose for a particular audience, using selected criteria. It is fine to have a nuanced thesis that does not conclude the essay is entirely good or entirely bad. Remember that these pieces are composed by published, respected writers who have quality to their writing; at the same time, you may find gaps in the writing, disagree with the logic or approach, or find significant concerns that are not addressed by the piece. While you may include a very brief summary of what the writer says, summary should only be a small portion of your essay, and you should concentrate on developing your argument/thesis about the essay, using evidence and insight to support your claim.