Embathy for robots

Step one: Pick an essay to read. Use one that I’ve supplied or one that you pick. Make sure the essay has an argument it’s making.

Step two: Read the essay closely, paying attention to how the argument is formed. For pre-writing, make sure you find the thesis or main point, the evidence that’s used, and what type of evidence (rhetorical appeals: logos, pathos, ethos or examples, etc). For this step, you’re going to be developing an outline of the argument. What is the conclusion that the author made? Is this a good conclusion to make?

Step three: Go through the outline of the argument, looking for strengths and weaknesses. Is it stronger than it is weaker? Decide on whether you think this is a strong or good argument, or whether it is weak and needs improvements. Your rhetorical analysis’ thesis statement will be based on whether the argument is effective or not. Did the argument work? Use some of the strengths and weaknesses as proof for your paper.

Step four: Compose a draft of the paper based on the thesis you’ve decided on in step three and use the proof that is the best for your purposes. Wherever you use a quote, paraphrase or summary from the essay, you will include an in-text citation with the author’s last name and if it is print material or was print material that was scanned into the computer, include a page number. Put a Works Cited page at the end of the paper with the citation for your essay in MLA format.

Step five: edit and proofread the paper before turning it in.

Your paper should include:

MLA format with a heading in the upper left corner of the first page and a clever title centered above the text. It should be double-spaced and 12 point font with indented paragraphs.

An introduction with a hook, the full name of the author mentioned, and the title of the essay given in quotation marks. Your thesis should state whether the author’s argument is effective or not and gives a preview of the evidence you will use.

body paragraphs that have your proof of how effective the argument is or how it’s not effective. Be specific and put in citations where you use textual evidence. Make sure you tie everything back to your thesis.

a conclusion that restates your thesis and main points. Leave your audience with a thought to the future.

a works cited page with an entry for the essay in MLA format. Use easybib.com if you would like to make the citation, but double-check that it is correct MLA format.

This is an analysis and NOT the time to put in your thoughts on the topic. This isn’t your argument, but a strong look at how well or badly an author argued his/her point.

Audience/Tone: Consider your audience to be a college colleague, so keep your paper formal and academic in tone. No one reads your paper but me, so this is just to know what tone to use and what audience to write to. Standard English rules apply. Avoid the use of 1st person and don’t use you, your, or you’re. No contractions (all words should be written out).