14 Application: Writing a Multimodal Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Assignment Description

Students will first choose a multimodal text related to their chosen field (i.e. a “get vaccinated” poster if they are in nursing or a Dallas Mavericks water bottle if they are in sports management or a song about grief if they a psychology major). They will then conduct primary/secondary research to understand their chosen text’s rhetorical situation. They will then write a structured analysis that incorporates their research to make claims about and 1) detail the text’s specific rhetorical situation; 2) explore how the text’s specific elements work individually/collectively to appeal to/make meaning for their specific audiences and situations; and 3) reflect in the conclusion how the text affected them as a member of the audience and why.

Step 1: Understanding the Assignment

Step 2: Prewriting

Complete the following Listing Brainstorming Activity based on your chosen field of study.

  1. Make a list (bulleted, numbered, same line, column, circular, etc) of different types of multimodal texts typically used in your chosen career. For example:
    • nurse – flyer for clinic
    • fashion designer – magazine advertisement
    • journalist – news article
    • advertiser – billboard
    • writer – book cover
    • social studies teacher – TikTok video on urban sprawls
    • environmentalist – PSA on recycling
    • dentist – toothpaste commercial
    • doctor – documentary on obesity
    • choreographer – stage performance of Chicago
    • photographer – Annie Leibovitz’s photo
    • Elementary school teacher – an episode of Abbott Elementary

2. Circle the mediums you may find interesting, accessible, or you may be most familiar with viewing.

3. Choose a 2-3 texts from your list to think more about and make 2-3 separate lists of elements you recall in each one. For example, if you are thinking about toothpaste commercial, try to remember colors, voices, lighting, quotes or jingles, titles, images, sounds, language, events, social issues, people, etc.

4. Circle those phrases, words and/or descriptions that you found to be interesting, relevant, memorable, or perhaps controversial.

5. Evaluate both of your lists to consider what is most interesting to your or what you think you can write the most about it.

6. Once you have a specific text in mind, begin to research it, identifying credible primary/secondary, scholarly/popular/trade sources that provide support for the following. Remember that you MUST include additional sources and text evidence in your rhetorical analysis, along with the multimodal text, so be sure to take notes, and properly cite sources in MLA format.

    • Who is the speaker?
    • Who is the audience?
    • What are the speaker’s motivations?
    • What issue/problem is the text responding to?
    • What is the immediate concern regarding the text?
    • What is the speaker’s goal?

Step 3: Outlining

Complete the following Multimodal Rhetorical Analysis Planning Sheet.

 

INTRODUCTION:

Identify the text you are analyzing.

(type of multimodal text, title, author, publisher and speaker’s claim).

Identify the audience and specific rhetorical situation.

(discuss topic relevance to the audience)

State your claim regarding the effectiveness of the speaker’s attempts, and why.

(thesis statement, preview of points)

 Topic/Text:

 

 

Audience:

 

 

Thesis Statement:

 

 
BODY:

Identify the points you will be discussing to support your claim regarding the effectiveness of the speaker’s attempts.

(persuasive appeals used, rhetorical language, style, supporting evidence, audience, style, etc.)

 Point 1:

 

 

Point 2:

 

 

Point 3:

 

 
CONCLUSION:

Restate your claim, summarize support discussed, and offer closing remarks.

 Restate Thesis:

 

 

Brief summary of supporting evidence:

 

 

 

Step 4: Drafting

Use your completed outline, along with the following tips, to begin drafting your multimodal rhetorical analysis.

Introduction

This section of the essay is your opportunity to establish the setting of this discussion including the topic, the text genre/title, the speaker, the speaker’s claim, and the intended audience.  In other words, the introduction is a good place to establish your rhetorical situation. The reader cannot successfully move forward without knowing this information, so be intentional about identifying all of the necessary details. Another very important element of the introduction is the thesis statement, which is your claim regarding the effectiveness of the speaker’s attempts. This statement serves as a guide for the reader, as well as functioning as a checklist for you, the writer.

Body

Open each supporting body paragraph with a topic sentence that states the first reason/supporting detail. Then, in 2-3 sentences explain the first main point. Follow with textual evidence, which may include a direct, partial, or paraphrased quote. Regardless, it is important to do the following in this order:

    1. Introduce evidence – According to, The writer states, In a recent study…
    2. Follow with the evidence – direct quote, partial quote, paraphrase quote, summary of information.
    3. Be sure to include cited text evidence from researched primary/secondary, scholarly/popular/trade sources for your claims.
    4. Concisely explain the point being made in the evidence as it relates to the topic sentence, and the overall thesis.
    5. Make note that EACH piece of evidence should be presented and explained in this way.
    6. Close the paragraph summarizing the speaker’s rhetorical motivations with regard to that paragraph’s point, particularly as to how it may affect the intended audience. Repeat this same format for each of the remaining body paragraphs.

 Conclusion

Develop a closing paragraph that restates the speaker’s claims and points, as well as your claim regarding the effectiveness of the speaker’s attempts. Offer a brief summary of how you supported that claim. Provide a brief, but relevant closing remark.

Step 5: Peer Review

After being assigned a peer review partner, exchange drafts. Check the boxes of the expectations you believe the writer successfully met. Then, provide a detailed explanation of elements that you found to be effective and/or ineffective, responding to the questions for EACH section. All responses should be in complete sentences and SPECIFIC to the writer’s essay. Be constructively critical, remembering that the goal is to help the writer produce an effective paper, so be kind.

INTRODUCTION

  • Does the writer identify the author, article title, publication, and overall author’s claim?
  • Does the writer make it clear who the intended audience is, and why they may find the topic interesting, informative, and/or relevant?
  • Does the writer provide a clear statement of their claim regarding the effectiveness of the speaker’s attempts, as well as briefly previewing points to be discussed?

Are all of these elements clear to you? If so, explain what they did well. If not, describe what is missing and suggest some options for how the writer might go about satisfying these elements in the essay.

 

2. BODY – Supporting Paragraph 1

  • Does the writer explain, support, and analyze the author’s first supporting reason?
  • Does the writer properly introduce the evidence, interpret its meaning, and explain how it supports the supporting reason? Does the writer include text evidence from primary/secondary, scholarly/popular/trade sources? Is the evidence relevant to the claim, and is it properly cited in MLA format?
  • Does the writer explain why or how the author’s reasoning/evidence may be relevant/appealing to the intended audience?

Are all of these elements clear to you? If so, explain what they did well. If not, describe what is missing and suggest some options for how the writer might go about satisfying these elements in the essay.

 

3. BODY – Supporting Paragraph 2

  • Does the writer explain, support, and analyze the author’s second supporting reason?
  • Does the writer properly introduce the evidence, interpret its meaning, and explain how it supports the supporting reason? Does the writer include text evidence from primary/secondary, scholarly/popular/trade sources? Is the evidence relevant to the claim, and is it properly cited in MLA format?
  • Does the writer explain why or how the author’s reasoning/evidence may be relevant/appealing to the intended audience?

Are all of these elements clear to you? If so, explain what they did well. If not, describe what is missing and suggest some options for how the writer might go about satisfying these elements in the essay.

 

4. BODY – Supporting Paragraph 3

  • Does the writer explain, support, and analyze the author’s third supporting reason?
  • Does the writer properly introduce the evidence, interpret its meaning, and explain how it supports the supporting reason? Does the writer include text evidence from primary/secondary, scholarly/popular/trade sources? Is the evidence relevant to the claim, and is it properly cited in MLA format?
  • Does the writer explain why or how the author’s reasoning/evidence may be relevant/appealing to the intended audience?

Are all of these elements clear to you? If so, explain what they did well. If not, describe what is missing and suggest some options for how the writer might go about satisfying these elements in the essay.

 

5. CONCLUSION 

  • Does the writer restate the author’s claim and reasons?
  • Does the writer restate their claim and reasons regarding the effectiveness of the speaker’s attempts?
  • Does the writer provide any relevant closing remarks?

Are all of these elements clear to you? If so, explain what they did well. If not, describe what is missing and suggest some options for how the writer might go about satisfying these elements in the essay.

*Helpful Tips: Regardless of whether you choose to do the above activity for peer feedback, be sure to make note of the following:

  • Cite evidence from the writer’s draft when offering constructive criticism, including highlighting effective elements.
  • In addition to completing the handout, it may be helpful to also communicate the feedback orally to the writer, as well as making notations within the draft.
  • As you will also be receiving peer feedback, remember to ask your reviewer to clarify comments, as well as provide support for effective and ineffective elements when critiquing your draft.

Step 6: Revising

Revise your draft using the following checklist. Make note of any meaningful peer feedback you received, as well as effective strategies found through reading other student drafts.

  • Have I thoroughly identified the author, text information, author’s claim/reasons and intended audience?
  • Have I clearly stated my claim regarding the effectiveness of the speaker’s attempts?
  • Did I open every body paragraph with a topic sentence regarding each of the author’s points?
  • Did I provide relevant and supportive evidence for each supporting point discussed? Did I effectively introduce the evidence, interpret its meaning, and explain how it supports the reason discussed in that paragraph?
  • Did I provide text evidence from primary/secondary, scholarly/popular/trade sources? Is my evidence relevant to my claims, and properly cited in MLA format?
  • Did I consistently and successfully discuss the author’s motivations regarding the intended audience?
  • Did I discuss rhetorical mechanisms, including the persuasive appeals, language, style, and other devices?
  • Did I restate the author’s claim and reasons? Do I restate my claim regarding the effectiveness of the speaker’s attempts, and how I supported that position?
  • Did I offer brief but relevant closing remarks? Did I avoid making any new points, or providing new evidence?
  • Did I apply relevant feedback from my peers and/or instructor?

Step 7: Polishing

Review your final draft with your audience in mind, making any necessary changes to enhance engagement and clarity for your reader.

  • Remember that no draft is ever really final, and as the writer you will always find some area that you may want to improve upon. Therefore, aim to create your BEST draft, not a perfect final paper.
  • PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD. That’s it. That’s the tip.
  • Although there are many applications like Word, Pages, or Google Docs that check documents for spelling and grammar, you should still make time to also proofread your essay.
  • It may be helpful to welcome a final review from a different evaluator, such as a tutor, parent, or peer outside of your class.
  • You’re finished! So, celebrate this small milestone, and enjoy the satisfying feeling of completion. BUT, no confetti until after you have successfully submitted your assignment.

 

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Reading and Writing in College Copyright © 2021 by smendez and TWU FYC Team is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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