ESSAY PROMPT: Summer movie season is over, alas, but well always have the posters. Were going to look at movie posters as arguments and analyze them rhetorically. Youll break down one movie poster (past or present that youve never seen) into its parts, tell your reader how those parts form their argument, and then evaluate that argument.
THE SCENARIO: A friend or family member is interested in seeing a movie, any movie. Youre walking past the theater where there is no wifi (I know, thats never gonna happen, but lets pretend)and talking to her. The only evidence you have to help you decide are the posters hanging alongside the marquee.
YOUR JOB: use rhetorical analysis to make a recommendation about ONE movie. Remember that in making a recommendation, your only choices are not to see this movie or to not see it.
YOUR AUDIENCE: a friend or family member. Think of ONE specific person.
First, you must find a movie poster (past or present) that makes some kind of an argument:
____________ is a movie about ___________________.
If you cant find an argument, look for a different poster.
Heres the joy, maybe: you dont have to actually have seen the film, as a friend of mine used to say, you only have to see the poster.
Second, evaluate whether the argument is convincing.
In order to do this, you must:
Introduce your topic to your reader (hook paragraph)
Summarize the poster (give the reader a description)
Break down the poster (not the movie) into its rhetorical elements/parts (evidence)
Explain how the parts form a whole (rhetorical analysis)
Make a recommendation: Because ________________ is a movie about _________________, we should ___________________________________
____________________________________ (conclusion/falling action)
In addition, youll need to provide a Works Cited page if you use any outside sources.
FOR THIS ESSAY ONLY: you dont have to use any outside sources. You may use as many but no more than two.
Length: 1,200-1,750 words in MLA document format (Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced body with one-inch margins)
WHAT WILL I BE LOOKING FOR WHEN I GRADE YOUR ESSAY?
Content/Organization:
o Consistent awareness of purpose and audience. You should maintain the academic voice (third person perspective) and avoid the casual interruption of personal opinion.
o A substantial introduction that addresses your reading audience with an introductory hook and concludes with compound thesis (or a thesis that presents your main idea and the counter argument(s) that will appear in your body paragraphs).
o Summary body paragraphs that objectively review the major points of your selected essays.
o The development of a unique argument that addresses parents directly and persuades them with logos, pathos, and/or ethos.
Style/Mechanics:
o Varied sentence structure (This means you should not write the same type of sentence over and over again. Im looking for variety and style).
o Strong, seamless transition sentences must connect each body paragraph (see Rules for Writers pgs. 64-66 or Section 4d).
o Sentence clarity. Be sure to avoid sentence fragments, run-ons, dangling modifiers, mixed constructions, use of the passive voice, and other grammar snags.
o Evidence of Proofreading. There should be little to no distracting grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.
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