Paper 4

EN 101
Instructor: Adam Weinstein
Paper 4: Everything is a text
Type of Paper: Rhetorical Analysis
Length: 1000 words
Due Tuesday, October 30, by midnight


In this section, we will be looking at a variety of politically charged songs to try to come to grips with the different responses/reactions/ways artists deal with political conflict. You are by no means limited to the selections we use in class, but keep in mind that you should be considering work that does deal with that conflict.

It will be your job to uncover the artist’s strategy: how they go about trying to get their message across, to whom they might be speaking, and how they represent themselves. Consider that each of these elements corresponds to the rhetorical triangle: argument, audience, and speaker (logos, pathos, ethos). The goal will be to uncover their argumentative strategy—on which area of the triangle do they place the most emphasis? You will then respond to how effective that message/argument is.

This essay will have (at least) four sections. First, analyze the song for its message. Second, analyze the way that message is constructed and what goals might be setting for itself. Third, tell us the various positive and negative qualities of the artist’s method. Finally, argue effectiveness—in the end, will the goals be met?

In order to effectively analyze the essay, you will need to be able to answer these questions:
a.    To what event/practice/concern/belief/state of affairs (to make it easy, we’ll call it an “event”) is the artist responding?
b.    What is the artist’s response?
c.    Is the persona in the song the artist?
d.   
e.    What do you know about the persona?
f.    What does the speaker argue for?
g.    Who is the audience for this song?
h.    How does the speaker construct the critique (if it is a critique)

The goal for this paper is to analyze a text, and use examples from the text as proof for your own arguments. Think: We know the artist wants__________because he says so, in line 5: “I want to buy you ice cream”; instead of, “I think the artist wants to change the world. I’m not sure why though.”