Critiquing Essay Prompt

For this assignment, we are going to critique a speech based on its rhetorical strategies and fallacies.  Personally, I like apology speeches because they are full of elements to critique, so here are my three all-time favorites:

Jimmy Swaggart’s apology sermon of February 21, 1988

Richard Nixon’s resignation address of August 8, 1974

William J. Clinton’s prayer breakfast remarks of September 11, 1998

The transcripts of these speeches (linked here) are found in a wonderful online collection called American Rhetoric, which was created and is maintained by Dr. Michael Eidenmuller, a communications professor at UT Tyler.  There are hundreds of speeches in this database (www.americanrhetoric.com), and the transcripts are not copyrighted against our academic use, as far as I can tell.  If you would rather complete this critique assignment using a different speech, you may do so, as long as I approve it first.

1.   Remind yourself of the Aristotelian appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos from your logic, philosophy, and freshman English classes.  You could do a Google search for these terms and find lots of basic information on other instructor pages.  Here’s an example from a web-writing course at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York:  “The Art of Rhetoric.”  And here’s a great article by teacher/speaker Andrew Dlugan, found on his Six Minutes blog:  “Ethos, Pathos, Logos:  Three Pillars of Public Speaking.”  You can find many more articles like these online.

2.   Remind yourself of the common rhetorical fallacies, which you also probably learned in lower-division gen-ed classes.  A Google search for “rhetorical fallacies” or “logical fallacies” will yield pages of results, and some are more helpful than others.  Purdue University has a good one:  “Logical Fallacies.”  University of North Carolina does also:  “Fallacies.”

3.   Select one speech to critique.  You can choose one of the three I linked above, or you can select one of your own desire, as long as you get my approval first.

4.   Critique the speech, using the outline below:

I.         Introduction (1 to 2 paragraphs)

1.    Proper introduction of the speech and speaker

2.    Background information regarding the circumstances

a.   relevant biographical information about the speaker
(Please do not go back to the beginning of time)

b.   circumstances/controversies surrounding the speaker at the time of the speech

c.   speaker's purpose for giving this speech

(What does he want?)

d.   intended audience for the speech

      (Who is he talking to?)

II.        Summary (1 to 2 paragraphs)

1.    What did the speaker state directly?

2.    What did the speaker imply but not state directly?

III.       Analysis (the majority of your essay)

1.    Evaluation of the speech

a.    accuracy of the statements made and/or implied

b.    any fallacies you noted

c.    any bias you noted

2.    Evaluation of the effectiveness on the intended audience

a.    success of argumentative strategies chosen

b.    success of speaker in achieving his overall purpose

5.   Keep in mind that you need to incorporate two to four sources in this essay.  Those sources should not be handouts on fallacies and appeals.  Rather, they should be sources from your own research that contribute to your critique in some way.  Here are a few possibilities:

• Articles that offer biographical information about the speaker
• Articles that offer historical information about the circumstances surrounding the speech
• Articles that offer information about the accuracy of the statements made
• Articles that offer information about the outcome of the speech (whether or not the speech was ultimately effective in persuading the audience)

Remember . . .

Tertiary reference sources are not acceptable for our assignments.  This includes encyclopedias and dictionaries, as well as online versions like Wikipedia and WebMD.  This also includes other people’s Master’s thesis papers and dissertations.  Please avoid all of these types of sources.

Also remember to format your in-text citations and References/Works Cited page in either APA or MLA format, and use consistent formatting throughout.  Please let me know if you have any questions about sources or how to cite them.

Finally, remember to check this blog, read each other’s response posts and questions, and post your own responses and questions.  I will be checking and adding to the conversation randomly every week.

I hope you will have fun with this assignment.  Please contact me with any concerns.  Have a great week!