1. Introduction to Effective Writing Organization
Rhetorical Analysis
Introduction to Effective Writing Organization

2. Four-step process for writing:
1) Claim
2) Context
3) Evidence
4) Connection

3. Body paragraph: To Kill a Mockingbird (student example)
Considering the fact that Tom Robinson was African American and Atticus was white, Atticus was very brave sitting at the jailhouse to protect Tom from the angry white mob. Atticus stood between the mob and Tom Robinson in jail, knowing that he really didn’t have the power to fight the whole mob. “’You can turn around and go home again, Walter,’ Atticus said pleasantly” (Lee 202). Although Atticus believed the people in the mob were good deep down, he was fully aware of what they could do to him and Tom Robinson. Harper Lee uses Atticus to show that with courage comes hard times that test people’s courage, and people show their true bravery when they don’t have power.

4. Claim
Always opinionated: typically the thesis statement and any topic sentences. These are primary claims to be proven over the course of the written piece.

5. Claim
Considering the fact that Tom Robinson was African American and Atticus was white, Atticus was very brave sitting at the jailhouse to protect Tom from the angry white mob. Atticus stood between the mob and Tom Robinson in jail, knowing that he really didn’t have the power to fight the whole mob. “’You can turn around and go home again, Walter,’ Atticus said pleasantly” (Lee 202). Although Atticus believed the people in the mob were good deep down, he was fully aware of what they could do to him and Tom Robinson. Harper Lee uses Atticus to show that with courage comes hard times that test people’s courage, and people show their true bravery when they don’t have power.

6. Context
Gives the reader an idea of how the answer to the claim can be found in the text. Context links the opinions in the claims to the where the evidence about the claims appears in the text (introduces the quote, and/or any miniature summary required to understand the quote).

7. Context
Considering the fact that Tom Robinson was African American and Atticus was white, Atticus was very brave sitting at the jailhouse to protect Tom from the angry white mob. Atticus stood between the mob and Tom Robinson in jail, knowing that he really didn’t have the power to fight the whole mob. “’You can turn around and go home again, Walter,’ Atticus said pleasantly” (Lee 202). Although Atticus believed the people in the mob were good deep down, he was fully aware of what they could do to him and Tom Robinson. Harper Lee uses Atticus to show that with courage comes hard times that test people’s courage, and people show their true bravery when they don’t have power.

8. Evidence
Typically word-for-word from the text. Evidence usually appears in “quotation marks” with corresponding citation – the specific words from the text which support the writer’s claim.

9. Evidence
Considering the fact that Tom Robinson was African American and Atticus was white, Atticus was very brave sitting at the jailhouse to protect Tom from the angry white mob. Atticus stood between the mob and Tom Robinson in jail, knowing that he really didn’t have the power to fight the whole mob. “’You can turn around and go home again, Walter,’ Atticus said pleasantly” (Lee 202). Although Atticus believed the people in the mob were good deep down, he was fully aware of what they could do to him and Tom Robinson. Harper Lee uses Atticus to show that with courage comes hard times that test people’s courage, and people show their true bravery when they don’t have power.

10. Connection
Explanation of how the evidence supports the claims. These are detailed descriptions of how the quoted information from the original text helps verify the claims given in the thesis and/or topic sentences.

11. Connection
Considering the fact that Tom Robinson was African American and Atticus was white, Atticus was very brave sitting at the jailhouse to protect Tom from the angry white mob. Atticus stood between the mob and Tom Robinson in jail, knowing that he really didn’t have the power to fight the whole mob. “’You can turn around and go home again, Walter,’ Atticus said pleasantly” (Lee 202). Although Atticus believed the people in the mob were good deep down, he was fully aware of what they could do to him and Tom Robinson. Harper Lee uses Atticus to show that with courage comes hard times that test people’s courage, and people show their true bravery when they don’t have power.

12. Rhetorical analysis: writing
1) Use the article on college. Read and annotate in terms of the essential question: What is the author’s purpose in “Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say”? 2) Write a short rhetorical analysis answering the essential question following the four-step process.

13. Rhetorical Analysis: Writing
1) use ALL texts, materials, etc. you have accumulated in covering the Realism literary period:
Slave Narratives (470)
“To Build a Fire” (547) and two-column chart
“The Lowest Animal” (and questions from 542)
“The Yellow Wallpaper” (from website, along with Cornell notes and presentation)
Native Culture: Realism (speeches and quotes from website, along with presentation)
2) Fulfill the following prompt with a minimum of 300 words:
- Using the 4-step process, determine a common theme or central idea among three different pieces of literature we’ve covered. Formulate a thesis statement regarding this theme, and support your thesis in an analytical essay. Use at least one excerpt from each of your sources for support, and cite them parenthetically in APA style.