Persuasive Writing
English 425.02: Portnoy

Modified Version of Exercise #1, page 202

Analyzing a Writer's Ethos

From the periodical you've selected, choose an argumentative piece written by one person (in other words, not a collective piece written by the editors of the periodical). The piece may be the argumentative essay often found on the last page of a magazine, or perhaps you might find an essay in the editorial section of a newspaper. (Stay away from short letters to the editor; those letters are of a different genre.)

Here's a shortcut to finding just such a piece: go to a website for a news source such as the Washington Post and follow the links for "columnists." Most columnists specialize in short argumentative pieces, and you can find them about everything from sports to politics to the environment and more.

Once you've selected a piece to analyze, answer the questions Crowley and Hawhee ask for Exercise #1 on page 202 (notice I've assigned agency, and I've assigned it to the writers of the book, not the book itself). Be specific in your response. You probably will need to quote from the essay to make your points. Remember to think about extrinsic (situated) as well as intrinsic (invented) ethos.

Attach the text you've studied (original, photocopy, or hard copy of an online article) to your written response, and provide a citation for it. You will need to have both the text and your analysis ready to submit at the start of class on October 24.