thinking rhetorically

Help me study for my English class. I’m stuck and don’t understand.

step 1: read

This excerpt on “thinking rhetorically” (PDF)

When you have finished the reading, make sure you understand

• what we mean by rhetoric in the context of writing (you will sometimes hear someone talk about “political rhetoric”—and it’s said as a criticism; that’s a different use of the word)
• what it means to think rhetorically
• why it’s important to consider audience and purpose when we write

step 2: also read

“Re: Your Recent Email to Your Professor” (read it online (Links to an external site.))

step 3: consider this rhetorical situation

• writer: Chris, a student in a literature course
• reader: me, the instructor
• purpose: to get access to the reading that’s due next class
• medium: email

goal: to write a professional, appropriate email

Note: both of the student emails below are adapted from actual messages I have received from real students over the 27 years I have been teaching.

student email #1

Dear Professor,

I have a request to make of you. Due to financial difficulties, I will be unable to purchase the required textbooks until next week, and therefore I do not have access to Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” for journal 2. I do not want to start the semester with a zero on a journal, and so I am hoping that you might be able to send me a copy of the poem or help me find it online. I will be most grateful if you can help me with this request, and I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this might cause you.

Sincerely,

Chris Smith

student email #2

Wazzup Mr B! I need 2 hear from u b4 2nite bc I don’t have $$ for the books and need u to give me the poem to read

step 4: identify what’s wrong and write a better email

In the text box, I would like you to do 3 things (and please number your responses):

1. Using what you learned from the reading in Step 1, briefly explain how the writer of student email #2 would benefit from thinking rhetorically.
2. Explain in a sentence or two why student email #1 is not the best email that the student can send.
3. Write a better email for Chris that meets the goals of the rhetorical situation, keeping in mind what you learned in the article about student email in Step 2.
   • You can start with email #1 and revise, or you might want to start from scratch
   • either approach is valid, as long as you meet the goals of the rhetorical situation and show that you paid attention to the reading in Step 2