Artifact One

ENGL 3050: Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition

Rhetorical Analysis of a Personal Anecdote

The purpose of Intro to Rhetoric and Composition is to provide a foundational knowledge of rhetoric’s history and exercise its theories through rhetorical analysis. As a part of our final assignments, Dr. Gammill assigned a rhetorical analysis in which the only guidelines were that the subject must be personal and the lens must cover one of the rhetorical theories we covered during the semester. I chose to analyze the time I persuaded my parents to let me adopt a puppy.

This artifact reflects an understanding of Kenneth Burke’s theories of terministic screens and identification. Both are key tools in a rhetorician’s catalogue, and both emphasize the role of rhetoric in everyday interactions. I considered the personal anecdote through the lens of rhetoric as a means for human unity. Under this notion and the methods of Burke, I could explore my own assumptions in regards to the persuasive interactions between myself and my parents.