Rhetorical analysis

Directions: Writing Today states, “Rhetorical Analysis is used to determine why some arguments are persuasive and why some are not. Advertisers, marketing analysts, and public relations agents use rhetorical analyses to understand how well their messages are influencing target audiences and the general public….In your college courses…anytime you are asked to analyze a nonfiction text, you are [ ] going to write a rhetorical analysis….after college, your supervisor s may ask you to closely analyze your organization’s…websites,, marketing materials and public messaging to determine their effectiveness. Your ability [ ] will allow you to offer helpful insights and suggestions for improvement.” (WT,136)
We have been looking at food-related community organizations that promote such efforts as food access, food safety, food quality, food education or urban gardening, as well as food companies.

Choose at least one website and write a 2 to 2.5 page rhetorical analysis considering such things as appeal (and type of appeal) to audience; rhetorical devices; use of images; use of text-picture interaction; mission statement, message and successful promotion of these. Make sure to support your analysis with specific references to text, images and web pages, as well as any other aspect that catches your attention. Discuss how well you think the website/blog is serving the mission of its organization and the needs of the community, and whether or not there are ways in which the website or blog might do this more fully. Consider use of pathos, logos and ethos in your analysis. Consider as well our observations of rhetoric in the recent presidential debate.