Essay #1: Rhetorical Analysis

Begin by reading:

“How #MeToo Taught Me I Can Never Be a Man” by Alex Myers

The writing assignment:

Write a brief rhetorical analysis of this piece.

Discussion:

A rhetorical analysis asks (and answers) several simple questions:

• Who (so far as you can tell) was this written to? How can you tell? Was this a good choice? (BTW: “Anyone who wants to read it” is no answer. Come up with something more specific and helpful.)
• What was the author trying to do to the reader?
• How did the author do that? (This part may have several pieces, including a discussion of content, imagery, and organization.)
• Did it work?

Hints for success:

I have organized the discussion above as a series of bullet points. Though you can use my bullets as an outline, you will need to write an essay, not just a list; you will need an introduction with a thesis, decent paragraphing, and a conclusion.

Don’t write about the wrong thing. The Myers piece (and your paper) does not concern:

• Whether it is a good idea or not to be a transgender person. The politics, ethics, and religious considerations of gender transition are not what the article is talking about.
• Whether Alex Myers successfully presents as a “real man” in your eyes.
• Whether Alex Myers should be referred to as “he,” “she,” or “they.” (Note: In all of Myers’ writings, he prefers the masculine pronoun. It’s a genuine insult to refer to Myers as “she.”)

You are writing about the craft of the paper; your feelings about sexual orientation and/or politics are certainly not part of the discussion unless you can demonstrate that Myers is being fair or unfair to one particular group. On the other hand, considering the title of the piece, if you feel that Myers is being unfair or biased toward men (or women) as a group, that would be a legitimate topic to explore.

The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by Ashland University.
Revised 12/27/23 • Page author: Curtis Allen • e-mail: callen@ashland.edu.