Rhetorical Analysis Prewriting

1) Which specific book, film, or TV show do you plan to write about? (This must be no older than 5 years).




2) Why have you chosen this text? Explain your decision in 3-5 sentences.




3) Which specific judgment(s) are making about this text? Why? Explain why this judgement is positive, negative, or partially both.




4) In a minimum of 5-8 sentences, write a summary (purely what happens) in the film, tv show, or novel that you chose above.




5) Below, state THREE CRITERIA that you plan to use to critique your text, and provide at least ONE EXAMPLE of this criterion as it appears in your book, film, or TV show. At least one of the criteria that you discuss below should contain a theme.

· EXAMPLE: Criterion #1: Theme of Good vs. Evil

i. Judgment: The theme of good vs. evil is effectively used in Peaky Blinders.

ii. Example: In the pilot episode, protagonist Thomas Shelby states, “Quote” (Citation).

iii. Explanation: In this example, the theme of good vs. evil is fully explored because …


· Criterion #1 (THEME) :

i. Judgment:

ii. Example:

iii. Explanation:


· Criterion #2:

i. Judgment:

ii. Example:

iii. Explanation:


· Criterion #3:

i. Judgment:

ii. Example:

iii. Explanation:



6) Write a draft of your thesis sentence. The thesis should include your judgement(s) and criteria.




7) Below, INCLUDE THE WORKS CITED (MLA) or REFERENCE (APA) CITATION for FOUR sources that you could use for this essay.

Remember to include the text you are critiquing as one of these sources.