Structure for Paper 1 At Here is some guidance for how to structure your first paper (and all other papers as well): For your intro paragraph, always have the author and the text you are working with, as well as your thesis. This paper will discuss a TED Talk (notice capitals), and because it is a shorter work, it is put in quotation marks "The Happy Secret to Better Work" by Shawn Achor - spell his name correctly. Be sure the thesis includes Achor's purpose and the rhetorical strategies you are going to work with. The intro should also have background either on Achor, rhetoric or his purpose. Here is a partial list of strategies you may use for the paper: ethos, logos, pathos, diction, syntax, figurative language (imagery, personficiation, simile, metaphor), anecdotes (stories), humor, repetition. Each body paragraph needs a topic sentence that includes the rhetoric that will be discussed in the paragraph. Set up the quote you are analyzing. Each paragraph should have only one direct quote. If you have more than one example (quote) per paragraph, there is not enough time to analyze the quote. After the quote, analyze it, which for this paper means explaining how that example connects to his purpose. Be sure each paragraph has a concluding sentence. How To Do the Rhetorical Analysis Paper, Prompt A Paper 1 - Rhetorical Analysis Essay Context: Everyone uses rhetoric to achieve his/her goals and desires. Some goals and desires seem unimportant; others are obviously a bit more important. We have studied rhetoric and how it is used with readings and videos. Purpose: To analyze a speaker's rhetoric, showing a good understanding of what rhetoric is and the terms associated with it, while showing significant analysis. Prompt: Having read the transcript of the TED Talk by Shawn Achor: “The Happy Secret to Better Work." and having watched it, analyze its rhetoric. Decide on the speaker's purpose and argument, then, analyze which rhetorical strategies he uses to develop said purpose and argument. Why are these effective or why are they not effective? Instructions and Guidance on Structure: See the modules on structure. Be sure your paper is well-organized with a clear thesis. Each paragraph should have a clear topic sentence and concluding sentence. It must be typed. Your paper should be 3 - 4 double-spaced typed pages and MLA formatted - one- inch margins and 12-point font. Use a MLA heading and a header. You must include a Works Cited page with your paper and use in-text citations. See the modules on MLA specifics. If a draft is not submitted, the final grade will be lowered one letter grade. Submissions: Do not submit papers in the Pages application or Google Docs. I cannot open these. Remember - I do not take late papers. Paper 1, Rhetorical Analysis, Due Start Assignment Due Saturday by 10pm Points 150 Submitting a text entry box or a file upload Available Sep 10 at 6am - Sep 18 at 10pm 9 days Upload your final draft here. Essay Rubric Criteria Ratings Pts Use a critical voice to show you have thought critically about the topic O pts O pts above expectations O pts developing the skill meets O pts not yet passing O pts expectations Discuss complexities and not make things seem more simple than they are O pts O pts above expectations O pts developing the skill meets expectations O pts not yet passing O pts Make strong analytical claims in your thesis and topic sentences O pts O pts O pts above expectations developing the skill meets expectations O pts not yet passing O pts Explain how the supporting evidence connects to your thesis and analysis O pts O pts above expectations O pts developing the skill meets O pts not yet passing O pts expectations Use TAG (title, author, genre) statements to introduce texts O pts O pts O pts developing the skill above expectations meets O pts not yet passing O pts expectations Use TAG (title, author, genre) statements to introduce texts O pts O pts above expectations O pts developing the skill O pts meets not yet expectations passing O pts Explain the ideas in the text for readers who have not read the text O pts O pts above expectations developing the skill O pts meets expectations O pts not yet passing O pts Choose effective quotations to support your discussion O pts above expectations O pts developing the skill O pts meets expectations O pts not yet passing O pts Smoothly incorporate quotations into your writing O pts O pts O pts O pts above expectations developing the skill meets not yet expectations passing O pts Effectively paraphrase and/or summarize ideas from the text O pts O pts O pts above expectations developing the skill meets expectations O pts not yet passing O pts Let readers know where you got the information by citing sources (MLA) O pts O pts above expectations O pts developing the skill O pts meets expectations not yet passing O pts Develop your intro paragraph(s) (hook, background information/context, and thesis statement) O pts O pts O pts above expectations developing the skill meets expectations O pts not yet passing O pts Control your essay with a strong thesis statement (topic, claim and reasons) O pts above expectations O pts developing the skill O pts O pts meets not yet expectations passing O pts Control your body paragraphs with topic sentences that connect to the thesis O pts O pts O pts O pts meets above expectations developing the skill not yet passing O pts expectations Use specific examples, quotations, and paraphrases to support main ideas O pts O pts O pts above expectations O pts developing the skill meets expectations not yet passing O pts Explain how examples, quotations, and paraphrases support main ideas O pts O pts developing the skill O pts meets above O pts not yet passing O pts expectations expectations Develop a conclusion that provides final thoughts for readers to O pts O pts O pts O pts take away meets above expectations developing the skill not yet passing O pts expectations Control the content and organization of your essay with your thesis O pts O pts above expectations O pts developing the skill meets expectations O pts not yet passing O pts Present ideas in an order that makes sense to readers O pts O pts above O pts developing the skill meets O pts not yet passing O pts expectations expectations Break your ideas into manageable chunks for your readers O pts O pts above expectations O pts developing the skill meets O pts not yet passing O pts expectations Focus each paragraph on one main idea O pts O pts O pts above expectations developing the skill meets expectations O pts not yet passing O pts
 

Rhetorical Analysis

            In the 2012 TED Talk "The Happy Secret to Better Work," Shawn Achor introduces his topic on the scientific discoveries of the human brain (that informed the positive psychology) with a childhood story about him and his sister Amy's tragic but humorous experience. The rhetoric demonstrates how the human brain can be 'tricked' to overcome innate reflexes and respond positively to weather adversity. Achor captivates the audience with various rhetorical devices throughout the TED Talk, which contextualizes the subject by making it funny, relatable, and easy to understand for the lay audience. The speaker's primary purpose is to challenge persisting assumptions about important measures of human potential that insist on eliminating the negative outliers instead of understanding them. Since this is a scientific subject and TED Talk is a mixed audience platform, Achor uses rhetorical strategies such as anecdotes, figurative language, pathos, and logos to communicate the complex technical findings to the audience.

Anecdotes

Achor begins his TED Talk presentation with an anecdote about how he tricked his sister's brain into avoiding focusing on the pain of falling from the bed by persuading her that landing on all-four was a confirmation of her otherworldly fete as a baby unicorn. Anecdotes are short and exciting stories that can be used to not only lighten the mood and capture the audience's attention but also communicate a deeper connection with the impending subject (Martin 150). It sparks the listener's imagination, causing them to consider its deeper meaning in the context of the topic. For instance, when Achor says, "…And you could see my poor, manipulated sister faced the conflict, as her little brain attempted to devote resources to feeling the pain….or contemplating her new-found identity as a unicorn," he causes the listeners to connect the relevant dots (Achor). Here, Achor illustrates the power of the human brain in overcoming negativity when propositioned with overwhelmingly positive stimulus. Therefore, the speaker appropriates the anecdotes to lighten the mood and introduce the complex positive psychology topic.

Figurative Language

Achor powerfully used figurative language to describe and personalize the topic in an engaging, humorous, and patronizing manner. Figurative language encompasses various devices such as imagery and personification, which allows one to appeal to the listeners' emotions and spark their imagination (Hayward 242). Achor uses the dots in the projected graph to personify the complexities of statistical measurements and errors. When he says, "There is one weird red dot above the curve, there's one weirdo in the room—I know who you are, I saw you earlier—" he is using figurative language to describe how scholars visualize people (Achor). This rhetorical strategy, especially in conference presentations, personifies the audience, causing them to consider the inherent implications of that one red dot on overall research about the topic (because it represents them). Therefore, figurative language demystifies the topic and draws the audience's attention to certain now-simplified aspects of the speaker's narrative.

Pathos

Pathos refers to the rhetorical strategy of appealing to the listener's emotions, persuading them to consider the merits or demerits of the concerned subject matter. Achor utilizes pathos throughout his TED Talk by directly addressing his listeners using the third personal pronoun, "you." Pathos allows the speakers to appeals to the audience's emotion by expressing anger, disgust, or raising optimism about specific aspects in their speech. Achor appropriates rhetorical questions to this end, directed to his audience to evoke an emotional response. For instance, he says, "Why are some of you high above the curve in terms of intellectual, athletic, musical ability, creativity, energy levels, resilience in the face of challenge, sense of humor?" (Achor). This causes the audience to consider their position in that curve and how it reflects on their achievements in those areas, evoking an emotional response that keeps them interested in listening to the speaker. Pathos is an essential rhetorical strategy because it engages the audience's emotions, intriguing them to continue listening.

Logos

Human beings are intrinsically logical creatures that engage reasoning when reading or listening to other people's arguments. After capturing his audience's attention and introducing his topic's purpose, Achor uses scientific data to back up his claims and appeal to the listener's deductive reasoning (Hayward 241)). For example, quoting from existing reliable research, the speaker says, "What we fond is that only 25% of job successes are predicted by IQ, 75% of job successes are predicted by your optimism levels, your social support, and your ability to see stress as a challenge instead of as a threat" (Achor). This statistical presentation appeals to the audience's reasoning and makes them trust the speaker's credibility. It essentially backs up all the information that Achor has been talking about all along and can be used either at the beginning of the end of the speech. Therefore, logos allows the speaker to appeal to the audience's intellectual capacity to make deductive conclusions as a rhetorical strategy.

Conclusion

Shawn Achor's "The Happy Secret to Better Work" TED Talk demonstrates how he effectively uses rhetorical strategy to communicate complex scientific findings to a mixed audience. He introduced his arguments with a powerful and humorous anecdote which lightened the mood and allowed him to venture into the topic. Achor also used figurative language to simplifying some aspects and make them relatable. He also uses pathos throughout the talk to appeal to the audience's emotion by asking rhetorical questions. Finally, towards the end, he references scientific findings to back up his claims and secures his credibility as a scholar.

Outline

Thesis: Since this is a scientific subject and TED Talk is a mixed audience platform, Achor uses rhetorical strategies such as anecdotes, figurative language, pathos, and logos to communicate the complex technical findings to the audience.

Anecdotes

Achor begins his TED Talk presentation with an anecdote about how he tricked his sister's brain into avoiding focusing on the pain of falling from the bed by persuading her that landing on all-four was a confirmation of her otherworldly fete as a baby unicorn.

Figurative Language

Achor powerfully used figurative language to describe and personalize the topic in an engaging, humorous, and patronizing manner.

Pathos

Achor utilizes pathos throughout his TED Talk by directly addressing his listeners using the third personal pronoun, "you."

Logos

After capturing his audience's attention and introducing his topic's purpose, Achor uses scientific data to back up his claims and appeal to the listener's deductive reasoning (Hayward 241).

Conclusion

Shawn Achor's "The Happy Secret to Better Work" TED Talk demonstrates how he effectively uses rhetorical strategy to communicate complex scientific findings to a mixed audience.