Rhetorical Analysis of Project 3

Ryan McGuire. Argument. 01/04/14 via pixabay.
Creative Commons Public Domain

My understanding of project 3 is that I'm making in argument about a subject I am truly passionate or interested in. I'm extremely behind right now, pretty typical for me. This argument is a public argument; therefore, I am constructing an argument that could appear on some type of media and will be viewed by the public. As a consequence, the subject I'm forming my argument around will be a contemporary controversial issue.

Author questions:

1) How will you draw on any or some of the following for Project 3? Be specific about how your plans for Project 3 connect to some previous, current or burgeoning interest of your own?

The day I started researching for the project the big headlines on most news sites I viewed were about equal pay for woman. Naturally, this sparked my interest.

• I am a woman so this is a topic I can relate to and be passionate about.
• My major is currently nursing and there has been much controversy over the gender pay gap amongst male nurses and female nurses.
• I used to play soccer when I was in high school competitively.  Seeing the news story about the USA women's national soccer team fighting for equal pay sparked my interest.

2) What are the preconceptions, previously held opinions and/or potential areas for personal bias that you should be aware of for Project 3?   

• My family: I come from a family of nurses. My aunts have and always will be big influences in my life.  The two I am very close with switched off between picking me up from school, taking my to after school activities, and taking care of me till my parents got off of work. I would hear occasional rants about unequal pay amongst the male and female nurses.  This problem has always been something I've been aware of.
• I come from an upper middle-class conservative family. The big issues discussed in my household have never been about equal pay for women. This is a belief that is genuinely my own and has not been influenced by my parents.

Audience questions:

1) How are you thinking about your audience for this project? Who are you going to make this for? Describe them.

My intended audience will be mainly to women. Hopefully after reading it they will be more inclined to seek equality in all aspects of their lives. I also hope this argument reaches mean who disagree with equal pay or are just unaware of the gender pay gap issue.

2) What beliefs and assumptions might this audience already hold? What position are they likely to take on this issue? How will you respond to that position?

For most woman, just being a woman is enough to already hold the belief that she should be paid equally. In regards to those people, I hope they become more aware and informed about income equality. For men, the optimistic side of me hopes most are just not aware of this issue because it does not directly affect them. However, for those who truly believe men should have higher incomes than women, I hope those men see the incorrectness of that belief.

3) How might they react to your argument?

With most arguments, I would expect many to agree and disagree with it. Some will calmly disagree and others will passionately disagree. This is okay; It wouldn't be an argument without opposition. I think many will agree though and value and respect the argument I make.

4) How are you going to relate to or connect with your audience? Are there any specific words, ideas or ways of arguing that will help you relate to them in this way?

It is already easy for me to relate to women since I am a woman. Finding a way to relate to men reading my work will be more difficult. I'm not sure how to connect with them yet.

5) Think of one specific person or a set of people you know personally or professionally who fall within the definition of ‘target audience’ you’re using for Project 3. What could you tell them or say to them in order to convince them of your perspective? What would need to happen for them to agree with you?

I think girls my age, like my friends, are the audience I am really targeting. For most girls my age, pay and equality aren't of much importance because they don't have a career or have to worry about income. This is the audience I am targeting because these issues should be important to them. We are the future generation and our beliefs will define the future of our country. I would need this audience to listen and think about how income inequality based on gender could affect them.

Purpose/Message questions:

1) What do you want to accomplish with Project 3? What affect do you want it to have on your intended audience?

I want my audience to become more informed about this issue. I hope to reach people my age who, similarly to me, are not completely aware of issues like this. Before this project, I have rarely looked through news sites or found them interesting. Current events are interesting and there are many topics people can find, relate to, and be impassioned by. I hope after reading my work some of my audience can see this.

2) Once you’ve done all your research and figured out what you think about the controversy you’ve chosen, what still needs to be accomplished?

I need to start organizing my evidence and start putting together my arguments. I want to write my thesis first because I think this will help me orgainze my thoughts.