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rmu rhetoric published by robert morris university college of liberal arts robert morris university chicago campus 401 south state street chicago illinois 60605 www.robertmorris.edu 312.935.6800 david pyle editor special thanks to tricia lunt and jonathan derr art and design kristina maki orland park campus copyright 2012 all rights reserved 2 rmu rhetoric 3

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rmu rhetoric table of contents rmu rhetoric an introduction rhetorical rhetoric concerning rhetoric david pyle editor introduction to rhetoric so you re saying the art of rhetoric david pyle editor 17 20 robert morris university professor contributors james baltrum dr david belotti jonathan derr beth gainer jenny jocks-stelzer jane wendorff-craps tricia lunt david pyle vern sims donna skuta and gerard wozek section 1 grammar-rama and the writing process rmu professors a crash course in the world of the 5-paragraph rhetorical model david pyle mla format what it is and what it does david pyle robert morris university student contributors amanda alequin michelle augustin alyssa baumgardner nick bigelow matthew brantley towanda brown mariela chavez tia childs timothy chris chitwood kevin davis bianca hannah haley hrovat rodney jennings brianna k jones jillian london tiare ratcliff joshua regnier mac robinson shetara sawyer alex sobel michelle steinwart antonia theodore tawni vollmer joshua willis aaron wilson and corinne windham 24 38 a podcast script how to write the 5-paragraph essay 41 donna skuta grammar essay an outline donna skuta an essay is like a building tricia lunt 46 50 5 4 rmu rhetoric

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the structure and paragraph of on essay are similar the sandwich method jane wendorff-craps grammar essay paragraphs jane wendorff-craps blogging as writing practice beth l gainer voice lessons gerard wozek journals for ideas ideas for journals donna skuta most common writers issues comma slice ain t nice david pyle most common writers issues i say pause you say comma david pyle most common writers issues the dreaded re-read issue david pyle 10 essay items that i love to witness within students essays david pyle 55 57 64 66 71 75 82 91 98 10 essay items that i hate to witness in students essays david pyle grammar exercise 51 errors david pyle 102 113 121-135 section 2 professor lists various musings from jane wendorff-craps tricia lunt david pyle donna skuta and gerard wozek section 3 famous writers essays and the 7 types of rhetorical modes the 7 rhetorical modes david pyle a modest proposal jonathan swift a word for autumn a.a milne essays on censorship and art john galsworthy how to tell a story mark twain 137 146 161 165 204 7 6 rmu rhetoric

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farewell margaret fuller niagara falls rupert brooke on going into a house a.a milne on lying awake at night steward edward white political ideals bertrand russell elements of poetry george santayana the great boer war sir arthur conan doyle the mowing of a field hilaire belloc 207 210 218 222 229 243 247 258 section 4 definitions of the 7 rhetorical modes and rmu student rhetorical mode examples introduction to section 4 david pyle rmu professor narration rhetorical mode boy do i have a story thoughts on the narration rhetorical mode dr jonathan derr rmu professor hanging out with bikers in sturgis south dakota david pyle rmu professor click-clack click-clack brianna k jones rmu student barrettes shetara sawyer rmu student the wonders of being invisible amanda alequin rmu student flight or invisibility rodney jennings rmu student 275 277 283 294 301 305 311 8 9

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the raging bull bianca hannah rmu student going natural antonia theodore rmu student a terrifying vacation michelle augustin rmu student traveling in mexico mariela chavez rmu student ciao italia michelle l steinwart rmu student definition rhetorical mode definition rhetorical mode tricia lunt rmu professor teaching music my life s work rodney jennings rmu student dream.career.reality corinne windham rmu student process analysis rhetorical mode 316 322 327 334 342 347 351 356 a how-to process analysis regarding the how-to rhetorical mode james baltrum rmu professor how to successfully tent camp in the wisconsin winter david pyle rmu professor christmas tree farm wreath worker tia childs rmu student taking proper care of my pet rat timothy chris chitwood rmu student hot-wired up michelle augustin rmu student it s not a hobby it s my occupation alex sobel rmu student the things we do for our restaurant diners haley hrovat rmu student dining really dining out aaron wilson rmu student compare and contrast rhetorical mode kindles and smartphones using the compare and contrast rhetorical style 403 jane wendorff-craps rmu professor 360 366 377 386 393 399 406 413 421 11 10

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a vote for subway donna skuta rmu professor my life depends on it joshua regnier rmu student fresh vs canned foods michelle augustin rmu student good vs bad boyfriends mariela chavez rmu student fell in love with a girl/boy amanda alequin rmu student arms race u.s vs soviet union mac robinson rmu student should i walk or roll alex sobel rmu student big bright city lights vs serene moonlit nights brianna k jones student cause and effect rhetorical mode this is what i want to happen successfully producing cause and effect rhetorical modes david pyle rmu professor 427 431 437 443 448 452 456 461 the day that changed my life beth l gainer rmu professor the joy of holidays donna skuta rmu professor never will i ever again joshua willis rmu student friend or foe jillian london rmu student a hard-knock life lesson tiare ratcliff rmu student big-city life small town experience joshua regnier rmu student classification and division rhetorical mode and the category is considering the art of classification and division vern sims rmu professor riding my cannondale 4 types of pitches david pyle rmu professor types of hockey player positions nick bigelow rmu student 471 475 478 482 487 493 497 502 507 13 465 12

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decisions decisions amanda alequin rmu student art beyond left brain antonia theodore rmu student the armor the weapon and the painting michelle steinwart rmu student argument rhetorical mode using the argument rhetorical model argue convince change persuade dr david belotti rmu professor argument jenny jocks-stelzer rmu professor argument outline jenny jocks-stelzer rmu professor are all opinions of equal worth dr david belotti rmu professor sentence outline for argumentative research paper on literature donna skuta rmu professor my frugal life david pyle rmu professor 511 516 521 fundamentals of success matthew brantley rmu student hockey the best sport in the world kevin davis rmu student a character analysis cameron thayer in paul haggis film crash alyssa baumgardner rmu student believable characterizations in larsson s the girl with the dragon tattoo towanda brown rmu student overcoming absurdity tawni vollmer rmu student 564 571 577 582 526 535 540 543 553 556 588 14 15

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rmu rhetoric an introduction david pyle editor rhetorical rhetoric concerning rhetoric the text that you re now reading whether electronically or in old-school print is a collection of writings from rmu professors and rmu students just like yourself of course it s designed to gently sell you on the idea that great writing with some intent and dedication from writers just like yourself can be successfully achieved by just about anyone in fact since i ve just produced my thesis for the entire book i ll go on to say that in this initial edition which is been given the creative label of vol 1 we ve gathered together how-to writings concerning grammar and writing philosophies defined the 7 most common rhetorical strategies through professor-produced rhetorical modes and combed our electronically-delivered student essays in order to present well-written student material most of which is vastly superior to what i was producing at your ages and we threw in some lists and a couple of photographs to keep things interesting 16 rmu rhetoric 17

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english and humanities professors love to say that writing is a process yet this somewhat cliché line doesn t really accurately capture this notion possibly a better way to put it consider anything currently that you re really good at now go back exactly 5 years how do the two skill levels compare how did you get better at the same way you get to carnegie hall practice during your university career the more material that you produce the more instruction and feedback you ll receive in return from professors learn and profit by every opportunity to closely scrutinize each comment both positive and negative that is offered to you we love our jobs and when you re successful we re successful as well improving one s writing for better or worse doesn t occur all at once in specific and logical order but rather through small victories that allow students to produce more effective rhetoric with an ever-decreasing number of issues rmu rhetoric combined with structured class time and the producing of one s own writing is perhaps one s best strategy in evolving as a writer in content style and grammar lastly we re always on the lookout for original student-produced material so if after feeling out the tone of vol 1 feel free to send interesting and well written examples of rhetorical strategies for publication consideration in future editions you can request to submit the material through your professor or email ms word editions of essays to english professor david pyle at dpyle@robertmorris.edu why not take advantage of the opportunity to add another bullet point to the ol resume published author along these lines and much as good writers should we d love to hear your comments regarding the content what did we do well how can we better produce material that may both influence and motivate you?t as a bonus we ve purposely left 10 glaring grammar errors in this edition if you can locate one send your name and contact information to the above-listed email address during the publishing of the next edition we ll hold a drawing for an rmu gift certificate selected at random from all correct glaring grammar issues submissions hears that email address again dpyle robertmorris.edu 18 rmu rhetoric 19

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introduction to rhetoric david pyle rmu english and humanities professor so you re saying the art of rhetoric loosely defined rhetoric is the effective use of language it s the result of a writer s 1000s of big and small decisions all produced in consideration of one s audience and it s important in the english language we have up to1 million words at our disposal the average intelligent person knows anywhere from 50,000 ­ 60,000 of these words and societies tend to use only the same short 2,000 ­ 4,000 words in which to communicate this highlights the idea that especially in the united states we want and expect things to occur quickly and succinctly why use 50 words to speak or write a message when 10 will do this is the basis of rhetoric using the fewest number of effective words in order to deliver a clear and concise message which can be read/heard in the shortest amount of time in addition to this there are other factors that involve this notion of effective use of language i ve produced essay topic instruction and quizzes at midnight and lo and behold when viewing them with fresh eyes for an 8 o clock class they ve made little sense so sometimes what seems perfectly clear to us as individuals gets lost in translation in these late-night efforts i didn t consider my audience i was probably focusing too much internally as opposed to considering the 30 sets of eyes that would be viewing my output applying effective rhetoric to one s written or oral communication involves in a sense pouring over each and every word while also considering those words relationship to the other words found in the sentence the paragraph and the entire essay i m not much of a dapper dresser but we can liken this concept to style a single word is a tuxedo stud the fancy button found on a tuxedo a sentence is the viewing of all 7 tuxedo studs in a row the paragraph is for example one s entire shirt and jacket ensemble and the entire essay is the entire view of a well-pressed tuxedo if you re going to the prom than all components of the dress must be considered in order to achieve maximum effect and sometimes we re good with the jacket but the pants aren t pressed or the left sock has a hole in it my point the same holds true within the process of writing with so many choices on so many levels it s natural to understand that we might be currently strong in say content and style yet weak in grammar we may know about a restrictive clause and its usefulness yet constantly confuse the words its and it s for the record it is it s always and every time grammar-rama 21

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of course there is hope for us all with an intense focus during this formal education one potentially will improve one s written communication by leaps and bounds perhaps the best advice is to allow oneself to begin to view writings one s own in addition to others with a new set of eyes while reading textbooks the twilight series novels the newspaper and even material within this book by asking yourself how did this particular writer achieve this effect on me view the overall content and then go deeper by viewing paragraphs and then sentences and then word choices view writing both as a reader and a writer like many things and situation you ll get better stronger and more effective through practice now bring the limo around and take us to the prom by the way that s a nice tux section one grammar-rama and the writing process the first section of rmu rhetoric is devoted to professor-produced essays that promote good writing we cover a bit of grammar the power and importance of journaling mla format and other related topics 22 rmu rhetoric

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rmu professor david pyle offers an overview of our old friend the 5-paragraph rhetorical mode although all writings don t need this much structure this tried and true method is the simplest concept allowing writers to organize thoughts on the page grammar essay 5 paragraph rhetorical mode david pyle rmu english professor a crash course in the world of the 5-paragraph rhetorical model a student recently shared a humorous story with me concerning tattoos throughout his youth he had always desired one his vision of what he wanted grew and grew through the years and by the time that he had reached age 18 the legal age to get a tattoo his vision included a visual story which included all the video game characters that he had grown to love through the years that started on his lower back moved upward covering his entire back and then finally spread outward on each arm he went to the hippest part of town and confidently walked into the tattoo parlor excitedly explaining his desires the tattoo artist who knew that this person had just turned 18 said k.i.s.s which of course means keep it simple stupid the artist went on to explain that the student wanted to go from 0 ­ 60 mph without stopping to consider the cost of the tattoo such as this 2,000 the time it would take hours and hours and hours and hours or the level of pain associated with sticking a needle an actual sharp and unforgiving needle into his back a few hundred thousand times in short the student was trying to run before he could walk the student settled on a nice 2-inch high design that captured his favorite dog stella writing is a process and one can t get all fancy until one has the basics the 5-paragraph essay is an excellent structure to consider the basics the 5-paragraph rhetorical model is one of the most popular and logical forms to create a speech/essay often taught as early as middle school it is often implemented in the classroom for both writing essays and oral deliveries developing speeches because of its easy-tofollow plug-in outline which allows students to logically present and organize his/her ideas the 5-paragraph rhetorical strategy is composed of surprise surprise 5 key components 5-paragraph rhetorical model paragraph 1 the introduction paragraph 2 body paragraph one grammar-rama 24 rmu rhetoric 25

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paragraph 3 body paragraph two paragraph 4 body paragraph three paragraph 5 conclusion before we further explore the above elements it is important that writers don t necessarily get too hung up on the number 5 in relation to the 5-paragraph rhetorical mode this number merely suggests the minimum number of paragraphs needed it is possible to present a 15 paragraph essay although the structure and organization still fall into the 5-paragraph structure the basic premise to follow introduction with specific thesis the bodies specific details opinions and evidence and the conclusion the i m winding it up here paragraph 5 w s who what where when lastly why why one s thesis as in why am i writing this if a student can address most of these questions in the introduction he/she will probably have a safe solid introduction that sets the stage by providing all the necessary background in order to then take the reader elsewhere for the purposes of this 5-paragraph rhetorical mode essay/paper we will use the science-related question does global warming have an effect on our environment who humans scientists what global warming where earth our world when modern times/today why thesis choice one global warming does have an effect on our world why thesis choice two global warming does not have an effect on our world once again the why of an essay will naturally answer the question of what s the thesis of my speech essay a thesis by definition is a proposition maintained grammar-rama the introduction the 5-paragraph speech/essay begins with an introduction aptly-named as it introduces the topic of the speech/essay to the audience it begins with the intrapersonal question why am i speaking/writing this particular rhetorical mode specifically what information opinions/ideas do i wish to deliver to my audience what ultimately is my goal of writing an introduction also usually includes elements of the 26 rmu rhetoric 27

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by an argument the specific direction of one s argument and the proposition to be proven more informally one might suggest that it s the crux direction or the what it s all about concerning one s essay a thesis should only be 1-2 sentences preferably 1 and usually appears as the last sentence of the introduction in both a speeches and essays as readers and listeners we ve been trained to expect and demand them ever have a friend call you and just start rambling about a variety of inane topics you eventually ask why did you call me you re begging for a thesis in a university setting the thesis usually is developed/extends directly from the question being asked by the professor in all cases of academic writing make sure that you as a writer are offering a response in specific relation to what s being asked of you when i go out to breakfast and request eggs over-easy if i receive 2 scrambled eggs from the server i have a thesis but it s not what i was looking for or expecting consider again the following science-related example essay a thesis by definition is a proposition maintained by an argument the specific direction of one s argument and the proposition to be proven more informally one might suggest that it s the crux direction or the what it s all about concerning one s essay a thesis should only be 1-2 sentences preferably 1 and usually appears as the last sentence of the introduction in both a speeches and essays as readers and listeners we ve been trained to expect and demand them ever have a friend call you and just start rambling about a variety of inane topics you eventually ask why did you call me you re begging for a thesis in a university setting the thesis usually is developed extends directly from the question being asked by the professor in all cases of academic writing make sure that you as a writer are offering a response in specific relation to what s being asked of you when i go out to breakfast and request eggs over-easy if i receive 2 scrambled eggs from the server i have a thesis but it s not what i was looking for or expecting consider again the following science-related example professor does biology have a place in today s society student biology does have a place good thesis biology does not have a place good thesis chemistry has a place not a good thesis toast is good with eggs not a good thesis grammar-rama 28 rmu rhetoric 29

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