This is based off of Black Mirror episode 1.
I have my first draft attached*****
The assignment details below:
Essay 1—Visual Rhetorical Analysis Essay (700-1000 words) Learning Outcomes
This document outlines the components of a Visual Rhetoric Analysis Essay, explains the assigned
topic, and offers suggestions and ideas for content, support, and organization.
In writing this essay, students will learn how to:
• Move beyond summarizing a visual text to in-depth analysis.
• Identify the target audience of a visual text.
• expand and complicate their own thinking and experiences with the topic through an
exploration of various other perspectives.
• evaluate and synthesize these various perspectives to arrive, at the end, at a specific thesis that
argues the underlying message of the visual text and how the creator portrays that message.
• Support their thesis with specific examples from the visual text
Characteristics of the Visual Rhetorical Analysis Essay
A successful essay does the following:
• provides an introduction that offers the reader a summary of the visual text leading to a specific
and focused thesis that argues what message the creator wants to send its audience and how
the creator does this (effectively or ineffectively).
• adopts an inquiring and objective tone by the use of third-person voice (first-person point of
view is appropriate when describing personal experience).
• uses concrete details and examples, including quotations/paraphrases and descriptions of
scenes from the visual text using proper MLA format including a works cited page.
Topic: For this essay, you will being choosing a TV show or other visual text (like a print ad, a
TV commercial, a music video, etc) and you will move beyond summarizing what happens in
the visual text to an in-depth analysis of the text. Over the next few weeks, we will be
watching several episodes from the Netflix series, Black Mirror. You may choose one of those
episodes to write about, or you may choose your own topic to analyze. However, the topic
must be related to social media in some way.
What To Include In A Rhetorical Analysis Essay On A TV Show?
The purpose behind a rhetorical analysis essay is to review content created that is aimed at
communicating to an audience a specific statement or viewpoint. When writing a paper of this nature
there is a few points to remember. Your paper should offer insight on the subject matter from a unique
perspective. It helps to have good understanding of the television show and look at elements people
may not be paying attention to. Here are additional points to consider when thinking about what to
include in your paper:
• A Strong Thesis Statement Detailing What You Believe is the Underlying or Hidden Message of
the Show
o When writing a paper of this nature, think about the audience and the intended
message from the show. This is not the obvious message, but rather, more of a hidden
meaning or message that you must derive based upon your analysis of the visual text.
Your statement should detail what you believe was the overall goal of the show. What
message should have been received by the audience and do you think the show did well
in getting that detail across. As you understand this information take time to form a
solid statement that clearly states purpose of the show.
• Supporting Evidence from the TV Show to Prove Your Point
o After watching the show you may have notes you want to write down. Remember that
you will need to watch the show (or other visual text) multiple times in order to do an
in-depth analysis, so take notes each time you watch. This information is important as it
gives your paper good structure. The notes also help you form supporting ideas to back
your thesis statement. After the show reflect on what you have watched and think
about reasons why the show was created. Think of reasons people would want to know
rather the show gave its intended audience the message it was hoping to portray.
• Analysis to Show You Understand Intentions of the Creator
o What evidence do you have that shows you understand intentions of the creator? Your
essay paper should have evidence to show you understand the intention and whether it
came across clearly to the audience. You may have to put yourself in the shoes of the
creator and think about aspects used throughout the show to help project the image or
message that was received.
• Was the Creator Successful In Getting their Intentions Across?
o Do you feel the creator achieved their goal in presenting their message or intentions to
the audience? Why or why not? Your details must match your overall opinion. The
information you include in your paper should show you paid good attention to the
content and picked up details others may have missed.
One Possible Method of Organization
Introduction
• Create a lead-in “hook” to engage your readers’ interest (e.g., a striking quotation gleaned from
your exploratory research, an anecdote or scenario, a related current event).
• Introduce the visual text and summarize in a way that the reader can get a good idea what it is
that you are writing about. Assume your reader has not seen the visual text you are writing
about.
• Provide a thesis telling us what you think the underlying message of the visual text is and how
the creator was able to effectively or ineffectively send that message.
Body
• Discuss each perspective or idea from your thesis separately in one or more paragraphs (this
could be the different ways the creator sends the message).
• Include transitions between your discussions of each perspective/idea.
• Begin each perspective/idea with a clear topic sentence and conclude each with a
closure/clincher sentence. Support all viewpoints with details and specific examples from the
text by describing scenes or quoting dialogue.
Conclusion
• Bring readers back to the focus question of your thesis.
• Present your opinion or perspective on the topic (your thesis) and provide reasons for your
opinion. Tell us whether or not the creator was successful at portraying the specific message
you think they are sending.
