Break down and critically analyze the rhetorical style/structure of Matthew J.X. Malady’s “Want to Save Civilization? Get in Line” (it is also available as a PDF here). Examine such issues as the audience (who is Malady’s audience, how does he try to situate and persuade his audience, and
why does he employ a certain type of rhetorical style to do so?), use of Aristotelian appeals (what kind of
ethos does Malady construct for himself in the essay and why; how does he employ pathos-based and
logos-based moves to try to engage the audience?), use of rhetorical moves (what moves does he favor
and to what ends?), and essay structure and tone (why does he position material in certain places; what
kind of overarching sensibilities/attitudes does he subscribe to throughout and how does he intend the
audience to receive these?). You are not required to cover all of these issues; quite frankly, in an essay of
500 words, you would not be able to even if you tried. Limit yourself to one or perhaps two of these
categories (if you choose two, make sure that you develop a tight bridge between one and the other, i.e.
audience and use of logos; rhetorical moves and ethos; so on), and spend your entire essay critically
analyzing the relationship between your analytical focus(es) and the overall rhetorical style/structure of
Malady’s essay. Create a controlling idea (thesis) for the entire piece, and controlling ideas (topic
sentences) for the body paragraphs. Moreover, include an introduction, at least two body paragraphs of four
to five sentences each, and a conclusion. Make certain to develop your ideas with support sentences and
specific details (you should cite and comment on material from Malady’s essay in order to further your analysis).
Considerations: