Pick a documentary from our TCC Streaming library, Frontline Video, or an approved video from Netflix/Amazon/YouTube. You CANNOT watch a documentary focused on celebrities, crime, history, etc. The documentary you choose must be an hour in length, and there should be an attempt from the filmmaker to persuade the audience about the topic covered. Your essay will analyze the logical, emotional, and ethical appeals of this documentary. You will have to stop the video and write down names of experts, witnesses, and the journalists covering the story. The more specific you are, the better your essay will be.
Your introduction should cover the overall theme/argument of the documentary. You should have a thesis statement. The body of the essay should primarily discuss the logical and emotional appeals. You can also briefly cover the ethical appeal of the filmmaker. If you see any logical fallacies, you can point these out. Here is a reminder of logical appeals and logical fallacies. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/rhetorical_strategies.html Links to an external site.
Your essay should be 1,100 to 1,450 words. Cut out all phrases like, “I’m going to tell you about…” Make sure you cover the main topics of the film and address why certain logical and emotional appeals are successful or unsuccessful. Your conclusion can recommend an action or it can simply sum up the paper creatively. You can use up to three sources to back up or counter the film’s main points. You might also want to bring updated information since the film may have been made in the past. You can choose not to use any sources and simply evaluate the appeals made in the film.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/rhetorical_strategies.html
