What It Takes To Be Great Rhetorical Analysis

Words: 793
Pages: 4
Open Document
In Geoffrey Colvin’s article, “What It Takes to Be Great,” he utilizes several rhetorical strategies to make his argument persuasive for his intended audience. The first technique he employs is clear structure in organizing his piece. In the beginning, he started his argumentative article by questioning his readers and mentioning famous people’s names in the process. Specifically, he asks, “What makes Tiger Woods great? What made Warren Buffett the world’s premier investor?” (Colvin 1). These questions would pull in his Fortune magazine readers during the time of publication in 2006 since he included well-known and respected people, like Tiger Woods and Warren Buffett, at the beginning of his article. Furthermore, the order of his points is …show more content…
Given that his audience consists of business people, this pattern is particularly useful because it will make it easier to have an idea about what is coming next. Also, it will organize their ideas, and it will make his article’s main points visible for them. Furthermore, the kind of evidence Colvin provides would be particularly convincing to his readers. For instance, when discussing the idea of “deliberate practice,” he explains, “In a study of 20-year-old violinists by Ericsson and colleagues, the best group (judged by conservatory teachers) averaged 10,000 hours of deliberate practice over their lives; the next-best averaged 7,500 hours; and the next 5,000. It’s the same story in surgery, insurance sales, and virtually every sport. More deliberate practice equals better performance. Tons of it equals great performance” (Colvin 2). Here, this particular detail would resonate well since Colvin used a study that included numbers and data of the hours that will help individuals to master a skill, which made it more convincing for the readers to believe
Show More

Related Documents: What It Takes To Be Great Rhetorical Analysis

Essay on The Author Judy Blume In

Personal Beliefs The author Judy Blume in, “Censorship: A Personal View” used Rhetorical Analysis in many ways. Blume main reason for using this source was to help get her point across on how she felt about Censors. Censorship is “The official restriction of any expression believed to threaten the political, social, or moral order. (Cite)” During this time reading was very popular and Censors were mainly consisted parents who didn’t want their kids reading books they felt were inappropriate. Bloom…

Words 921 - Pages 4

Essay Math 105 pa

A Rhetorical Analysis of Advertisements in Magazines Christopher Aguilar John Jay College of Criminal Justice ENGLISH 101: LC 006 Professor C. McKenzie Due Date: October 2, 2013 Word Count: 1477 Abstract A paradigm is a set of beliefs or assumptions that set the reality of a group. These values are socially constructed. Social Construction is the way each individual grows up and views things; made by humans for humans. These socially constructed values need a language system in order…

Words 1517 - Pages 7

Rhetorical Analysis of Ellen DeGeneres's Commencement Speech Essay example

Ellen’s Commencement Speech Rhetorical Analysis Graduation caps fly into the air, cheers erupt, and diplomas are received. This is a typical graduation day. Not only did these ceremonial events take place for Tulane University's class of 2009, but Ellen DeGeneres was there to congratulate them as well! This class was dubbed the "Katrina Class" for being survivors of the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Katrina was named one of the deadliest Hurricanes, causing more than 1,836…

Words 1160 - Pages 5

Bill Clinton Speech Oval Office Analysis

Rhetorical Analysis of the Bill Clinton Speech Oval Office President Bill Clinton, in his oval office speech to the public, addresses the aftermath of the investigation regarding his scandal with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton’s purpose is to “take complete responsibility” for his actions but also implies that “It’s nobody's business” but his family’s. He adopts an indignant and apologetic tone portraying that he's being treated unfairly and should be treated like everyone else. Clinton begins his speech…

Words 432 - Pages 2

I Want A Wife Rhetorical Analysis

Why I Want a Wife Rhetorical Analysis ¨I belong to that classification of people known as wives, I am a wife. And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother.” The article “I want a wife”, which Judy Brady wrote talks about the being a picture perfect wife. This article was published in Ms. Magazine in 1972. At this time in history the feminist movement going on. This article was another voice for the women to show society more reasons for why women should have more rights. Judy Brady shows this…

Words 693 - Pages 3

Essay about The Triumph of the Will: A Fantasy Theme Examination of a Provoking Speech

controversial issues, what the German people experienced was much more than a speech about religion, power and unity, they experienced what Susan Sontag (1975) considers "most successful, most purely propagandistic film ever made…” which culminated with Hitler’s closing speech. It is the rooted controversies of this speech that allow it to be presented as a great artifact to examine. In this paper, I will give an overview of exactly what this speech was, I will talk about what social and historical…

Words 4774 - Pages 20

Essay Same Sex Marriage Engish Analysis

A Creative Paragraph Using Rhetorical Techniques By Brian Varghese Persuasive Paragraph • Gay Marriage - For • Why should society restrict two people of the same sex from being together? We have restricted our thinking in past and present doing what we think is ‘correct’. We shouldn't restrict our thinking, it is time to move on from the past and allow people to be free. Who decides whether or not two people of the same sex can be together? If two people are happy with one an other and believe…

Words 303 - Pages 2

What Happened To Amelia Earhart

decades: what happened to Amelia Earhart? Of course, I can’t find the answer to this question from a simple Google search or by skimming a couple of books. As I researched, however, my curiosity was pulled in different directions from what I read. All this new information, some of which I wasn’t originally intending on finding, resulted in new questions that I began to ask myself. As I read about Amelia’s last flight in Doris L. Rich’s Amelia Earhart: A Biography (1989), searching for what may have…

Words 1409 - Pages 6

Martin Luther King Rhetorical Analysis Essay

speaker, who established a strong command of rhetorical strategies. By his eloquent use of ethos, logos, and pathos, as well as his command of presentation skills and rhetorical devices, King was able to persuade his generation that "the Negro is not free" (King 1). His speech became the rallying cry for civil rights and lives on as an everlasting masterpiece. It is necessary to first understand King's arguments before delving into the actual analysis. King's main argument is that African-Americans…

Words 1391 - Pages 6

Essay about Understanding Key Elements of Critical Reading

evidence. Inferences conclude the writers suggestion rather than what they are stating. Synthesizing Information A synthesis is adding new information to something already known. This is used in college to relate new ideas to previous information learned. You will be able to note how something supports, clarifies or illustrates the topic of conversation. Evaluating Quality Evaluating what you are reading helps you understand what you reading. Determining whether the writer is being factual or opinionated…

Words 786 - Pages 4