Rhetorical Analysis

For the first project of the course, we were tasked with analyzing the rhetoric of an article detailing a scientific discovery. After reading a few model texts and learning the basics of rhetorical analysis, I found a paper that interested me and began to pick apart the authors’ language. “Engineered Virus-Like Particles for Efficient in Vivo Delivery of Therapeutic Proteins” introduces a new type of delivery method for molecular gene-editing tools. Through strategic paragraph structure and deliberately worded presentation of data, the researchers behind this paper make a convincing argument for why their discovery should replace the pre-existing delivery methods. In writing this paper, I found that the focus on language choice caused me to consider my own writing more. The strength of an argument is not only in the facts but in the way that you can convey them to an audience. For my first artifact, I chose my first draft of this project: a reverse outline of the original article that takes note of the authors’ important rhetorical moves. My second artifact is a submitted final draft of the project with feedback which helped me to polish the paper for my portfolio.