Op-Ed Article Annotation Sheet
Preparation Directions: Now that you’ve read the Op-Ed, we will carefully analyze HOW the writer made a compelling argument to the audience. We would NOT be analyzing whether we liked or disliked the piece OR comment if the content was good or bad. Rather, we want to understand and analyze HOW the writer used tropes, schemes, rhetorical appeals, and SOAPSTone to CRAFT an Op-Ed that effectively conveys/presents the central claim and/or the purpose to persuade the audience.
| Central Message: The article’s central message was to enlighten his audience on why people should look past the stereotypical perception of the evolution of hip-hop. The purpose of the Op-Ed is to elaborate that the progression of hip hop culture should be embraced as a positive role in the music industry rather than undermined.
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| Craft Choices | Analysis of the Craft Choice |
| Craft Choice1 (identify a trope or scheme): | The author makes use of allusion by comparing to the incidences in Star Wars movie to change in hip hop revolution. The use of allusion stimulates more information and ideas in the minds of the audience. It also allows the reader to understand the greater context of his theme by referencing the known movie. Thus, this creates a more persuasive argument as allusion elaborates on what the author conveys. The author uses this trope to create a detailed image in the minds of his audience to allow them to relate to the subject. The supporting statements resonate on the primary theme of the article, hence, building a more persuasive argument on the relevance of the present type of hip hop culture. Another scheme would not be effective in comparing his primary topic and a piece of artwork since allusion gives a detailed picture of how the two subjects correlate.
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| Craft Choice2 (identify a trope or scheme): | The author uses juxtaposition to help readers compare and contrast by creating deliberate differences. He examines the achievements of various present rappers to emphasize the significance of the change. For instance, he exemplifies how Kendrick Lamar has the number one albums without trying to reenact the traditional culture of hip hop. Additionally, by use of juxtaposition, he continues to illustrate Kendrick and Drake unconventionally convey their music, and they are still able to succeed in the music industry. Through the deliberate differences, his readers can understand the aspects of the new culture of hip hop and change their perspective. The use of another tope like contrast would have had a similar effect since contrast also helps compare the aspects of the traditional and current hip hop culture.
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| Rhetorical Appeals | Directions- Complete 2 of the 3 sections on the Rhetorical Appeals in the Op-Ed. You choose. |
| Rhetorical Appeals Choice 2 (identify a logical appeal) | By using logos, the author builds a knowledgeable argument by giving his audience supporting evidence on the significance of the evolution of hip hop culture. As he exemplifies how different artists have diverse artistic ways of delivering music, he resonates on how they can fair well in the industry. He uses logical statements to effectively elaborate on the ideology of the negative aspects of confining hip hop to the outdated boundaries. Logos adds to the arguments by providing factual evidence of how most of the contemporary artists still succeed after diverting from the old culture of hip hop.
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| Rhetorical Appeals Choice 3 (identify how the presenter establishes credibility) | The author establishes credibility by conveying all the evaluations he has on all different artists and the music industry. For instance, he elaborates on how 75% of Atlanta is indebted to Gucci Mane. Also, he states how some of the artists perform in the hip hop industry. This creates reliability to support his claims on the importance of diversity of hip hop culture. Additionally, the use of ethos supports his arguments on why people should embrace the change in culture by giving illustrations of artists succeeding without following the rules of traditional music.
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| Consider our ideological lenses concerning this article. Between our three ideological lenses (economic, political, feminist), pick the lens that you think is most beneficial for analyzing the article. Once you have made your selection, write an observation/comment about the article from that lens. An example of this would be something like “Considering this article from the feminist lens, I wonder how single mothers are uniquely impacted by changes in property values. Women tend to earn less than men, and single mothers have more financial burdens placed upon them. I would assume then, that single mothers are more vulnerable to the negative consequences of gentrification than other groups/individuals.” |
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Considering this lens from a political lens, I wonder how the introduction of diversity in hip hop culture will help address contemporary political issues. The use of music for politics tends to appeal to the people and inspires them to action. Thus, change in the hip hop culture could alter the musical force for political change.
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