Pennsylvania State University

English Writing 202C

Rhetorical analysis
To: J. Ryan Marks
From: Tiany !i
S"#e$t: Rhetori$al analysis o% &S$ien$e Fair Fn'
(ate: May 22) 20*+
The ,r,ose o% this memo is to ,resent my analysis o% &S$ien$e Fair Fn') a te$hni$al
$ommni$ation -o$ment) ,ro-$e- "y the EP. /Environmental Prote$tion .gen$y0
in 2000) se- "y st-ents an- s$ien$e tea$hers to -esign an- $on-$t an
environmental s$ien$e ,ro#e$t.
Summary: 1n general) this "ooklet is ar$hety,al te$hni$al 2riting a$$or-ing to the si3
$hara$teristi$s 2e learne-. This -o$ment -oes an e3$ellent #o" on hol-ing a-ien$es4
attention "y sing eye5$at$hing ,age -esign. 6o2ever) %or the $ontent) it 2ol- "e
"etter i% the athor $ol- a-- more -etail in%ormation an- ,i$tres in the sam,le
,ro#e$ts.
Audiences:
.--ressing ,arti$lar rea-ers is essential %or te$hni$al 2riting. .s is in-i$ate- at the
"eginning o% this "ooklet) the ,r,ose o% this "ooklet is to hel, st-ents an- s$ien$e
tea$hers to -esign an- $on-$t an environmental s$ien$e ,ro#e$t. Sin$e the ,rimary
,otential rea-ers are tea$hers an- st-ents in gra-es 758) this "ooklet 2as 2ritten in
sim,le ,lain English. The vo$a"lary se- is straight%or2ar- an- sim,le lea-ing to
less $on%sion an- an overall $on$ise -o$ment. 6en$e) st-ents $an n-erstan- the
i-eas an- in%ormation 2hi$h the athor tries to $onvey 2ithot tro"le. To make this
"ooklet more a,,ealing to teenagers) the athor a--e- many amsing illstrations.
There are also some notes liste- a%ter the title ,age %or st-ents an- tea$hers to rea- at
the "eginning ,art o% this -o$ment to give them instr$tions o% ho2 to se this
"ooklet in e%%e$tive 2ays) 2hi$h is very $onsi-erate. 1t 2as smart o% the athor to
"reak the notes into t2o ,arts a--resse- to tea$hers an- st-ents se,arately) so that
the rea-ers $an save their time on rea-ing this "ooklet. We $an also noti$e that the
tones se- in the notes %or tea$hers are more ,olite an- res,e$t%l than the tones se-
in the notes %or st-ents -e to the hierar$hy ga, "et2een st-ents an- tea$hers.
Structure and Design:
The $ontents o% this "ooklet 2ere ,resente- in a $lear str$tre an- the ,ages 2ere
-esigne- $leverly to in$rease rea-a"ility. The &Ta"le o% Contents' is ,resente- at the
"eginning o% the "ooklet) so that it is easy %or rea-ers to a$$ess -i%%erent ,arts o% it
2ithot looking throgh the 2hole -o$ment. .lso) -i%%erent to,i$s in this -o$ment
are se,arate $ons,i$osly to make it easier to rea- an- n-erstan-.
We $an also noti$e that the ,age o% this "ooklet is -esigne- in an intriging an-
in%ormal style to $at$h rea-ers4 eyes. For e3am,le 2hen the "ooklet sho2s s &notes'
it ,la$es them on a "lletin "oar- style "a$kgron- that st-ents 2ol- "e se- to
seeing in their o2n homes or $lassrooms. .lso) the title o% ea$h ,art 2as 2ritten in
%n5style- %ont) 2hi$h is more attra$tive than normal letters. 1n a--ition to that) the
illstrations 2ere $leverly tie- in 2ith the te3t. For instan$e) there is an image o% a
magni%ying glass "esi-es the title o% &Making 1nitial 9"servations') 2hi$h is vivi-
an- im,ressive. .nother e3am,le is there is an image o% trash "ags) resa"le "ags)
an- re$y$la"le "ags "esi-es the instr$tions to $on-$t the &:ar"age .2ay' ,ro#e$t o%
e3,loring $ategories o% trash. St-ents might "e a"le to gess 2hat the ,ro#e$t is
a"ot even 2ithot rea-ing the 2or-s "esi-es the ,i$tre. There is no -enying that the
images a--e- to this "ooklet $an hel, st-ents have "etter n-erstan-ing o% the
$ontents. .s the athor intro-$e- ste,s o% $on-$ting s$ien$e ,ro#e$ts) %or a-#a$ent
,arts) the 2or-s an- ,i$tres 2ere ,la$e- in o,,osite ,ositions) so that it is easier %or
rea-er to se,arate -i%%erent to,i$s. 1n the glossary) the terminologies 2ere 2ritten in a
"ol- an- am,li%ie- style to $a,tre rea-ers4 attention. Similarly) at the &:etting
Starte-' ,art) the -e%inition o% EP. an- the goals o% 9SW /Soli- Waste -e,artment o%
EP.0 are em,hasi;e- "y highlighting in orange to make a-ien$es ,ay more attention
to that.
Benefits:
.s is sho2n in the notes) st-ents in gra-es 758 are alrea-y e3,ose- to the
environmental terminologies an- to,i$s $overe- in this -o$ment in s$ien$e $lass.
These st-ents) ho2ever) may not have e3,erien$e 2ith $on-$ting a s$ien$e ,ro#e$t
an- not even kno2 2here to "egin. .$$or-ing to this -eman-) this "ooklet hel,s
st-ents "y intro-$ing "asi$ ne$essary ste,s o% $on-$ting a s$ien$e ,ro#e$t %irst.
.n- then) more s,e$i%i$ instr$tions o% -i%%erent sam,le ,ro#e$ts are ,resente- to
ins,ire st-ents to get starte- on -esigning their o2n s$ien$e ,ro#e$ts. The glossary on
,age *0 is 2ritten %or st-ents to look ,) learn) an- remem"er the terminologies o%
soli- 2aste) so they -o not have to strggle 2ith those terminologies i% they %orgot
some "a$kgron- kno2le-ge.
This "ooklet also ,rovi-es $onvenien$e %or tea$hers. 9n ,age ** o% the "ooklet there
are a--itional resor$es %or "oth st-ents an- tea$hers to rea- i% they 2ant to %rther
e3,lore environmental ,ro#e$ts. 1% the "ooklet $ol- $ontain more -etails a"ot the
sam,le ,ro#e$ts) this 2ol- "e an i-eal resor$e %or tea$hers to se in the $lassroom.
Reflections of EPAs Goals and Culture:
This "ooklet 2as 2ritten "y the 9%%i$e o% Soli- Waste -e,artment o% EP.) 2hi$h is an
agen$y o% U.S. %e-eral government $reate- to ,rote$t hman health an- natral
environment. The goal o% 9SW is to $onserve resor$es "y re-$ing 2aste an-
-is,osing o% 2aste ,ro,erly. This "ooklet re%le$ts 9SW4s ethos o% environmental
,rote$tion an- re-$tion o% 2aste in many res,e$ts. For instan$e) there is a ,i$tre o%
a re$y$ling "in n-er the &Ta"le o% Contents') 2hi$h tea$hes rea-ers to ,t re$y$la"le
materials into a re$y$ling "in s"$ons$iosly. More o% that) at the &getting starte-'
se$tion) the goals o% 9SW are intro-$e- -ire$tly to the rea-ers. .lso) the &< Rs'
/Re-$e) Rese) Re$y$le0 $on$e,t 2as stresse- "y the athor throghot the 2hole
,assage "y ,rovi-ing s$ien$e ,ro#e$ts relate- to environmental ,rote$tion. For
e3am,le) the %irst ,ro#e$t = &the soa, "o3 o,era') en$orages st-ents to e3,lore
2hether it is more e$onomi$al an- environmentally %rien-ly to "y larger rather than
small >antity o% ,ro-$ts. St-ents are ins,ire- to e3,lore the metho-s to re-$e
2aste in -aily li%e. The thir- ,ro#e$t = &:ar"age .2ay' asks st-ents to $ategori;e the
-aily gar"age) 2hi$h 2ill hel, st-ents to learn more a"ot 2aste re$y$ling an- 2ill
enhan$e st-ents4 a2areness o% thro2ing ot gar"age a$$or-ing to their $ategori;es.
.n- the senten$e on the last ,age) &Printe- on ,a,er that $ontains at least <0 ,er$ent
o% ,ost5$onsmer %i"er') 2hi$h in-i$ates this -o$ment 2as ,rinte- on re$y$le-
,a,er) an- also re%le$ts the $ltre o% 9SW.
Recommendations:
From my ,ers,e$tive) st-ents might 2ant to rea- more s,e$i%i$ -es$ri,tions o% ea$h
sam,le ,ro#e$t) so that it 2ol- "e "etter i% the athor $an a-- more -etails an-
illstrations) es,e$ially real images) in those given sam,les. The >estions shol- "e
,la$e- se,arately %rom the -es$ri,tions o% the ,ro#e$ts -e to the %a$t that the
>estions are $r$ial to hel, st-ents to think a"ot ho2 to $on-$t the ,ro#e$ts. .lso)
teenagers might ,re%er more $olor%l "a$kgron-s an- illstrations than the orange
$olor.