Review Analysis- Phase 1

 Let's look at tone for our phase 1 of our study of review writing.  It is important that you select the medium for your review (music, film, television, food, video games, books, etc.) so we can begin to drill down on features to improve our writing.  The preliminary step is to sharpen our eye to how writers use tone while describing their review topic.

A) Select your target.  (Film,Album,Show,Restaurant,Tech, Video Game, Books, etc)  *hint* Extremely positive/negative review elicit the best descriptions!
B) Find 4+ reviews of this "media" For example, 4 reviews of IT.
C) Paste the reviews into the attached Google doc from Classroom.
D) Now begin to read reviews.  In the doc, highlight all the tone words that help flavor the review to the desired tone.
E) Of course, observe the structure of the review.  Think about how the writer opened the review.  How were the areas of critique organized?  What were the comparisons? Use comment feature to observe this.

I have linked for you several quality professional reviewers below.  So what is your medium of choice for a review?  music, film, television, food, video games, books, theater, etc.

AV Club (all
Here are some of my favorite reviewers of Film/TV
Some  might be blocked from school- Use ProQuest or ask me for NYT Review if you go over.
A.O. Scott       Manohla Dargis       Peter Travers  (Rolling Stone)

Roger Ebert- Suntimes          AV Club                       The Ringer       Paste
TV-Andy Greenwald ( Grantland)

 Music- Rolling Stone (Brief)               Paste               Pitchfork             AV Club                              Steven Hyden 

Technology- Recode   Wired

Video Games -AV Club

Television- Paste      Rolling Stone    AV Club 

AV Club has sharp reviews as well...Movies, Music, TV, Books,
Grantland

My buddy Toussaint Egan for comics & anime

Video Games to Save the World?

So what do we know about this audience at TED?

So Professor McGonigal needs to reach this audience using a unique set of appeals.  Selling the idea that video games are the answer to pressing global issues to this audience is a challenge so be on the lookout while you watch to see how she attempts to "cross the moat" of their resistance to such an idea.
Let's find them!

HW:

Write a rhetorical analysis (RA) of two techniques Jane McGonigal uses during her TED talk to win over this audience.  You have plenty of notes and observation on the Tuesdays with TED Google Doc.  While writing your response, I want you to move away from blanket statements of rhetoric like, "McGonigal delivers plenty of logos to persuade her audience."  It is more concise to use expressions similar to the following:

• For ethos= McGonigal established her authority by repeatedly...
• For pathos= McGonigal appealed to the audience's sense of...
• For logos= such data reinforces the belief that...

Handy outline for writing RA paragraph-

A) Establish audience

B) Explain what speaker/writer must do to reach audience

C)Reveal evidence

D) Discuss the intended/likely effect of technique

Requirements:  

Minimum two paragraphs (write on attached Google Doc on Classroom)

Direct evidence- Transcript here

Must connect efficacy of evidence to intended effect on this audience. In other words, explain why this technique/ persuasion would likely persuade her audience.  

Link to class notes walks through some ideas about how to think
Here is a link to her games