For this writing assignment, you are to write a short (550-750 words) essay exploring inappropriately using a rhetorical device or fallacy related to your chosen contemporary social problem (My topic is Drug and Alcohol Abuse). This essay should accomplish the following goal:

Provide an example of at least one rhetorical device or fallacy applied to your contemporary social problem. Please note: This cannot simply be something you’ve heard or a hypothetical. You must provide an actual example of the rhetorical device or fallacy (an image, a link to a website, a video, etc.). This will be your largest challenge with the assignment. Here are some suggestions on places to look:

• Conservative or Liberal Blogs (provide a clickable link in your paper)
• Op-Ed pieces in newspapers (provide a clickable link in your paper)
• The comments section of either of the above
• Internet videos (provide a link)

Be sure to identify the rhetorical device(s) and/or fallacy(s) and to explain why they are rhetorical devices/fallacies. This may be a fairly challenging assignment, so you’ll want to start thinking about it early on.

This assignment is graded both on writing (grammar, spelling, clarity, organization, and flow) and on content (does the paper provide an example of an actual fallacy or rhetorical device, does the paper classify the rhetorical device or fallacy correctly, and does the paper explain why the example counts as a rhetorical device or fallacy).