This assignment required students to find a recent political speech or statement by a political figure and rhetorically analyze it. Analyzing the ways in which language works to persuade is valuable because it helps us avoid being manipulated or taken for a ride; it enables us to become more discerning and critical. This assignment gave each student the opportunity to look at the rhetorical or persuasive apparatus of political language, assessing the ways in which it achieves its purpose. The rhetorical techniques learned in this assignment carried through to each paper throughout the quarter.