Revised Conclusion

I employed two different strategies when writing my conclusion for this essay. In my original conclusion I answered the question "So what?" with a rhetorical question. This was effective in my mind but confusing as well and I didn't think it got to the point of the essay. My improved conclusion used the strategy circling back. I circled back to the quote I used in my introduction to analyze it as a way to show the skill my audience had learned and why rhetorical analysis is so important when reading academic writing.

Heath, Struart. "Stop" 10/25/2008 via flickr.com Attribution 2.0 Generic

Original Conclusion
Cowley's use of contextual examples and organized writing were his most effective rhetorical strategies . Why does his analysis of an obscure opinionated piece of scientific journalism matter? This analysis has explained how to take a deeper look at how an author articulates himself to his audience. The use of rhetorical strategies for instance, that were once a subterfuge, now have been brought to light.  It is easier to understand how this author convinces his readers that his point of view is correct. Throughout your academic career, reading academic literature will always be a way to gain knowledge. However, understanding the rhetorical strategies used by authors and the rhetorical situations that the author was writing in will help you understand the authors motivation and why he chose these strategies to sway his audience. Being able to look past the manipulations that writers use to convince their readers allows a better understanding of the material and lets you come to your own conclusion about the points the author is making. This places you as almost a third party, a reader who sees both sides.

Improved Conclusion
We have just analyzed a piece of scientific journalism written by Steven Cowley.   Now I want to revisit the statistic that introduced this essay.  It mentions that a nuclear fusion power plant could theoretically run on just 112 gallons of fuel.  It then compared that to the amount of gallons purchased by the average American driver in one year, which is 429 gallons. While taking a better look at this statistic, we can assume that a nuclear fusion power plant is not using the same fuel that the average American consumes. It is imperative that this is pointed out because if 112 gallons of unleaded gasoline could power a nuclear fusion power plant we would have heard of this sooner. Looking at this statistic, within its rhetorical situation, we can assume that Cowley is using this statistic to play on the logical of his audience who have been influenced by the context that this was published in. The simple use of rhetorical analysis will expand our understanding of the academic writing we will encounter in our scholarly careers.