This unit for grade 12 is intended to provide an introduction to the criticism of persuasive discourse. After a brief discussion of the definition of criticism, the unit proceeds to the establishment of standards for evaluating persuasive discourse, standards involving Kenneth Burke's pentad: act, scene, agent, agency, and purpose. The unit then deals with three categories of discourse which can be evaluated--the single speech or article, the persuasive discourse of a person, and the persuasive discourse of a movement. To aid in the process of criticism itself, a format of questions is set up to require the students to place the speech in a meaningful context, to analyze the speech itself, and to assess the effects of the speech. Finally, this format is used in a sample analysis of Douglas MacArthur's "Address to Congress." Procedural notes for the teacher, lectures, and discussion questions are included. (JS)