The Rhetorical Triangle This presentation will probably involve audience discussion, which will create action items. Use PowerPoint to keep track of these action items during your presentation In Slide Show, click on the right mouse button Select “Meeting Minder” Select the “Action Items” tab Type in action items as they come up Click OK to dismiss this box This will automatically create an Action Item slide at the end of your presentation with your points entered. The Rhetorical Triangle Dr. G AP English Language & Composition

What is Rhetoric? What is said Who is saying it Who is listening Where / when it is being said Why it is being said How it is being said

What is the Rhetorical Triangle? Shows the relationship between speaker, audience, message, style, purpose, tone Understanding these rhetorical elements makes both writing and analysis much clearer

The Rhetorical Triangle Message Tone Style Speaker Purpose Audience

The Author / Speaker Gender / racial / geographical orientation of author Author Bias / hidden agenda Other important biographical information may affect text

The Audience Are they friend or foe? (hostile or sympathetic) How will they receive the message? How will they affect tone / style? Who is the intentional audience? Who is the unintentional audience?

The Message What is the main point being made? In other words, what is the writer’s / speaker’s thesis? Look at the message as an argument / position being sold to the audience. What is the author trying to convince the audience of?

The Tone What is the author’s attitude about his / her subject / message? What words in the message let you know the tone? How does the selection of the tone affect the audience’s reception of the message?

The Style What strategies does the author employ in order to get his / her message across? These strategies may include: ethos, logos, pathos; organization; diction; syntax; figurative language; grammatical structure; selection of details; imagery

The Rhetorical Purpose When and where is the author addressing his/her audience? In other words, what is going on in the world at the time this text was composed, and how do those events affect the text?

Summary Remember – the relationships between these rhetorical elements compose the meaning we get from a text! True analysis is not only the what, but also the why and the how!