1. Chapter 4: Writing a Rhetorical Analysis
ENG 102

2. Reputation of “Rhetoric”
“That speech was nothing but rhetoric!”
Negative connotations
Speech consists of nothing but empty phrases
Content is calculated to confuse and/or manipulate

3. Rhetoric in Composition
Rhetoric has a different meaning when applied to argument
Rhetoric refers to how various elements work together to form a convincing and persuasive argument
In a rhetorical analysis you:
Systematically examine the strategies a writer employs to achieve his or her purpose
Explain how these strategies work together to create an effective (or ineffective) argument

4. Elements of a Rhetorical Analysis
The Rhetorical Situation
The Writer’s Means of Persuasion
The Rhetorical Strategies used by the Writer

5. Five Elements of the Rhetorical Situation
The Writer
The Writer’s Purpose
The Writer’s Audience
The Topic
The Context

6. Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation
By analyzing the Rhetorical Situation, you can:
Determine why the author made the choices he or she did
Identify how these choices affect the argument.

7. The Writer What is the author’s background?
Education
Experience
Race
Gender
Political Beliefs
Religion
Age
And more…
How does the writer’s background affect the content of the argument?
What preconceptions about the subject does the writer seem to have?

8. The Writer’s Purpose
The Writer’s Purpose is what the writer hopes to achieve with his or her argument
Ask: Why did the author write this argument?
Questions for Analyzing the Author’s Purpose
Does the writer state his or her purpose directly, or is the purpose implied?
Is the writer’s purpose simply to convince or to encourage action?
Does the writer rely primarily on logic (logos) or on emotion (pathos)?
Does the writer have a hidden agenda?

9. The Writer’s Audience Who is the writer’s intended audience?
Does the writer see the audience as informed and uninformed?
Does the writer see the audience as hostile, friendly, or neutral?
What values does the writer think the audience holds?
What does the writer seem to assume about the audience’s background?
On what points do the writer and audience agree? On what points do they disagree?

10. The Topic What is the topic of the argument?
Is the topic broad or narrow?
Is the argument sufficiently well developed for the topic?
Why did the author decide to writer about this particular topic?
Has the writer developed the topic fully enough?

11. The Context Questions for Analyzing the Context
What situation (or situations) set the stage for the argument?
What social, economic, political, and cultural events triggered the argument?
Context is the situation that creates the need for the argument
Includes social, historical, economic, political, and cultural events
Set the stage for the argument
Play a part in the argument itself
What historical references situate this argument in a particular place or time?

12. Means of Persuasion Three Means of Persuasion
Logos – Logic
Pathos – Emotion
Ethos – Authority
Rhetorical Triangle – represents how these three appeals come into play within an argument
Use depends on the Rhetorical Situation
An Argument can use more than one appeal
How does the author use the means of persuasion in the argument?

13. The Writer’s Rhetorical Strategies
Thesis – the position that the argument supports
What is the essay’s thesis?
Why does the writer state the thesis the way he or she does?
At what point in the argument is the thesis stated?
What effect does this placement have?
Organization – how the writer arranges ideas
How does the structure of the essay effect the argument?
Is the essay clear? Logical? Effective?
Where does the writer refute opposing viewpoints?
Evidence – facts, observations, expert opinion, and more used to support the thesis and convince the audience
What types of evidence is presented?
How is the evidence organized?
Is the evidence effective or ineffective in supporting the thesis?

14. The Writer’s Rhetorical Strategies Continued
Stylistic Techniques – used to make arguments more memorable and more convincing
Simile – a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the word like or as
Metaphor – a comparison in which two dissimilar things are compared without the word like or as
Allusion – a reference within a work to a person, literary or biblical text, or historical event in order to enlarge the context of the situation being written about
Parallelism – the use of similar grammatical structures to emphasize related ideas, makes a passage easier to follow
Repetition – involves repeating a word or phrase for emphasis, clarity, or emotional impact
Rhetorical Question – a question that is asked to encourage readers to reflect on an issue, not to elicit a reply

15. The Writer’s Rhetorical Strategies Continued
There are also many other Rhetorical Strategies not listed in the textbook
The Writer’s Voice
Present/Distant
Use of “I”
Tone
Serious/Humorous
Stance
Strong/Weak
And many, many more!
Writers choose the Rhetorical Strategies that they believe will best communicate their purpose to their audience

16. Assessing the Argument
No rhetorical analysis of an argument would be complete without an assessment of its effectiveness
Do the rhetorical strategies used by the author create a clear and persuasive argument? Do they fall short?
Assessing an argument includes:
An overview of the overall argument’s effectiveness
A discussion of the effectiveness of the various rhetorical strategies

17. Preparing to Write a Rhetorical Analysis
As you read, ask the following questions:
Who is the writer? Is there anything in the writer’s background that might influence what is (or is not) included in the argument?
What is the writer’s purpose? What does the writer hope to achieve?
What topic has the writer decided to write about? How broad is the topic?
What situation created the need for the argument?
At what points in the argument does the writer appeal to logic? To emotion? How does the writer try to establish his or her credibility?

18. Preparing to Write a Rhetorical Analysis
As you read, ask the following questions, continued:
What is the argument’s thesis? Where is it stated? Why there?
How does the writer organize the argument? How effective is this arrangement of ideas?
What evidence does the writer use to support the argument? Does the writer use enough evidence?
Does the writer use similes, metaphors, and allusions?
Does the writer use parallelism, repetition, and rhetorical questions?
What is your overall assessment of the argument?