Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis is an essay that provides an in-depth examination of a particular text. It divides a text into pieces and examines how those pieces combine to produce a particular result. A rhetorical analysis considers the purpose, goals, techniques, audience, and author of a text. Rather than remarking on the quality of the content of a text or expressing agreement or disagreement with the text's author or message, a rhetorical analysis strives to explain how the author communicates their message and whether their approach succeeds. When writing a rhetorical analysis, a person should follow the basic steps of the writing process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing.

Background

Many people automatically think of persuasive writing when they hear the word rhetoric, but rhetoric does not have to be persuasive. Rhetoric also does not have to be written. Rhetoric is the art of effective communication. It may be written, spoken, performed, recorded, or illustrated. While some rhetoric is intended to persuade, other rhetoric may inform or entertain. Any communication that influences at least one person in some way can be considered rhetoric. A speech that convinces a person to vote for a particular politician, an article that teaches a person about a scientific theory, and an illustration that evokes laughter from a person are all types of rhetoric.

A rhetorical situation arises when at least one person uses rhetoric to communicate with at least one other person. Elements of the rhetorical situation include the following:

• the author, speaker, performer, illustrator, or other communicator
• the reader, viewer, or listener (audience)
• the purpose of the text, speech, video, or image
• the medium through which the communication occurs (writing, sound or video recording, drawing, and so on)
• the context in which the communication occurs, including the time and place in which the message is delivered
• the content of the communication, including its main idea or thesis and any supporting ideas or evidence

In most rhetorical situations, the communicator depends on several appeals and/or strategies when delivering their message. The three main appeals are ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos is a communicator's ability to demonstrate their credibility to an audience. Logos relies on logic and reasoning to appeal to an audience. Pathos is a communicator's ability to tap into an audience's emotions. In addition to these three rhetorical appeals, communicators often rely on a wide range of other strategies in their rhetoric. Examples include organizational structures, such as compare and contrast or cause and effect, and literary devices, such as simile and metaphor, hyperbole (exaggeration), imagery, tone (attitude), repetition, or diction (word choice). Communicators also may use certain punctuation marks or text features (capital letters, italicized text, etc.) in their work for emphasis.

Overview

A rhetorical analysis is a type of essay or scholarly article that closely analyzes a particular text. The "text" that is analyzed may be a written work, an advertisement, a cartoon, a film, or any other work that an author uses to communicate a message to an audience. The "author" may be a writer, an illustrator, an advertising executive, a comedian, a film director, or any other person who communicates a message to an audience. A rhetorical analysis concentrates less on the author's message and more on how the author conveys that message. A rhetorical analysis should not be confused with a critical analysis. A critical analysis expresses agreement or disagreement with an author's message or assesses the overall quality of an author's work. A rhetorical analysis breaks an author's message into pieces, identifies the appeals and strategies the author uses to communicate their message in each piece, and determines whether the author's overall approach is successful.

To craft a rhetorical analysis, one must first critically read the text they intend to analyze. Despite its name, "critical reading" does not mean reading to make a judgment; it means carefully and thoughtfully studying a text. Critical reading may involve reading a written work. It may involve examining an illustration, watching a video, or viewing a performance. Once one has comprehended the author's message in a text, one should break the text into smaller sections and consider how each section contributes to the work as a whole. One should identify the author's thesis, or the main point the author makes, and purpose, or the author's intended goal in creating the work. One should consider the author's intended audience and determine whether the author's choices would be effective in reaching that audience. The author's tone, or attitude, toward the subject of their work, and the author's diction, or word choice, can greatly influence the audience's response. Another factor to consider when critically reading a text is its organizational structure. The way an author organizes their work is important. For example, the author may begin with their weakest arguments and conclude with the strongest arguments to leave the audience with a better impression of the work as a whole. One should think about the appeals the author employs in their work. Does the author support their claims with facts and statistics (logos), or does the author depend more on real-life scenarios that tap into the audience's emotions (pathos)? One also should consider the author's background. What credentials (ethos) does the author have that qualify them to convey the message in this particular text?

When critical reading is complete, one can begin to craft the rhetorical analysis. The process of writing a rhetorical analysis is very similar to the writing process used to produce other forms of scholarly writing. First, one should do some prewriting. Prewriting may involve organizing notes, developing a thesis, and crafting an outline. Next, one should write the rough draft of the analysis, taking care to include an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion. During the drafting phase, it is not important to pay attention to conventions such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The goal at this phase is for one to get all of their ideas on paper. In the revision phase, one should review their writing and make improvements, such as fixing sentence structure, choosing the most precise words, and so on. At this phase, one might make sure that their own thesis and purpose are clear, and that one has used appeals and strategies effectively. Finally, one should edit their work to eliminate any errors in spelling, punctuation, or capitalization.

Bibliography

"How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay—Examples and Template." Wordvice, 15 Mar. 2024, blog.wordvice.com/rhetorical-analysis-essay-examples-template/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

Nordquist, Richard. "Rhetorical Analysis Definition and Examples." ThoughtCo., 15 July 2019, www.thoughtco.com/rhetorical-analysis-1691916. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

"Resources for Writers: The Writing Process." MIT Comparative Media Studies, Writing, cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/resources/writers/writing-process/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

"Rhetorical Analyses." Miami University of Ohio, Howe Writing Center, miamioh.edu/hcwe/handouts/rhetorical-analyses/index.html. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

What in the World Is a Rhetorical Analysis? University of Kentucky, wrd.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/RhetoricalAnalysis.pdf. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.