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RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

Analyze This!

+ What is Rhetoric? Google: The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing,

especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques; Language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content.

Wikipedia: The art discourse, an art that aims to improve the capability of writers or speakers to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations.

Merriam-Webster: Language that is intended to influence people and that may not be honest or reasonable; The art or skill of speaking or writing formally and effectively especially as a way to persuade or influence people.

Dictionary.com: (in writing or speech) The undue use of exaggeration or display; bombast; The art or science of all specialized literary uses of language in prose or verse, including the figures of speech; the study of the effective use of language; The ability to use language effectively; the art of prose in general as opposed to verse; The art of making persuasive speeches; oratory; (in classical oratory) the art of influencing the thought and conduct of an audience.

+Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle

+What is analysis?

Breaking a whole into its parts to see why the specific parts were

chosen and how those parts work together to create the whole.

Does this sound familiar?

It should.

+Analysis vs. Reverse Engineering

Analysis

1. Read text… identify the purpose

2. Evaluate the merits— What stood out to you while you read? (visually, structurally, functionally)

3. Break the text into its parts

4. Analyze choices the author made in regard to those parts

5. Write down your thoughts using evidence from the text to back up/prove those thoughts

6.  Think about your own writing style and how you would do things differently

Reverse Engineering

1. Look at the structure-what is its

purpose?

2. Evaluate the structure’s merits—(visually, structurally, functionally)

3. Break the structure into its parts

4. Analyze the parts to see how they work together to create the whole

5. Document your ideas, using specific evidence from the structure

6. Redesign the structure, using your own ideas

+ Rhetoric + Analysis =Rhetorical Analysis

1. Read the text and identify the purpose or argument. Ask yourself, “WHAT is the argument being made?”

(WHAT?)

2. Identify the strategies and devices used. Ask yourself, “HOW do those strategies/devices help the argument?”

(HOW?)

3. Analyze the strategies/devices used and ask yourself, “WHY were they successful?” What was their purpose or role in the success of the argument?

(WHY?)

+Can you be more specific?

The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to articulate HOW and WHY the author writes, rather than WHAT they actually wrote. To do this, you will analyze the strategies the author uses to achieve his or her goal or purpose of writing their piece.

Keep in mind that writers of different disciplines often use varying writing strategies in order to achieve their goals. So, it is okay to analyze a scientific article a different way than you would a humanities writer. These authors have very different goals in mind, and thus will use different writing strategies.

+Audience: Who is the audience? How does the writer appeal to

them?

Purpose: What is the writer's main purpose in creating this piece? Does he/she want the

reader to do something?

Message: What is the main message the

writer is trying to get across to his/her

audience?

Rhetorical Modes: expository, narrative,

descriptive, argumentative

Organization: spatial, chronological,

cause/effect, compare & contrast, division,

etc.

Tone: angry, satirical, accusatory, critical, objective, reverent,

earnest, etc.

Diction: 1. Formal vs.

Informal 2. Denotative vs.

Connotative (figurative language)

Syntax: repetition, rhetorical questions,

pacing, headings, types of sentences,

etc.

Logical Appeals (Logos): Does the

message make sense? Is it based on facts &

evidence?

Emotional Appeals (Pathos): Do the words

evoke feeling? Does the writer appeal to

the audience's sympathies?

Credibility (Ethos): Does the writer refer to differing view? What is the writer's reputation?

Types of Evidence: personal experience,

refuting counter arguments, expert

testimony, analogy, etc.

+Rhetorical DevicesWith your group, take 5 of the devices on

the list and create a poster for each.

(Group 1, take the first 5; Group 2, take the next 5; and so on…)

Your posters should include

1. The word

2. The definition

3. An example

4. A picture

You will present your posters to the class and they will be hung up in the room for

reference.

+GROUPS

Group 1- Mohamed, Khodja, Marianna, Tarik

Group 2 –Darrinton, Vanessa HQ, David, Nina

Group 3 –Precious, Dominick, Nicole, Jahdese

Group 4- Godwin, Anisa, Vanessa K., Tinesse

+Assignment:

Let’s reread Florence Kelley’s speech

While you read, annotate for rhetorical strategies and devices. Also annotate for hints of the purpose, audience, and occasion

Discuss our findings with your group members

Using the overhead, let’s discuss as a class

Write a rhetorical analysis—Remember, we will be looking for the what, how and why!

+THE AP LANG. & COMP. EXAM—Rhetorical Analysis

40 minutes

You will either be asked to analyze the argument being made or how the argument is developed in a given text .

Commit to an idea and be explicit (State the purpose clearly & concisely)

+Rhetorical Analysis Scoring Guidelines 9: Essays earning a score of 9 meet the criteria for a score of 8 and, in addition, are especially sophisticated in their argument, thorough in their development, or impressive in their control of language.

8 Effective: Essays earning a score of 8 effectively analyze∗ the rhetorical strategies the author uses to achieve his/her purpose. They develop their analysis with evidence and explanations that are appropriate and convincing, referring to the passage explicitly or implicitly. The prose demonstrates a consistent ability to control a wide range of the elements of effective writing but is not necessarily flawless.

7 Essays earning a score of 7 meet the criteria for a score of 6 but provide more complete explanation, more thorough development, or a more mature prose style.

6 Adequate: Essays earning a score of 6 adequately analyze the rhetorical strategies the author uses to achieve his/her purpose. They develop their analysis with evidence and explanations that are appropriate and sufficient, referring to the passage explicitly or implicitly. The writing may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but generally the prose is clear.

5 Essays earning a score of 5 analyze the rhetorical strategies the author uses to achieve his/her purpose. The evidence or explanations used may be uneven, inconsistent, or limited. The writing may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but it usually conveys the student’s ideas.

+Rhetorical Analysis Scoring Guidelines 4 Inadequate: Essays earning a score of 4 inadequately analyze the rhetorical

strategies the author uses to achieve his/her purpose. These essays may misunderstand the passage, misrepresent the strategies the author uses, or may analyze these strategies insufficiently. The evidence or explanations used may be inappropriate, insufficient, or less convincing. The prose generally conveys the student’s ideas but may be less consistent in controlling the elements of effective writing.

3 Essays earning a score of 3 meet the criteria for a score of 4 but demonstrate less success in analyzing the rhetorical strategies the author uses to achieve his/her purpose. They are less perceptive in their understanding of the passage or the author’s strategies, or the explanations or examples may be particularly limited or simplistic. The essays may show less maturity in control of writing. 

2 Little Success: Essays earning a score of 2 demonstrate little success in analyzing the rhetorical strategies the author uses to achieve his/her purpose. These essays may misunderstand the prompt, misread the passage, fail to analyze the strategies the author uses, or substitute a simpler task by responding to the prompt tangentially with unrelated, inaccurate, or inappropriate explanation. The prose often demonstrates consistent weaknesses in writing, such as grammatical problems, a lack of development or organization, or a lack of control.

1 Essays earning a score of 1 meet the criteria for a score of 2 but are undeveloped, especially simplistic in their explanation, or weak in their control of language. Indicates an off-topic response, one that merely repeats the prompt, an entirely crossed-out response, a drawing, or a response in a language other than English.

0 Indicates an entirely blank response.

+Understanding the Rubric 8/9Impressive control of language; keep writing crisp—thorough

and concise

*Be careful of too much quoting/paraphrasing/summarizing (why?) You do not need to quote directly; you can paraphrase or refer to the text, but be aware of too much and irrelevancy.

*The way we use language matters… Scores are paired but higher score depends on control and sophisticated language 

6/7Effective (applying skills) vs. adequate (just enough)

* This is a writing course, so criticism may seem harsh, sorry, it’s to help language become more crisp and clear.

*Need a 5 to pass (Many colleges accept a 5 but more and more, you will need a 6 or higher)

*May have the what or why, but don’t explain the how of the strategies’ purpose in the argument (or vice versa)

4Not understanding the what or the why

+Now what?Unit 1: Creating Identity Through Rhetoric

Journal Entry:

What makes one a master rhetorician?

Who do you know whose identity was based on their skill of rhetoric?

Let’s discuss…

+Master Rhetorician Engages the audience

Convinces people/persuasion

Translates their point regardless of audience (Is aware of their audience)

Connects to their audience (Doesn’t sound “Preachy”)

Appeals to ethos, pathos and logos

+ Poet

Romeo & Juliet

England

Pervert

Tragedy

Man

Flaw

Controversy

Macbeth

William Shakespeare!

+I Iago!

My favorite rhetorician, an evil genius… I’d like to introduce…

IAGO!

What does it take to be a master rhetorician?

Is Iago a master rhetorician? Why or why not?

What can you identify in his speech as effective rhetoric?

+What’s going on in there?DO NOW:

Choose a character from Othello. In your journal, answer the questions below.

What is the character’s purpose in his rhetoric? Is the character speaking for good or evil? How do you know?

Why does that character speak the way he does? What is the character’s motivation? (The occasion)

What words stand out to you? Why did he choose that particular diction?

What quotes truly define the character?

How does the character’s rhetoric affect the other characters?

Does the character achieve his purpose? How?

Why was the character’s rhetoric successful?

+Assignment: Choose one of the following to answer in a 3-5 page essay.

1. Iago is a master rhetorician.

(Support or negate that statement.)

2. Who is the better rhetorician—Iago or Lady Macbeth?

(I have copies of Macbeth. Remember, Lady Macbeth had to use an awful lot of rhetoric to convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan!)

VS.

*Remember, a claim MUST always be arguable, provable by evidence and answer the question being asked!

+RUBRICClaim

Is your claim arguable, provable, does it answer the question and most importantly, do you follow through with your claim throughout the essay?

Evidence

Do you use reasonable evidence from the texts to prove your claim? Do you include reasoning to your evidence?

MLA Format

Is your paper set up according to MLA Guidelines? Are your textual references cited properly?

Mechanics

Are your sentences complete and varied throughout? Are errors in spelling and punctuation limited? Do you use transitions between paragraphs? Do your paragraphs flow logically?

+ MLA Format Formatting your paper & The first page

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/1/

In-text citations

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/

Formatting quotations

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/03/

Works cited page

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/

*Extra notes on analyzing rhetoric https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/725/02/

Search this site for more info. on everything from how to research to grammar!

+ Transitions What does the word transition mean?

Why are transitions important in an essay?

https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/135/transw.html

http://www.smart-words.org/linking-words/transition-words.html

+ Woolf vs. Walker vs. Ruskin While we’re waiting for the Ruskin book to come in,

check out the links below and be prepared to discuss the situation presented. Think about Walker’s message in In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens. Does it jive with this? Which side do you believe? Why?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1021293/How-mothers-fanatical-feminist-views-tore-apart-daughter-The-Color-Purple-author.html

http://alicewalkersgarden.com/2013/03/taking-care-of-the-truth-embedded-slander-a-meditation-on-the-complicity-of-wikipedia/

+Do now In your journal, reflect on the analyses you did this

summer. How would they be different now? What have you learned so far about your writing and writing a rhetorical analysis? What do you feel you still need to work on?

Class discussion:

Think about Walker’s message in In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens. Does it jive with this? As Nicole suggested, does she lose credibility? Which side do you believe? Why?

What are some important things to consider when comparing rhetoric? (Let’s take a look-see!)

+Audience: Who is the audience? How does the writer appeal to

them?

Purpose: What is the writer's main purpose in creating this piece? Does he/she want the

reader to do something?

Message: What is the main message the

writer is trying to get across to his/her

audience?

Rhetorical Modes: expository, narrative,

descriptive, argumentative

Organization: spatial, chronological,

cause/effect, compare & contrast, division,

etc.

Tone: angry, satirical, accusatory, critical, objective, reverent,

earnest, etc.

Diction: 1. Formal vs.

Informal 2. Denotative vs.

Connotative (figurative language)

Syntax: repetition, rhetorical questions,

pacing, headings, types of sentences,

etc.

Logical Appeals (Logos): Does the

message make sense? Is it based on facts &

evidence?

Emotional Appeals (Pathos): Do the words

evoke feeling? Does the writer appeal to

the audience's sympathies?

Credibility (Ethos): Does the writer refer to differing view? What is the writer's reputation?

Types of Evidence: personal experience,

refuting counter arguments, expert

testimony, analogy, etc.

+Let’s Get a Man’s Perspective…

Read from Ruskin’s lecture series Sesame and Lilies

http://www.bartleby.com/28/6.html

First, let’s analyze his rhetoric

Then, let’s compare it to the arguments of Woolf and Walker…

Assignment: Choose one of the women’s essays and write a comparative analysis between her rhetoric and that of Ruskin.

But before you start, let’s review a few things…

+Writing a claim DO NOT START YOUR ESSAY WITH…

“So and so used rhetorical strategies in her essay.”

OR

“So and so’s use of rhetorical strategies helped him prove his point.”

DUUUUUUHH!

(Everyone’s rhetorical strategies helps him/her prove his/her point. That is the use of rhetorical strategies!)

You need to be more specific!

For example:

Florence Kelley’s use of imagery, as well as her distinct appeal to the pathos of her all-woman audience, helped her make her argument that if women had the right to vote, the child labor laws would improve. And moreover, being aware of her audience, Kelley called those women to action by trying to convince them to sway their husbands into voting for women’s suffrage.

+Now you try… Using either of the essays we read last week (Woolf or

Walker), write an analytical claim.

*When you’re done writing your claim, ask yourself these questions:

Is my claim arguable?

Is my claim provable?

Does it answer the question?

Does it make sense?

Did I include the WHAT and HOW in my claim?

*You must answer YES to all of the questions in order for your claim to be PERFECT!

+Now, let’s get cRaaaZy!!When writing a comparative analysis, your INTRODUCTION should:

Introduce the background of the speech topics and time periods

Introduce the two speeches (author, title, brief summary)

Show how the two pieces are connected (by topic or rhetorical strategy)

Come to a conclusion about which piece is stronger and why

Claim templates:

1. While both _________________ and ______________ discuss ________________________, ultimately, ____________________’s piece makes a stronger argument because…

2. _____________________ and ____________________ focus their lines of reasoning on ________________________ (appeals? a call to action?); however, in the end, ______________________ produces a stronger argument because…

+Other Points

Do you know how to properly quote a text? (MLA Format)

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/03/

Organization—Option 1: First 1-2 body paragraphs on rhet. devices of first article; last 1-2 body paragraphs on rhet. devices of second article Option 2: Each body paragraph focuses on one rhet. device for both articles (Review the rainbow Rhet. Strat. Chart to help you select which to use.)

Topic sentences; wrap-up sentences that connect back to your claim

Does your textual evidence actually contain the rhet. device you’re discussing?

Do you AVOID writing about your own personal opinion on the topic?

Did you proofread?

+Give it a whirl… While you read speeches given by Presidents

Bush and Obama, fill in the graphic organizer to help you organize your thoughts. We will discuss your comparisons and then you will write an essay in which you compare the two speeches.

For homework:

Read Ruskin’s lectures. Then, write an analysis comparing Ruskin’s rhetoric to that of either Woolf or Walker.