Rhetorical Analysis
Purpose: Read a proverb, poem or story, and answer the following questions to analyze the
author’s persuasive or rhetorical arguments and strategies.
1. Is there a persuasive or rhetorical argument in this poem or story?
2. Who is the author or narrator of this poem or story?
3. Who was his or her intended audience?
4. When and where was this poem or story first published?
5. What are the author’s (or main character’s) major claims or thesis?
6. Does he or she support these claims with strong evidence?
 Facts and statistics
 Reasons and logic
 Expert opinions
 Personal experiences or stories
7. Does the author or narrator respectfully respond to counter-arguments and avoid logical
or emotional fallacies?
8. What kind of appeals does the author use?
 Ethos: Maintaining a the tone of a fair, reasonable and open-minded speaker
 Logos: Using facts, reasons and evidence to support claims
 Pathos: Using emotions, values and personal stories to move the audience.
9. How persuasive was this argument or how descriptive was this story/poem?
Rhetorical Argument Criteria
Purpose: Focus on a poem, story or proverb in Literature for Composition.
Write a 4 page rhetorical analysis of the story or poem. Explore how it uses Arguments,
Assumptions and other rhetorical strategies.
Due Date: Wednesday, September 28
Introduction: Clearly identify the story or poem, and develop a thesis or argument about its
rhetorical purposes or meanings.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Explication: Briefly summarize the story or poem, and describe its rhetorical purposes and
strategies. Explore the point of view, setting, conflicts, relationships, characters, attitudes and
assumptions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Context: Display clear understanding of the poem’s or story’s context, purpose, audience,
background and methods of argument.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Organization: Provide clear connections and transitions between ideas and topic sentences,
with specific examples and coherent, unified and well developed paragraphs. Include an
effective introduction and conclusion.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Conclusion: Develop and explore the connections, meanings and relevance of this story or
poem. How sucessful was the speaker or narrator in communicating his/her message?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Editing: Use correct spelling, punctuation and mechanics. Use correct MLA documentation for
all quotes and references. (10% of grade)
1
2
3
Average Score:
4
5
6
7
GRADE:
8
9
10