Rhetorical Analysis Assignment
Specifics: 4-6 pages (not including the Works Cited page)
Use at least two outside resources other than the speech itself
Follow MLA formatting
Instructions: Write a 4-6-page essay that analyzes the rhetoric used in a speech. Explain how
the speech is (or isn’t) effective by addressing its purpose, audience, appeals, claims, evidence,
organization, and style. First, introduce the speech and the orator. Give the readers any context
necessary in orienting them to the speech (assume they haven’t heard the speech and aren’t
familiar with the orator). Provide a brief summary of the speech. Then, form a thesis stating
that the speech is or isn’t effective and use the rest of the essay to make additional claims
supporting the thesis.
Tips:
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The paper should be a complete essay, not a “list” of points of analysis.
Address as many elements of the speech as possible. This will ensure a thorough
analysis of its rhetorical devices.
Research the speech! Research its context, historical relevance, audience, and the
person who’s orating it. What can you learn about the person or the speech that can
enhance your understanding of the rhetoric?
Make sure the analysis is of the text (the speech) rather than the issue being discussed
in the text.
Don’t assume your reader has any information about the speech already.
Don’t spent too long on the summary of the speech. Stick to one full paragraph. Be
succinct.
Make sure to introduce the text and author and to supply a summary when necessary.
Quote from the text when necessary, but don’t rely too heavily on the text to do the
talking; your analysis should be the bulk of the essay.
Keep the purpose in mind. The purpose is not to summarize the speech. The purpose is
to analyze the speech.
Speech Choices:
1. Charlie Chaplin from “The Great Dictator” (1940)
2. President Ronald Reagan’s Address to the Nation following the Challenger explosion
(1986)
3. Carl Sagan “Pale Blue Dot” (1994)
4. President George Bush’s Address to the Nation following the terrorist attacks of 9/11
(2001)
5. Oprah Winfrey’s Cecil B. DeMille award acceptance speech (2018)