Writing a Rhetorical Analysis:
1.
Opening paragraph: Explain writer’s purpose – why he/she is writing this and what he
wants the reader to believe, to think, or to do after reading the piece.
a. In your opening paragraph, you may mention structure or specific elements that make the
piece convincing, but save the explanation of these elements for the body of your essay.
2.
Body paragraphs: focus on HOW the writer has chosen to write this piece to convince his
audience of his position. You may perhaps talk about:
a. Diction – word choice – how do specific words chosen convey particular feelings? Move
the audience?
b. Syntax – how the writer builds sentences, paragraphs – how do these choices build
meaning? Describe what you see and how it affects the audience.
c. Tone – What is the writer’s attitude toward the subject he is speaking about? Do you see
any shifts in tone? Does attitude start off one way and then change? How does it affect the
audience?
d. To whom is the writer speaking (audience) and what does he want the audience to think or
do after reading this passage? Characterize, identify the audience.
e. What unspoken warrants or assumptions underlie the argument? (What does the writer
assume that his audience believes or values? What unspoken things are here that the writer
assumes the reader accepts as true and are present and underlying in the argument?)
f. Do you see where the writer includes specific evidence as grounds for support? How do
these choices move the reader?
g. Do you see the classical argument structure in the piece? Note how the writer’s ideas
and support build from one section to another. Do you see a concession (“Yes, but”)? If
structure is important, you can talk about it.
h. Where does the writer become convincing through the use of the classical appeals?
(ethos – a sense of credibility, a sense that the speaker understands what’s best for the
most people; pathos – a sense of awareness of emotions such as anger, sadness, patriotism,
etc.; logos – logical connections and factual evidence that make clear, reasonable sense)
3.
Closing paragraph: What is the argument here? Ask yourself, “What is the writer trying to
persuade his audience to believe” and in your final paragraph, provide an overview of the
argument as a whole and talk about the strength of the writer’s choices in presenting it.
MG Gannon – Xavier High School