Guide to Rhetorical Criticism This document provides an explanation of the event Rhetorical Criticism. It gives tips for choosing artifacts and communication theories, and writing your speech. The examples listed are not all inclusive. You are expected to use these principles and guidelines to research your own topics and discover the methods that apply best to you and your speech. A Misconception Probably the most confusing and misleading part about Rhetorical Criticism is the name. There is little rhetoric involved, and approaching the speech from the common meaning of “criticism” can lead you in the wrong direction. Perhaps a better name is what the American Forensics Association calls the event: Communication Analysis. Now that seems self-­‐explanatory, doesn’t it? Well, it is. The purpose of this event is to analyze a form of communication. Some criticism may be a part of that analysis, but it may turn out to be a speech praising the methods of the communication in question. The Structure Every Rhetorical Criticism needs to follow this basic outline. Introduction: a. Present the artifact b. Ask the research question (Also referred to in CCA documents as an “interesting question.”) Body: 1. The Methodology: An explanation of the communication theory (standard). 2. The Analysis: The application of the artifact to the standard. 3. Implications: What does the analysis imply? Conclusion: a. Summarize the analysis without walking through the whole speech b. Remind us of the answer to the question c. Leave the audience pondering the implications The Artifact and Research Question: Choosing an artifact is the most important part of a Rhetorical Criticism. In your artifact you find the topic of your analysis. An artifact is any form of communication. Here are some possible sources for artifacts, and some examples. • Movies • TV shows • Advertising campaigns Christian Communicators of America Page 1 of 5 10.0.4_14 Guide to Rhetorical Criticism •
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Songs Music Videos Posters Magazine covers Artwork Specific use of someone else’s artwork Social campaign Websites Speeches A response to some other communication (the response itself serving as the artifact) While these categories seem to open up any topic, there are things to consider when choosing and narrowing your artifact. You need to be able to ask a question about the artifact. Finding an artifact that allows you to ask a question about its purpose, intent, or implications is difficult, yet crucial. With that in mind, here are a couple of examples of artifacts that can be analyzed on the desired level. • The photo of a group of world leaders with Hilary Clinton edited out. (Question relating to exclusion of women from world politics) • A humorous short film series starring celebrities making fun of themselves that conclude with commentary on issues teens and families deal with. (Question about self ridicule as a form of persuasion) • Justin Biebers movie Never Say Never. (Question regarding the use of an inspirational theme and message contrasted with the fueling of “Bieber Fever.”) • A satirical comic strip that points to President Obama as the anti-­‐
Christ. (Question about using theology or religion as a political tool.) • A criticism of Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ. (Question about the effectiveness of the criticism.) This is an example of how effectiveness is an acceptable question, since the implications of this particular example are significant. These are just a few examples of how to approach an artifact and the research question. There are many ways to approach any given artifact. The key is to make sure your choice of artifact opens the door to a question that is interesting, and raises some implications. Here are some examples of more specific and more complex questions. • Artifact: The movie The Truman Show. Christian Communicators of America Page 2 of 5 10.0.4_14 Guide to Rhetorical Criticism •
o Question: Does the movie The Truman Show present a philosophical approach to existence that is viable in the modern age? Artifact: An ad campaign that uses graphic photos and factual text to encourage people to wear bicycle helmets. o Question: How does the use of ‘shockvertizing’ affect the intended result of AIG’s campaign? The Communication Theory This is by far the hardest part of the speech. It is fairly easy to find an artifact and to ask a question about it. Finding the right method with which to answer that question is a different issue. First, do not be scared by the term “communication theory.” It is a term used in collegiate competition that CCA holds in a looser grip. You are not required to use an actual communication theory (Semiotics, Cultivation Theory, or Expectancy Violation Theory for example). Using this type of analysis is preferred and demonstrates an advanced understanding of the way communication works on an academic level, but is not required. The simplest way to approach the Theory is to look at it as a standard. What is the standard for the issue you are addressing? Going back to a previous example, look at the question asked of the movie Never Say Never. In order to evaluate the movie as an inspirational film, we must determine what a movie needs to be considered inspirational (the analysis regarding “Bieber Fever” will come in the implications). We could look towards a movie review of another recognized inspirational film, Remember the Titans. In Roger Ebert’s review of this film, he identified several things that were good, and a thing or two that fell short of his expectations. By reading this article, you can see that he valued a couple key things in a good inspirational film. Those are your standards. Not every movie critic will agree with these standards. That’s ok. This is a standard as given by a specific source with credibility in his field. A more complex example is found in the speech about The Truman Show. “Does the movie The Truman Show present a philosophical approach to existence that is viable in the modern age?” In order to answer this question we must find a standard for identifying a viable approach to existence. You should look in academic philosophy journals, textbooks, or anywhere existence is discussed. Once you find someone who gives his or her opinion or philosophy about how to you should approach existence, you have your theory. It is important that you keep a couple things in mind as you look for a theory or standard. • You have to be able to identify what the requirements of the theory are. What standards make up the list? • There should not be more than 4-­‐5 standards. If you have more than that, your audience will have a hard time keeping track of them, and most likely, so will you. Ideally, there will be 3-­‐4. Christian Communicators of America Page 3 of 5 10.0.4_14 Guide to Rhetorical Criticism •
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The theory must come from a credible source. There are many people who discuss these issues on blogs, and even in published articles. Make sure that you maintain the academic integrity of the event by selecting a set of standards that was created by someone who has some credibility in that particular field of study. You are not allowed to come up with your own set of standards. As tempting as it might be to use your own ideas as the weighing mechanism, that defeats the purpose of the event. Application Now that you have your artifact and your methodology, it’s time to bring them together. It’s the easiest part of the speech. Simply ask, “Does the artifact meet the requirements of the communication theory?” If your artifact is Never Say Never, we have our 3 requirements of an inspirational film as laid out by Roger Ebert. Does the movie meet them? 1. A good script? Since it is a documentary, no. But we could consider the editing and writing of the planned parts a “script”. And since it was well done. Answer: Yes 2. Demonstrates real life? Of course. They are real people, and the movie showed them in the good and bad. Answer: Yes 3. Addresses the touchy subjects? Not really. The movie did not address some of the serious issues that would have affected Justin on his rise to fame. Drugs, alcohol, and other controversial topics that are present in the lives of these celebrities were not addressed in this movie. Answer: No Although two of the three requirements are met, one of them of is not. This objective approach to answering the question is the easy way to get an answer to your research question. While some of the analysis might be subjective, once you have answered each individual question, the bigger question is easy. Implications Discussing implications about the artifact can be the most fun part. You get to use some of your own ideas supported by your analysis and other research to make a statement or two about the artifact and/or the methodology and any implications they have. Implications may be: • For us as consumers • For the effectiveness of this particular artifact • For the effectiveness of similar artifacts • For the theory (exposing its flaws if it did a poor job of covering all the issues on the topic is was designed for) • Moral or Ethical things to consider in light of the analysis Be careful not to turn your implications into a persuasive speech. Keep emotional claims separate from the factual implications of the analysis. Christian Communicators of America Page 4 of 5 10.0.4_14 Guide to Rhetorical Criticism Implications for the Justin Bieber film could include: • False advertising (all of the trailers highlighted the single line in the film that contained significant motivational dialogue) • The use of this film as a tool to raise Bieber’s popularity • How similar films might be successful in the future • The fueled obsession within the targeted audience, teen girls. Implications are endless and will need to be narrowed and prioritized. Sometimes you can condense a couple specific implications into a broader category. This can be effective, but be careful not to make sweeping generalizations. Research and Citations Obviously some research is necessary for this speech. The primary research will be about your theory. Secondly, you will need to do some objective research about the artifact. Find out what its purpose is. Find out how it was received. Find out what other scholars are saying about it. This research will be most effective in developing your implications. Do not forget to cite sources as often as you can. Other Resources Here are some websites that may help you research communication theories that you might use. http://www.afirstlook.com/edition_7/theory_list http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Alphabetic%20list%20of%
20theories/ http://www.mhhe.com/mayfieldpub/westturner/student_resources/theori
es.htm These websites give lists and brief explanations of many communication theories, and some examples. It may be intimidating, as they are not designed for basic levels of comprehension. You will have to read carefully to fully understand. Further research of the chosen theory will be necessary for understanding how to apply the communication theory to your artifact. Christian Communicators of America Page 5 of 5 10.0.4_14