Writing a Rhetorical Analysis
Discovering the Secret Agenda
Aristotle, whom we refer to as the Father of
Modern Rhetoric, taught that writing (or
speech) does not exist in a vacuum.
There is, first and foremost, a messenger,
with an agenda all his own; next, there is a
reader (or listener) for whom the message is
tailored; and finally there is the message
(either a text or a speech), created for a
specific audience.
Aristotle’s idea may be represented as
follows:
Writer
Reader
Text
Rhetorical Triangle
In order to communicate her message
persuasively, the writer needs to
understand her audience, and to actively
envision them—to anticipate their needs.
She then has to determine what methods
she will use to communicate her ideas.
This is called determining rhetorical
stance, i.e., determining the relationship
that will exist between the writer and the
reader.
One important determination is what TONE (or PERSONA)
to adopt. Will the writer’s tone be formal or informal? Will
the writer come across as a superior or as an equal, as an
onlooker or as a participant, as an expert or as a
concerned citizen, etc.?
The writer makes such determinations because he has an
agenda.
Why would he adopt a conversational tone?
Why would he take a formal approach?
Why would he present himself as an expert?
How would he present the same material (a) to a middle
school student, and (b) to a college student?
Establishing Tone
What are some of the methods that a writer uses to
establish an informal tone?
•Simple vocabulary
•Contractions
•First and second person pronouns
What are some of the methods that a writer uses to
establish a formal tone?
•Complex vocabulary
•Academic jargon
•Absence of contractions
•Third person pronouns
The Three Appeals
There are essentially three ways of appealing to an
audience:
1.
2.
3.
Emotion
Logic / Reason
Ethics / Morality
- Pathos
- Logos
- Ethos
Of these three methods, the least honest method is
the emotional appeal, and the most honest is the
logical. However, a good academic paper will reflect
all three, with logic at its core.
In an academic paper it is important, when using the
three appeals, to be scrupulously honest and to
avoid logical and emotional fallacies.
There are, of course, numerous
methods which writers use to win over a
reader, or to draw her into the text in an
effort to persuade her to accept the
writer’s point of view.
What are some of these methods?
•Tone
•Anecdote
•Facts
•Statistics
•Vocabulary
•Visuals
•Figurative Language
•Analogies
•Expert backing
•Citing authorities
•Honesty
•Balance, etc.
Understanding , as we now do,
the meaning of “rhetorical
stance,” we are equipped to
analyze a piece of writing.
Thinking back to the
Aristotelian Triangle, think in
terms of the Writer, the Reader,
and the Text.
WRITER
Who is the writer?
What are her personal biases?
Is she a conservative or a liberal?
Is she qualified to address her topic?
What qualifies her (degree, experience)?
Is she honest?
READER
Who is the intended reader?
How do you know?
Why has this reader been targeted?
What is expected of the reader?
TEXT
How is the text tailored to its readers?
Which of the three appeals is used?
What rhetorical methods are employed?
Why?
Is the text effective?
If I were to write an analysis of a short article, I would
structure it as follows:
Introduction – A general judgment of the work.
Writer – Background and observations about the writer
and her agenda.
Readers – General observations about the intended
readers, why they have been targeted, and what the
writer expects of them.
Text – How the writer has appealed to the readers, the
tone she has adopted, and what methods she has used to
manipulate their thinking, with specific examples and
comments.
Conclusion--A summary of my findings, with specific
judgments about the article and its effectiveness.
Your Assignment:
You are to select a newspaper or magazine article
that argues a position and then analyze the
rhetorical situation. Use the sample rhetorical
analysis (see handout, or the sample located at
spalding.pbwiki.com) as a guide—not as a rigid
model. How you organize your analysis will depend
in part on the writing you choose and in part on the
decisions you make about how to arrange the parts
of your analysis. You will present your essay in
standard MLA format.
The End
PowerPoint Presentation by Mark A. Spalding, BA, MEd, MA (2009).