Rhetorical Analysis

Steps in Rhetorical Analysis

• Identify the question being addressed
• Identify the author’s purpose
• Observe diction, syntax, examples (anecdotes), structure, and persona
• Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies at conveying the questions
  and meeting the author’s purpose

Categories of Questions at Issue

These are also known as Stasis Questions.

• Fact
• Definition
• Circumstance
• Policy
• Value

Rhetorical Context

• Setting: time and place
• Circumstance: identities, attitudes, values, actions, backgrounds,
  messages, and behaviors

Analyzing Context of a Published Work

• Where was it published?
• Written by whom?
• Why was it written?
• For whom was it written?
• When was it written?

Persona

• Presenting yourself as a speaker or author of authority
• Voice: point-of-view, person, etc.
• Tone: formality, attitude, etc.

Rhetorical Appeals

• Ethos: The ethical appeal to an audience/readers
• Legal, religious, social
• Pathos: The emotional appeal to an audience/readers
• Often anecdotes used
• Love, hate, pain, suffering, etc.
• Logos: The logical appeal to an audience/readers
• Research, history, any factual evidence

Diction

• The words chosen by an author or speaker
• Nouns and pronouns matter most, indicating people, things, or ideas
  at issue
• Verbs reflect intensity and opinions (reading carefully)
• Modifiers can reveal emotional intensity, depth of feelings

Look for patterns in word choices