Rhetoric and Rhetorical Analysis - Key Terms | 8/25 2/3

Vocabulary flashcards covering core terms and concepts from the lecture notes on rhetoric and rhetorical analysis.

Rhetoric

The art or practice of communicating effectively to inform, persuade, motivate, or inspire audiences; can be expressed in speech, writing, or visuals.

Rhetorical Analysis

The process of breaking a text into its significant rhetorical components and evaluating how these parts influence an audience within a given context.

Text (rhetorical sense)

Any communicative artifact (speech, image, poster, painting, ad, etc.) that carries a message.

Rhetorical Situation

A framework centered on the message, with surrounding elements—speaker, audience, and purpose—and outer layers of context/timing and mode/genre that shape meaning.

Message

The core idea or claim that a piece of rhetoric communicates.

Speaker

The person or entity delivering or creating the message; their identity, background, and intent shape how the message is conveyed.

Audience

The people who receive the message; their knowledge, attitudes, and emotions influence how the message is interpreted.

Purpose

The intended goal of the rhetoric (to inform, persuade, motivate, inspire, etc.).

Context/Timing

The situational factors and moment in time surrounding the communication that affect its reception and impact.

Mode/Genre

The form of communication (spoken, written, visual) and the conventions of that form (essay, poster, speech) used to convey the message.

Kenneth Burke's Rhetoric

Rhetoric as the set of methods people use to identify with one another.

Aristotle's Available Means

The range of persuasive strategies available to a speaker to influence an audience (the classic concept of available means of persuasion).

Visual Rhetoric

Rhetoric conveyed through images, visuals, and design, not solely through words.

MWA 1: Rhetorical Analysis

Major Writing Assignment: analyze a speech from a movie/TV/show, identify its argument and rhetorical elements, use evidence, and format in MLA; includes a draft (at least half the final length).

Rhetorical Appeals

Strategies used to persuade audiences (informing, persuading, motivating, inspiring) through different rhetorical means.

Rhetorical Triangle

A visualization with the message at the center; around it, speaker, audience, and purpose, plus outer layers of context/timing and mode/genre.