Rhetorical Analysis Terms

AP Lang

author/speaker

distinct perspective, info about them

audience

use descriptor, primary+secondary+tertiary, what values do they have

obstacles

what does speaker have to overcome in order to deliver message effectively? what ways are audience different

leverage

what can speaker leverage in this situation in order to deliver the message effectively? in what ways are audience similar

exigence

what provoked or inspired the author to write this text? why this time? more than 1 exigence? relation?

context

what’s happening at the time that’s important ~ social, religious, political, historical, art/literature, science, current events, pop culture

diction

the specific words the writer uses and their connotation

syntax

sentence structure the writer chooses (punctuation, italics, spacing, complex and/or compound sentences, sentence length)

imagery

the way the writer uses the senses to create specific experiences

language

formal or informal? specific type of language style (scientific, jargon, colloquial, slang, proffesional)

irony

the use of language that involves an incongruity between what one would expect, and what actually occurs

organization

the way the writer sets up his piece (a letter, a speech, enumeration of important points)

allusion

when a writer refers to another situation (historical, mythical, biblical)

symbol

when a word or thing means more than what it is (numbers, names, locations…)

figurative language

a way of saying something, yet meaning another ~ personification, alliteration, metaphor, similar, paradox, hyperbole, understatement, etc. *explain the COMPARISON or DIFFERENCE in meaning

point of view

the perspective from which the story is told

tone/attitude

the way the author feels about the subject

selection of detail

the facts the writer provides *talk about EVERY detail in the quote you use (cut out if you dk)