Rhetorical Analysis PRAXIS 240

narrator is outside of the story and has limited access to the minds and motivations of characters

third person limited

the central point of the passage

main idea

an organizational approach where the author presents a problem and possible solution

problem and solution

occurs when two different things are called the same name

equivocation

an organizational approach where the author provides similarities and differences about two ideas

compare and contrast

the author's attitude or feelings toward the subject, characters, or audience, conveyed through their choice of words, style, and perspective

tone

• cause and effect

• problems and solutions

• claim and refutation

• compare and contrast

logical organizational structures

• sequential

• enumeration

• chronological

• order of importance

• spatial

order organizational structure

an illegitimate argument or irrelevant point without evidence/supporting claims

fallacy

an error in reasoning that undermines an argument

logical fallacy

attacking the person making the argument instead of addressing the argument itself

ad hominem

misrepresenting or oversimplifying someone’s argument to make it easier to attack

straw man

claiming something is true because an authority or expert says so without providing further evidence

appeal to authority

Don’t listen to her argument on healthy eating because she eats fast food all the time.

example of ad hominem fallacy

He wants to reduce the military budget, so he must think national defense isn’t important

example of straw man fallacy

Kim Kardashian endorsed this hamburger, so it must be the best.

example of appeal to authority

presenting two options as the only possibility when more exist

example of false dilemma fallacy

arguing that one event will inevitably lead to a chain of related and undesirable events

example of slippery slope fallacy

text placed at the bottom of a page or end of a text that provides commentary or elaboration on the main text

footnote

organizational approach where the author argues against a statement, fact, or claim

claim and refutation

using the conclusion as evidence for the argument, creating a loop without proof

circular reasoning fallacy

He’s a great leader because he leads well.

an example of circular reasoning

making a broad conclusion based on insufficient or unrepresentative evidence

hasty generalization

a statement or belief that goes against the average societal opinion

controversial

My friend got into a car accident her first day of driving, so all new drivers must be terrible at driving

hasty generalization

assuming that because one event followed another, the first caused the second

post hoc (false cause) fallacy

the style of narration used to tell a story

point of view

to vividly describe the topic in a way that enables the reader to picture it

description

introducing irrelevant information to distract from the main argument

red herring

Why worry about climate change when unemployment is still an issue?

example of red herring

factual information that supports the speaker's claim(s) in argumentation

evidence in argumentative writing

a strategy of persuasion that seeks to convince an audience, most often through credibility, emotion, or logic

rhetorical appeal

terms with strong positive or negative connotations

loaded words

using figures, graphs, statistics, historical analogues, or studies to persuade an audience from a fact-based perspective

logical appeals

using a person or group that is considered knowledgeable to persuade an audience

expert opinion

charts, graphs, photos, and graphic organizers

graphic features

to explain or inform about a topic

exposition

a sentence outlining the central or main claim of a writing

thesis statement

how an author feels towards a specific subject

author’s attitude

an organizational approach that follows an orderly progression of events based in time

chronological order

a question asked for effect rather than an answer

rhetorical question

a word or phrase that does not have its normal everyday, literal meaning

figurative language

organizational approach following an orderly progression of events, ideas, or steps

sequential order

the general reason an author writes a text (persuade, inform, entertain, explain)

author purpose

appeals to popularity, suggest that the majority’s opinion or preference is valid

bandwagon fallacy

Four our of five people prefer lemon-lime soap!

an example of bandwagon fallacy

a title for a smaller portion of text

subheading

a person’s written or spoken statement that articulates the benefits of a product

testimonial

a brief reference within the text that identifies the source of the content which connects to a full citation in a Works Cited

parenthetical citation

a title of a section

heading

organizational approach where ideas are arranged according to physical space

spatial order

writing intended to convince its audience to embrace a particular idea or opinion and possibly take action

persuasive writing

the central point of the passage

main idea

technique that plays upon the types of people viewers want to be--athletes, productive workers, caring mothers--and suggests that a particular product or service will help them achieve become that type of person

desired user image

whether the evidence is strong and specific enough to support the claim

evidence sufficiency

an introduction to a literary work

preface

a catalogue list at the end of the text containing all of the topics discussed

index

organizational approach where ideas are arranged with the most important claim at the top or bottom

order of importance

an author's judgment/opinion about an idea or topic

criticism

an overarching statement about a topic

generalization

how a word or concept is defined or explained

defintion

• narrative

• description

• exposition

• argumentation

modes of rhetoric

recognizes who someone is and suggests that they fit the consumer role that the product fills

realized user image

a way advertisements manipulate consumer’s desired image. these arguments appeal to people’s desire to elevate their status

snob appeal

summaries of published scientific investigations, usually included at the beginning of the publication

abstract

phrases and words used to link sentences, paragraphs, and ideas together

transition words

a writing style which demonstrates comprehension of a topic or process

informative/explanatory style

a text feature found on a page before the start of a written work that lists chapter names or section titles along with their corresponding page numbers

table of contents

the implied meaning of a word; the feeling a word conveys

connotation

modes of rhetoric is the purpose of

communication

short explanations below photos

caption

to tell a story about an event

narration

words or phrases that show the connection between ideas

signal words

a visual display of the relationships between facts and ideas

graphic organizer

using strong language to persuade an audience by evoking feelings

emotional appeal

when a conclusion is made that lacks a basis in facts

ergo propter hoc