AP Lang - Elements of Rhetorical Analysis

Start of year help

rhetoric

the use of spoken, written, or visual language to convey ideas and persuade an audience

rhetorical situation

the complete set of circumstances, events, and contexts that prompt a writer to create a text. (speaker, audience, subject)

context

the time, place, occasion, and social, cultural, or historical circumstances surrounding a text that shape how a writer makes choices and how an audidnece understands the message (component of rhetorical situation)

exigence

the specific event, problem, or urgent issue that inspires a writer or speaker to create a text at that exact moment.

why goal is necessary to complete now?

occasion is sometimes part of exigence

occasion

the time, place, and environment that prompt a writer or speaker to create a text

purpose

the writer’s reason for composing a text— the specific goal, outcome, or effect they hope to achieve for an audience within a given context.

many purpose build upon each other

rhetorical triangle

interaction between writer, audience, and subject

impacts how the writer gets their point across

writer

person, group, or organization that creates a text

persona

the character, role, or voice that a writer/speaker adopts to deliver a message and connect with a specific audience

audience

readers, listeners, or viewers that read the text

intended (who the writer is trying to reach/influence) or unintended

message

the central idea, main point, or specifc content that a writer communicates to an audience

different than subject

subject

overarching topic

rhetorical appeals

the persuasive strategies used by writers to influence an audience through credibility, logic, and emotion

ethos, logos, pathos

ethos

an appeal to the speaker’s credibility, authority, character, or shared values to persuade an audience.

how to build ethos

1. demonstrating credibility

2. emphasizing shared ideas

3. already have reputation

logos

an appeal to logic and reason where the writer persuades an audience by relying on clear thinking, valid inferences, and solid evidence

couterargument

an opposing claim or perspective that challenges your main thesis.

bringing these up and arguing them makes your thesis more logical (logos)

to acknowlege, you can concede, refute, or rebut

pathos

a rhetorical appeal to an audience’s emotions to persuade them or move them to action

AP tip on combining ethose, logos, and pathos

discuss how these appeals persuade an audience.

where are particular appeals made?

what makes the appeal effective?

style

the distinct combo of word choice, sentence structuce, and conventions that a writer uses to shape meaning, build tone, and persuade an audience

diction

a writer’s deliberate choice of words and phrases to create a specific tone, attitude, and effect on an audience

denotation

the strict, literal, dictionary def of a word, completly stripped of any emotion, attitude, or cultural assocations

connotation

the emotional, cultural, or social feeling a word carries beyond its literal dictionary def (denotation)

modifers

words, phrases, or clauses that limit, restrict, specify, or describe other words in a sentance to shape tone and control the strength of a claim

AP tip on style

as you read, pay attention to how a writer uses verbs. consider the effect of active and passive verbs in the development of an arugument.

formal and informal diction

formal:

elevated, dignified style of word choice that strictly follows grammatcial rules and avoides slang, contractions, and personal pronouse

infrormal:

the relaxed, conversational language of everyday speech that features common words, slang, contractions, and a familiar tone

figurative language

writing or speech that departs from literal meaning to create vivid, imaginative, and persuasive effects

metaphor

a figure of speech that directly compares two seemingly unlike things by stating that one thing is another, without using "like" or "as”

simile

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using the words “like,” “as,” or “than” to create a vivid image or explain a complex idea

analogy

an extended comparison that links an unfamiliar or complex concept to a simpler, familiar one to clarify an argument or explain a relationship

personification

a rhetorical and figurative device that gives human traits, emotions, intentions, or actions to non-human entities, animals, or abstract ideas

allusion

an indirect or brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, work of art, or historical/biblical text that expects the audience to recognize and connect

syntax

the way a writer arranges words, phrases, clauses, and punctuation to form sentences

compound and complex sentences

A compound sentence joins two or more independent clauses of equal importance, while a complex sentence combines one independent clause with at least one dependent clause to show a hierarchical relationship.

independent vs dependent clauses

An independent clause is a complete sentence with a subject and a verb, while a dependent clause has a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone

parallel structure

the repetition of the same grammatical or syntactic form in two or more parts of a sentence, paragraph, or speech to show that ideas share equal importance

antithesis

a rhetorical device that places two opposite or contrasting ideas side-by-side using a matching grammatical structure to emphasize a stark difference

tone

the author's attitude toward their subject, audience, or both

AP tip for tone shifts

circle words like “yet” and “but” and consider the shifts they signal. often, these words mean the writer is changing the topic or making a new point. they can also mark a change in tone.

irony

a rhetorical strategy and device where a writer creates a deliberate gap between expectation and reality, or between what is said and what is actually meant

hyperbole

a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration or overstatement to create emphasis, evoke strong emotions, or add humor