Rhetorical Analysis

What is Rhetoric?

  • “The faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” - Aristotle

What is Rhetorical Situation?

  • All authors write within a particular situation and make strategic choices based on that situation. This will likely make more sense once we’ve worked through the Various components of a “situation.”

SOAPSTonE

  • The first step to effectively analyzing nonfiction is to know certain key background details which will give you the proper context for the analysis

  • An acronym to help you in this first step is;

Speaker

Occasion

Audience

Purpose

Subject

Tone

Exigence

Speaker

  • Who is the speaker? Does the speaker have the *ethos* necessary to deliver information on the topic?

Occasion

  • What is the reason for giving the speech or occasion? As in does it correspond with an anniversary? Funeral? Wedding? Is it for a planned conference? etc. We generally call this rhetorical situation.

  • It’s important to note the rhetorical situation. You may also sometimes hear this rehearsed.

Audience

  • In order to connect with the audience, the speaker must establish *pathos,* this means knowing who is being addressed.

Purpose

  • Why is the speech being given? Is it persuasive, to inform, or to entertain? How/why? One way to determine the purpose is to analyze the speech for it’s rhetorical devices.

Subject

  • What is the subject of the speech? What exactly is it about? The facts or the details build the *logos.*

Tone

  • Attitude of a writer/speaker toward a subject. Tone is generally conveyed through diction and details.

Exigence

  • In rhetoric, exigence is the issue, problem, situation, context, etc. This provides the importance for an author to write or speak on a given topic within that rhetorical situation.

Logos - Logic

  • The facts or details in an argument that give the argument credibility

Ethos - Credibility

  • This describe who the speaker is in terms of the subject, the speaker’s authority on the topic

Pathos - Emotion

  • This involves creating an attachment to the subject matter by appealing to the emotions of the audience

SMELL

Sender/receiver relationship

Message

Evidence

Logic

Language

Sender/Receiver

  • Who is the speaker? Who is the audience? What is the tone directed from one to the other?

Message

  • What is the context and/or claim

Evidence

  • What evidence is provided and to what extent? Is it reliable?

Logic

  • What is the quality of the reasoning?

  • What types of appeals are being used?

  • What’s the line of reasoning?

  • Does the author Include concessions? Counter arguments?

Language

  • What stylistic and rhetorical devices are being used?

  • This is where you’ll identify the author’s choice of schemes, tropes, diction, etc. and explain WHY s/he made those stylistic choices.

Schemes

  • figures of speech that deal with (???) order, syntax, letters, and sounds

  • creates balance, interruption, omission, or repetition

Tropes

  • Figures of speech with unexpected twist in the meaning of the words

  • creates comparison, word play, overstatement, understatement, or management of meaning

Diction

  • In all forms of writing and speaking, authors choose particular words to convey a specific effect and meaning to the reader

  • Can make a logical appeal or emotional appeal.

Syntax

  • In much the same way that authors consider their word choice very carefully, they also consider how the words are arranged

  • AKA Construction of sentences

Syllogism

  • A form of arrangement introduced by Aristotle that consists of 3 levels: A major premise, a minor premise, and conclusion

premise - a statement of fact

Enthymeme

  • It’s like a syllogism, it must be based on a premise. The difference between the two is that the major premise can be implied

Deductive Argument

  • Is structured with the major and minor premises first followed by the conclusion

  • AKA periodic structure

Inductive Arguments

  • Is structured with the conclusion first followed by the major and minor premises

  • AKA loose structure

Writing a Rhetorical Analysis

Open Thesis

  • Statement that tells the reader only the position on a topic

  • grounded mostly on an opinion

  • Ex: Florida is a better place to live than Washington

Closed Thesis

  • Statement that tells the reader both your position and the reasons for your position

  • Ex: due to the cost of living in discrepancy and incessant rainy weather, Florida is a better place to live than Washington

Intro: Rhetorical Precis

Body #1:

  • Claims (What)

  • Evidence (How)

  • Commentary (Why)

*repeat until fully analyzed*

Conclusion: So what? What is the purpose?