Rhetorical Precis

Structure for writing a thesis - 5 finger trick

CONTEXT (thumb) C: Identify who is “speaking” in what GENRE to WHOM on what date (WHEN) and WHERE

    Sentence one - name the author, genre, and the title of the work, date in parentheses; a rhetorically active verb; and a THAT clause containing the major assertion or thesis of the text.

ex: Toni Morrison, a well-known scholar in the humanities, in her essay, “Disturbing Nurses and the Kindness of Sharks, implies THAT racism in the United States has affected the craft and process of American novelists.

ARGUES (index) A: Identify the speaker’s THESIS argument. WHAT are they arguing? “Argues…”

    Sentence two - an explanation of how the author develops and supports their thesis.

ex: Morrison supports her implication by describing how Ernest Hemingway writes about black characters and by illustrating his strategies for plot development seen within his novels and short stories.

HOW X3 (middle) H: How do they rhetorically develop the argument in 3 stages/techniques? “Does …”

    Sentence two - the how part

PURPOSE (ring) P: What is their PURPOSE or GOAL? “In order to …”

    Sentence three - a statement of the author’s apparent purpose followed by an “in order to phrase.”

ex: Her purpose is to make her readers aware of the cruel reality of racism underlying some of the greatest works of American literature, IN ORDER TO help them examine the far-reaching effects of racism, not only on those who are discriminated against but also on those who discriminate.

TONE/AUDIENCE (pinky): What are their TONES and TARGET AUDIENCE(S)?

    Sentence four - A description of the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience.

ex: She establishes a formal and highly analytical tone with her audience of radically mixed, theoretically sophisticated readers and critical interpreters of American literature.