Critical Reading and Rhetorical Analysis

Definition of Rhetoric: The term "rhetoric" refers specifically to the art of persuasion. It is used to convince a person or an audience to act or think in a specific way.
Definition of "Rhetorical": This descriptor means trying to persuade or make a point.
Rhetorical Questions: These are questions designed to make a point rather than to solicit information.
- Example Dialogue:
  - Dan: "Would you mind helping me for a second?"
  - Ron: "Yes, I would mind."
  - Dan: "That was a rhetorical question. Get over here."
Defining Rhetorical Analysis:
- It is a specific method of reading and critiquing a text.
- It focuses on how a text speaks meaningfully to an audience and achieves its ultimate purpose.
- Distinguishment from standard summary: While standard reading asks "what is this text about," rhetorical analysis asks "what is this text trying to do or achieve?" and "how does it accomplish (or fail to accomplish) its goals?"

Analyzing the Writer:
- Who is the individual or entity writing the text?
- How does the author establish their personal credibility?
- Does the author's prior reputation convey a specific sense of authority to the reader?
- Does the author come across as knowledgeable and fair in their presentation?
Analyzing the Audience:
- Who is the intended audience for this specific piece of communication?
- What specific values does the audience hold that the author or speaker is appealing to?
- Who are the secondary audiences that might encounter the text?
- If the work is fiction, what is the nature of the audience within the fictional world?

Analyzing the Purpose: Why was the text written? Potential goals include:
- To convince someone to perform an action or adopt a thought.
- To praise or blame a person or thing.
- To attack or defend a person, concept, or thing.
- To teach, to delight, or to persuade.
The Rhetorical Situation:
- What specific occasion provides the need or the opportunity for persuasion?
- What is the historical occasion or context that gave rise to the composition of the text?

Analyzing the Message:
- What is the main idea of the text (a summary of the core message)?
- What are the principal lines of reasoning or the primary kinds of arguments being utilized?
- What topics of invention are employed to develop the message?
- How does the author or speaker appeal to reason (logos)?
- How does the author or speaker appeal to emotion (pathos)?
Analyzing the Delivery and Style:
- What is the structure of the communication, and how has it been arranged?
- What specific figures of speech are used, including both schemes and tropes?
- What oral or literary genre is the text following?
- What specific style and tone are used, and for what intended purpose?

Dialogue Analysis: The transcript includes a dialogue between Dan and Ron where Dan asks a question that Ron interprets literally, leading Dan to clarify that the question was rhetorical and intended as a command/point rather than a request for permission.
Interactive Quiz Item:
- Question: Rhetorical analysis is most similar to…
  - A) Essay writing; composing an argument about a text.
  - B) Inquiry; a set of questions you might ask about a text.
  - C) Repetition; repeating parts of a text.
  - D) Summary; a brief synopsis of a text.
- Correct Answer: Inquiry; a set of questions you might ask about a text.
Source Attribution:
- Original Author: Gideon O. Burton.
- Project: Silva Rhetoricae.
- Original Location: Brigham Young University (http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Pedagogy/Rhetorical%20Analysis%20heuristic.htm).
- License: CC BY: Attribution.