Rhetorical Precis :: structured, formulaic, four-sentence paragraph that gives as much information as possible. It focuses on purpose, strategies and audience. Usually your introductory paragraph in rhetorical analysis essay

Sentence 1:

• name of author

• name of work

• date in parenthesis

• a rhetorically accurate verb

  • assert, argue, claim etc

  • words that set context in motion

  • describe what is written in the text

  • shows instead of tells

• “that” statement

e.g. John Smith’s piece, “title” (20xx) claims that …

Sentence 2:

• explanation of how the author supports the argument

• how the author achieves the purpose

• “with” statement

• rhetorical devices in chronological order as it appears in the work

e.g. Smith supports __ with , ___ and ____

Sentence 3:

• whats the purpose

• “in order to” phrase

e.g. The authors purpose is to ____ in order to ____

Sentence 4:

• who is the audience

• relationship of author and audience

• how does the author reach the audience

e.g. The author reaches the audience of ____ by ____

The author reaches the audience of non-Hispanic people by illustrating the real life experiences as a latina woman and proving historical context for the cultural clash.

Benefits:

• provides formula

• helps identify key elements of writing

• pushes you to be more clear and concise