What is a rhetorical essay?

What is a rhetorical essay?

The purpose of writing a rhetorical analysis is to try to determine what the writer is trying to achieve and what writing strategies the writer is using to try to achieve it. An effective analysis should be structured similarly to other essays: an introduction presenting the thesis, a body analyzing the text directly, and a conclusion to wrap up. Because this essay will require quotations from the author’s text, it will be necessary to correctly use in-text citations.


When you are asked to do a rhetorical analysis of a text, you are asked to apply your critical reading skills to break down the text into parts by analyzing them. Determine what the writer is trying to achieve and the writing strategies used. Focus on the rhetorical situation: the information presented in the text, the targeted audience, and the author’s purpose.


It may be helpful to print out the speech transcript and take notes while watching the video. Annotate the speech as you are listening to it. Identify rhetorical devices used throughout the speech.  These can be strong word choices used to emotionally connect to the audience members.  Notice how the speaker uses tone to engage with the audience.  This information will help you gather specific details in which the speaker uses ethos, logos, or pathos. 


 Some examples of how authors might use rhetorical devices in their writing: 

  • Ethos: This is the credibility the author has in the subject matter. 

    • Consider finding examples of education, experience, character, expertise, or delivery of the speech

  • Logos: This appeals to the logical side of the audience 

    • Consider finding examples about statistics, facts, testimonies, or expert accounts 

  • Pathos: These examples appeal to the audience’s emotions. 

    • Consider finding examples of emotional states of being like love, anger, sadness, comradery, patriotism, etc. 

 

The rhetorical situation in both writing and analyzing text refers to the situation in which communication occurs. Communication requires a sender, a message, and a receiver. A common diagram in communication courses shows how this process occurs:

Sender (writer) → Message (subject) → Receiver (reader, audience)

For more information about rhetorical analyses, click here


Caulfield, J. (2022, May 24). How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis | Key Concepts & Examples. 

Scribbr. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from 

https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/rhetorical-analysis/



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