RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
Guidelines for Rhetorical Analysis
A rhetorical analysis asks students to look at a text rhetorically, mainly in terms of its purpose and audience. In this activity, begin by asking yourself what are the text’s key rhetorical and genre elements? Genres are not rigid and stable, but they are generally recognizable. They contain certain elements (think of the genre of the FB post), and they only make sense in certain contexts.
- Who is the audience?
- What’s the purpose?
- What’s the author’s stance toward her material? Skeptical? Supportive? Some of both?
- What’s the genre?
Linguistic and grammatical elements also inform the text’s meaning, so consider
- Language–formal or informal? A combination? Does the author use “I”?
- The mode or modes–narrative (a story), expository (an explanation), descriptive, argumentative, or a combination? Is the overall aim of the essay informational or persuasive?
- How is it arranged? How does it open? Are there section headers? How much white space is on the page?
- Is there a claim/support structure? If so, how does the author arrange these elements? What sort of evidence is used as support? Do the authors rely more on emotional, ethical, or logical appeals?
As with all of our analytical assignments, be sure to give evidence to support the claims you make about your article. You should write approximately 250 words. Post to Blackboard by 9am on September 5th.
