Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetoric refers to the art of persuasion, specifically how an author tries to convince readers of their arguments. It has been in use extensively in both speech and writing from as far back as the 5th century BC with its first use recorded in Ancient Greece.

Analyzing the art of the author’s conviction is called rhetorical analysis. It aims at identifying the rhetorical elements along with the appeals made by the author while presenting their points of view. Interpreting how the author combines the elements and appeals to convince readers of their argument as well as how successful they are in doing so is the central idea of a rhetorical analysis. One can apply it not only to books and poems but also to various objects such as a computer, an architectural building, or even a car. 

Rhetorical analyses improve public tastes; by analyzing texts rhetorically, readers become better judges of morals and values. It also educates them and provides a new perspective on society and the world.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Examples

► Rhetorical Analysis

In a persuasive essay, rhetorical appeals are a very important tool to influence the audience toward the author’s perspective. The three rhetorical appeals, which were first developed by Aristotle, are pathos, logos, and ethos.

► Rhetorical Analysis Essay In English

A universally acknowledged poem of Tang “Exhausting my eyes to a thousand miles further, I am ascending one more story of the tower.” is the proper to sum up my ENG class this semester. During this period of time, I have already finished the Summary and Response and Rhetorical Analysis.

► Rhetorical Analysis Essay

A rhetorical analysis can be defined as the breakdown of components used to make a persuasive argument or judgment on a particular subject or topic. The ability to make a conclusion or decision on a given thought or idea in a moment of seconds is a result of rhetorical analysis.

► Rhetorical Analysis Thesis

Rhetorical analysis plays an important function in understanding professional documents because it allows an individual to anticipate and capture the thoughts of a writer depending on the context of the research they are analyzing.

► Ethos, Pathos, And Logos

For some, an argument may be a discussion that leads people to become mad and feel hate towards someone. This also might bring tension, between friends and family, but there’re times when people just want to discuss a topic that they feel would make the conflict better or resolved.

Rhetorical Elements and Appeals

A rhetorical analysis is carried out by identifying and analyzing the rhetorical appeals and elements in a text.

There are 5 rhetorical elements:

• the text (the piece of communication)
• the author (the one who composes the text)
• the audience/readers (real or imaginary) 
• the purpose (the outcome expected by the author)
• the setting (the time and location indicated by the text)

The most popular rhetorical appeals—logos, pathos, and ethos—were first stated by Aristotle. Ethos refers to using the credibility of the author to convince readers about an argument. For example, they may use a reliable dermatologist as a reference during an argument about a skin cream. Through pathos, the author makes emotional appeals to the audience; their arguments invoke emotions such as love, pity, and anger among readers. Logos involves the logical explanation of things; the author uses a concrete source of information while presenting their argument to readers. 

See how these elements and appeals are studied in the following essays:

► Rhetorical Elements in Helen Keller’s Speech at Carnegie Hall

Helen Keller, against all odds, became a mouthpiece for many causes in the early to mid-twentieth century. She advocated for causes such as building institutions for the blind, schools for the deaf, women’s suffrage and pacifism.

► Rhetorical Elements in Orange is the New Black

How does being sentenced to prison affect someone later in his or her life? Many people pose the question, but they have yet to form an immutable response. Oscar Wilde once said, “one of the many lessons that one learns in prison is, that things are what they are and will be what they will be.”

► Rhetorical Appeals

After reviewing this week’s episodes of serial, and given our topic, I found that the Rhetorical Appeals are directly linked to the court cases. These Rhetorical Appeals (Ethos, Pathos, and Logos), are used throughout both cases.

How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay

A typical rhetorical analysis essay has three parts:

• an introduction, which also contains a thesis statement
• body paragraphs, where both the summary of the author’s argument and the analysis of rhetorical appeals is presented
• a conclusion that explores the effectiveness of the argument 

The introduction begins with the author’s name and the title of the text being analyzed. It also provides background information about the author such as their birthplace and books. These details help build relevance about the topic for the readers. The introduction then ends with a thesis statement, which conveys the central idea of the essay: what the argument is about and why it exists. The introductory paragraph must be clear and should grab the attention of readers.

Next comes the body of the essay, which begins with a summary of the argument made by the author. The summary sets context about the argument to the readers. This is followed by a detailed analysis of the type of rhetorical appeals—logos, pathos, and ethos—used by the author and its impact on readers.

Here, one should discuss the below aspects:

• what the rhetorical text is all about
• the author’s exact intention behind proposing the argument
• how they are trying to persuade their readers about it
• their credibility with the readers
• their choices behind using particular rhetorical strategies
• their usage of specific words, sounds, and colors
• the presence or absence of a logical flow throughout their arguments

One should also provide relevant examples while evaluating these aspects so that readers can understand them clearly. To build a sense of cohesion in the body, one needs to arrange these paragraphs based on a particular topic. For example, all paragraphs can be an evaluation of only appeals or they can detail only the most or least effective rhetorical techniques (ascending or descending) used by the author. By focusing on one particular way of analyzing the topic, any confusion for the readers is omitted. 

The evaluation will also try to answer following questions:

• Who is the intended audience?
• What claims, supports, and/or warrants are used by the author for their arguments?
• What is the overall tone of the text (authoritative or friendly)?
• What is the emotional effect created on the readers?

An analysis of both the text and context is carried out within these body paragraphs. Further, all the information must be linked back to the thesis statement and the logical flow of the idea must be maintained.

Lastly, the conclusion includes the overall significance of the argument. It begins with reinstating the argument and then answers questions such as why the argument matters, what its value in the real world is, what its applications are. The conclusion is usually brief and is connected back to the thesis.

Here are some examples of rhetorical analysis essays, which justify the elements of a typical rhetorical analysis.

► How to Perform Rhetorical Analysis

Becoming a critical reader means learning to recognize audiences, writers, points of view and purposes, and to evaluate arguments. In addition to the rhetorical triangle, structure of an argument, and rhetorical appeals, you should look at the following devices used by authors when performing critical analysis.

► How To Write A Rhetorical Analysis Of An Advertisement

Most people read a magazine for the content, right? In all magazines, there are advertisements that the publisher allows. In a magazine called “Food & Wine” issue 41, published in January of 2017, there were advertisements along with their content.

► Rhetorical Analysis Of Saint Joan By George Bernard Shaw

In the passage from the play “Saint Joan,” George Bernard Shaw utilizes a variety of rhetorical strategies in developing the Inquisitor’s powerful speech, aiming to convince the church court of Joan’s guilt for spreading heresy.

► Rhetorical Analysis Of What Makes A Good Life Speech

In Robert Waldinger’s What Makes a Good Life speech, he grabs the audience’s attention by at the start of the speech by asking them a question, thus engaging them into what he about to say. The question is what makes them healthy and happy and where they would invest their time and energy as they go through life.

► Rhetorical Analysis Of My Problem With Her Anger

Even the most durable substances can fall apart. Marriage, a structure built upon the union of two people for eternity, can be destroyed—especially when the two feel threatened by the inevitable stress and frustration that follows.

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