Rhetorical Analysis Prewriting
Rhetorical Analysis Prewriting
STEP 1: Select an Argument to Analyze
Find an argument to analyze. This could be one of the sources from your annotated bibliography, but you are also allowed to choose a new source as long as it still pertains to your topic. Because a rhetorical analysis is an analysis of an argument, you should make sure that you find a source that is actually making an argument. Do not choose a fact sheet, for example. Once you have chosen a source, analyze the source by answering the questions below about your source. You may write as little or as much as you’d like, but keep in mind that the more you write for this assignment, the more you have to work with when you write the paper. You also do not have to quote from your source for the prewriting, but adding quotes or adding page numbers of quotes that you want to include in your rhetorical analysis paper could also help you as you write. The point is that this is prewriting, and it is meant to help you get your initial thoughts on paper and prepare to write the full analysis. Answer the questions below on this document, save the document, and upload to the Rhetorical Analysis Prewriting link for grading.
STEP 2: Analyze the Context
Who is the author?
Through research in the library or on the Web, learn all you can about the author.
How does the argument you are analyzing repeat arguments previously made by the author?
What motivated the author to write? What is the author’s purpose for writing this argument?
Who is the audience?
Through research, learn all you can about the publication and the audience.
Who is the anticipated audience?
How do the occasion and forum for writing affect the argument?
What is the larger conversation?
Through research, find out what else was being said about the subject of your selection. Track down any references made in the text you are examining.
When did the argument appear? What other concurrent pieces within the “cultural conversation” (e.g., TV shows, other articles, speeches, Web sites) does the item you are analyzing respond to or “answer”?
Think of the author of the item you are analyzing as facing a “challenge”: what barriers does the author have to overcome in order to persuade his or her audience?
STEP 3: Analyze the Text
Summarize the argument
What is the main claim?
What reasons are given in support of the claim?
How is the argument organized? What are the components, and why are they presented in that order?
What is the medium and genre?
What is the medium? A newspaper? a scholarly journal? a Web site?
What is the genre? An editorial? an essay? a speech? an advertisement? What expectations does the audience have about this genre?
What appeals are used?
Analyze the ethos. How does the writer represent himself or herself? Does the writer have any credentials as an authority on the topic? How does the writer establish reliability and trust—or fail to do so?
Analyze the logos. Where do you find facts and evidence in the argument? What kinds of facts and evidence does the writer present? Direct observation? statistics? interviews? surveys? quotations from authorities?
Analyze the pathos. Does the writer attempt to invoke an emotional response? Where do you find appeals to important shared values?
How would you characterize the style and arrangement?
Is the style formal, informal, satirical, or something else? How is it suited to the audience and occasion?
Is the argument presented in a way that furthers the author’s purpose?
