Transcript Rhetorical Analysis

RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
How is the argument delivered and is it successful?
Rhetorical Analysis
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Rhetoric: the art of speaking or writing to
communicate effectively or persuasively; the skill in
delivering a message through a given medium
(nonfiction, fiction, film, image, cartoon, speech
(oration), television, etc.)
Analysis: picking apart the pieces of a whole to
unveil its elements; identification of specific parts
that work together to create a whole
AUDIENCE
How does the writer connect with the audience?
Audience
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Does the writer connect with the reader/audience?
How?
Audience
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Does the writer alienate a specific audience?
Who?
How?
Audience
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What assumptions does the writer make about the
audience?
How do they affect the argument and its delivery?
CREDIBILITY
How does the writer establish trust with the audience?
Credibility
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Does the writer make himself/herself trustworthy?
How?
Credibility
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Is the writer an expert on the subject?
Knowledgeable about the subject?
An authority?
How does the audience know?
Credibility
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Does the writer establish credibility with meticulous
research and references?
Is credibility reached with use of logic?
(Many rhetorical devices are used simultaneously)
Credibility
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Is word choice responsible and void of a heated tone?
Is it pretentious?
Is it overly informal?
Is it sarcastic?
Passive?
Satiric?
How does the overall word choice and tone affect the
audience’s reception of the argument?
MORAL AND ETHICAL
APPEAL (ETHOS)
How does the writer connect to the audience’s ethical
or moral beliefs?
Ethos (Values/Ethical Appeal)
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What values, morals, or ethics does the intended
audience possess?
Ethos (Values/Ethics)
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What values, morals, or ethics does the writer rely
on?
How?
PATHOS
How does the writer appeal to the audience’s
emotions?
Pathos (Emotional Appeal)
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What emotions does the writer evoke in the
audience?
How does this affect the audience’s reception of
the argument?
Pathos (Emotional Appeal)
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Are there any fallacies?
Is there a legitimate connection between the
emotional appeals and the claim?
LOGOS
What facts, evidence, reason does the writer use to
deliver a convincing argument?
Logos (Logical Appeal)
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Is the claim plausible?
Are there good reasons for it?
Are there enough reasons for it?
Logos (Logical Appeal)
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Is the evidence accurate and convincing?
Are the sources and data credible?
STYLE
What stylistic choices does the writer make to
enhance the argument?
Style
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Diction (word choice)
Tone (per word choice)
Syntax (choices in sentence lengths and structure—short,
choppy sentences to deliver emphatic, powerful
convictions? Or long, fluid sentences to deliver a
controlled, thoughtful, complex concept?)
Repetition
Parallel structure (repeated phrases or sentence
structures)
Sounds (rhyme assonance, or alliteration)
Imagery (often shapes pathos)
Rhetorical Analysis
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Looking at the elements that make up the argument
NOT AN AGREEMENT OR DISAGREEMENT WITH
THE ARGUMENT
NOT AN EVALUATION
ONLY an examination of the parts and how they
affect the overall success or failure of the argument
RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
How do all the components contribute to the
argument’s success or failure?