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ENGL 104

WRITING A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

Although people often use the term “rhetoric” to describe empty language, rhetoric originated with a much more positive meaning. Rhetoric, for the ancient Greeks, was concerned with what Aristotle defined as “the art of finding in any given case the available means of persuasion.” Rhetoric is concerned with analyzing, interpreting, and producing effective means of communication (verbal and visual). Those who study rhetoric know not only how to produce effective communication, but also how to understand communication. The two skills complement each other: Becoming a better writer makes you a better analyst, and becoming a better analyst makes you a better writer.

RHETORICAL ANALYSIS is a kind of analysis that divides the whole into parts to understand HOW an act of speaking or writing conveys meaning. The goal of rhetorical analysis is to understand how a particular act of writing or speaking influenced particular people at a particular time (Faigley 234).

VISUAL ANALYSIS is closely related to rhetorical analysis. The tools of rhetorical analysis have been applied to understanding how other human creations make meaning, including art, buildings, photographs, dance, memorials, advertisements—any kind of symbolic communication (234).

TEXT & CONTEXT: Rhetorical and visual analysis may be concerned with either text or context, but it often examines both.

Textual analysis focuses on the features of a text—the words and evidence in a speech, the images and patterns in a picture, and so on. Ask the following questions when doing textual analysis:

· What is the subject?	· What appeals (ethos, logos, pathos) are used? What are the author’s credentials, and how does she or he represent herself? What facts or evidence does she present? What values does she share with you and the rest of her audience? What emotions does she try to evoke?
· What is the author’s claim or what are the main ideas?	· How is the text organized?
· What is the medium of the text? A newspaper? Web site? Scholarly journal? A photograph? A space?	· What kind of style does the author use? Formal or informal, satirical or humorous? Are there any metaphors used?

Contextual analysis reconstructs the cultural environment, or context, that existed when a particular rhetorical event took place, and then depends on that recreation to produce clues about persuasive tactics and appeals. Ask:

· Who is the author? What else has he written or said on the subject? Who does he borrow from or quote? What motivated him to address this issue?

· Who is the audience? What are the occasion and forum for writing? Would the argument have been constructed differently if it had been presented in a different medium? What motivated the newspaper article, Instagram post, scholarly journal article, YouTube video, or other venue to publish it?

· What is the larger conversation? When did the text appear? Why did it appear at that particular moment? Who or what might this text be responding to? (Kairos)

Components of a rhetorical analysis

What is the author’s purpose?	Identify the purpose Some texts have an obvious purpose; for example, an ad wants you to buy something. But texts can have more than one purpose. A politician who accuses an opponent of being corrupt may also be making a case for her own honesty.
Who is the audience?	Examine the audience The most effective texts are ones that are tailored specifically for an audience. What can you determine about the actual audience’s values, attitudes, and beliefs? How does the author create an audience in the text by making assumptions about what the audience believes?
Who is the author of my text?	Examine the author How did the author come to this subject? Is the author an expert or an outsider?
What is the background of my text?	Examine the context What else has been said or written on this topic? What was going on at the time that influenced this text?
Which rhetorical appeals are used in my text?	Analyze rhetorical appeals Three primary tactics of argument: appeals to the emotions and deepest held values of the audience (pathos), appeals based on the trustworthiness and character of the speaker (ethos), and appeals to good reasons (logos).
How does the language and style contribute to the purpose?	Examine the language and style? Is the style formal? Informal? Academic? Does the writer or speaker use humor or satire? What metaphors are used?

Keys to rhetorical analysis

1. Choose a text you care about

Your paper will require close multiple readings of the text. Your interest (or lack of interest) in your text will come through in your paper.

2. Write a descriptive title

The title of your essay should indicate the focus of your analysis.

3. Check your CLAIM

Make sure your CLAIM is sensible and realistic as well as being supported by evidence and examples in the text.

4. Interrogate evidence

Look closely at the evidence supporting the writer’s claims. Is it convincing? Are there gaps? Can it be interpreted in a different way? Is counterevidence acknowledged?

5. Examine underlying values, attitudes, and beliefs

When a writer or speaker neglects the audience’s values, attitudes, and beliefs, the text is rarely persuasive.

6. Identify fallacies

Be aware when only one side of the story is being presented, when claims and accusations are grossly exaggerated, and when complex issues are simplified.

7. Identify relationships

An effective rhetorical analysis makes connections, showing how strategies in the text are responses to other texts and the larger context.

8. Recognize complexity

Many texts cannot be reduced to a sound bite. Successful rhetorical analyses often read between the lines to explain why a statement may be ironic or what is not being said. Readers appreciate being shown something they may not otherwise have noticed.

Components of Visual Analysis

What kind of visual is it?	Describe what you see Is it a single image, a part of a series, a building, or something else? What are the conventions for this kind of visual?
What is the image about?	Consider the subject What does the image depict? What is the setting? What is the purpose? Are words connected with the image?
How is the image arranged?	Analyze the composition What elements are most prominent? Which are repeated? Which are balanced or in contrast to each other? Which details are important?
What is the context?	Examine the context Who created the image? When and where did it first appear? Can you determine why it was created?
What visuals are like it?	Look for connections What is the genre? What kind of visual is it? What elements have you seen before? Which remind you of other visuals?

Keys to Visual Analysis

1. Choose a visual text that you care about

If an image or other visual text means something to you, you will find it easier to analyze.

2. Pay close attention to details

Identify the key details that keep the viewer’s attention and convey meaning. Also, examine the point of view – the viewer’s perspective of the subject.

3. Provide a frame for understanding

You will need to provide a context for understanding a visual text, giving a sense of how it is a response to events and trends going on at the time and how it was initially understood.

4. Go beyond the obvious

A successful visual analysis gets readers to make connections and see aspects that they otherwise would not have noticed.

� Adapted from Writing: A Guide for College and Beyond. Lester Faigley. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2007.