ESL
Student Smith
LLD 100A, Section ___
Sanders
February 27, 2015
RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF PROFESSIONAL WRITING
Introduction
A rhetorical analysis assignment is to see how an author presents his work to a certain group of people. The purpose of this assignment is to review an article from my chosen profession and see how the author made use of different strategies. There are many examples of rhetorical writing strategies that an author can use to make the writing all the more powerful. The document that will be analyzed here is an article written by Verne Kopytoff. The article “Revenue-Based Financing: The Better You Do, the Quicker You Pay” basically talks about how revenue-based financing is a good solution for business. It appears that a major aim that the author had was trying to convince the readers about revenue based financing. The author of the article is Verne Kopytoff, who is a technology journalist. He is an alum of the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times. The article was written on February 05 2013, and published by Bloomberg Businessweek.
The intended audience for this piece of writing is struggling entrepreneurs. These employers or owners can belong to either big business or small business. The author gave examples of a website and a medical firm. This goes on to show that the persuasion was for struggling business overall. Kopytoff wrote this article so people would be more informed about revenue based financing. Most of the experiences that the author has mentioned are positive ones. Thus, it would be assumed that the author wanted people to be convinced that revenue-based financing is the solution for them. Surely, the author would want the reader to go on and look more into revenue based financing. He wants the readers to think that his form of financing is much preferred and a better way for a loan than the traditional bank loans. The author was trying to inform and persuade at the same time.
There are many rhetorical devices and strategies that Verne Kopytoff uses in this article to convince the reader. This analysis will discuss Kopytoff’s use of style, ethos, pathos, process analysis, and exemplification.
Analysis of Rhetorical Strategies
Style
Style is the way an author writes a piece of writing. This basically affects the impression a reader has after reading the article. In this piece of writing, Kopytoff has an informative and professional tone at all times. For instance, the author provides a lot of number such as, interest rate is between 18 and 30 percent, and loans range from $50,000 to $500,000. The tone and the style both seem sympathetic to the borrower and the loaner such as, the author says, “Unlike banks, Lighter earns a bigger return from companies that satisfy their loans quickly. ….. …. If they grow, it’s good for them and good for us.” The tone and style have not changed throughout the article also. This shows the reader that Kopytoff is quite serious about it and this further adds to the credibility of the article.
Ethos
Ethos is basically an ethical appeal that is dependent on credibility, character or reliability of the writer. There is use of ethos in which the author uses the reference of chief executives or directors while explaining the revenue-based financing. The author cited B.J. Lackland, who is the chief executive of Lighter Capital. Giving his assurance, the author guarantees the reader that all this information is credible and not something that he has made up. Since he has given the name of the company, the reader can feel free to look it up. This puts the author’s credibility at a much higher level. At the end of the article, the author talks about Chris Russell, who is also a managing partner of another revenue based lending company. Again, the author has given the name and given his exact words that put this process in a much more positive light.
Pathos
Pathos is when the author tries to persuade the reader by using emotions. Emotions are a good way to affect the reader’s thoughts and mind. Class essays and many advertisements today represent the use of pathos. The way a writer writes also is linked to the frequency of emotional language. That is to say that language choice can also have a great impact on the emotions of the audience. This is clear in one instance that the author has given.
The part where the author clears it out that the company won’t come back for the customer’s home makes the reader feel secure. Here the author is making use of instances that upset people who take loans. By clearing out this fear, the author is putting the reader emotionally at ease.
Rhetorical Strategies
Process analysis
Process analysis is yet another strategy in which the author goes on to talk about how something happened. This could be telling of a certain procedure that one wants to advertise or for people to like. This rhetorical strategy is used in the article when Kopytoff explains the procedure that is carried out for a person to attain a Lighter Capital loan. The entire process is explained quite simply and it informs the readers all that they need know about taking the revenue based finance. Here Kopytoff basically describes how the companies promise a certain percent of their revenue. It explains that even though the return is more than what the person borrowed, the return is dependent on how much the company grows. In the entire process, the author describes how the company does not take any property or asset of the entrepreneur in the instance that the loan is not repaid. This use simplifies the process and tells the reader what the author is talking about. Not everyone reading this article would be a business major and would know the details of this sort of financing. This clearly lays down the rules revenue based finance and lets the reader know all that he is confused about.
Exemplification
Exemplification is one in which Kopytoff goes with the idea of giving examples to make a point. These examples can be facts, cases and statistics. There is the addition of interview quotations or personal experiences to add a more realistic touch to it. The author starts off with the example of Mike Glanz. He puts this scenario as an anecdote starting with the problem that Glanz faced. Kopytoff then moves on to the possible choice and how Glanz went towards making this choice. This example and experience shows how revenue based financing worked out for Glanz and fixed all his problems. Another example is given when Kopytoff mentions that oil drilling outfits, Hollywood companies and pharmaceutical companies have also made use of this sort of financing. Lastly, an example that the author gave was of David Lischner and how he tried this process. The author provided direct quotations and sentiments of the customer. All the people were ordinary men who faced problems and then later found the solution. All these examples provided the reader with stories and problems that they can relate to.
Conclusions
This article was quite persuasive and informative at the same time. The author made use of many examples in explaining why revenue based financing is a good option to go for. The examples given made this entire idea much more concrete and real. The use of pathos and ethos caused the reader to believe Kopytoff and further be convinced with his writing such as, using a lot of credible resources and proper citation. Furthermore, the tone and style added to the seriousness and intensity of this piece of writing. It is quite clear that rhetorical devices make an impact on the audience. They target the thought process, opinions and emotions of the audience and convince them into believing a certain way. With the use of rhetorical devices, a piece of writing becomes very powerful and convincing. Facts might be true, but with the addition of emotion and examples, they become easier to believe in. The strategies that Kopytoff used were successful for his purpose. By his examples and explanation of the procedure, he told the audience what he was talking about. He tried to persuade the audience into believing that this sort of financing was the right choice. In this article, writer used rhetorical strategies to help the reader like me easily to understand what he is talking about, and it influences me very fast. After reading this article, I believe it right away. I think if I’m a business owner, I will borrow money from this kind of bank, and don’t have to consider about anything else. Thus, Verne Kopytoff is very successful when he uses rhetorical strategies in this article. Choosing the best strategies for the rhetorical situation is extremely important in order for the writer to achieve his or her purpose.
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