paper

University of Arkansas 1

#32) Rhetorical Analysis A rhetorical analysis assignment usually asks you to read two articles and write a paper that accomplishes

three things: 1) identifies the ideas each author is trying to communicate; 2) analyzes the techniques each

author uses to accomplish his or her purpose; and 3) compares and contrasts the authors’ approaches. The

assignment is based on the premise that all writing is aimed at a specific audience for a specific purpose. This

handout provides suggestions to assist you in the process.

Topic Selection and Research Students are typically asked to select a topic and two articles that address that topic. Select a topic related to

your area of study or that you find especially interesting and brainstorm related issues. Take care not to make

your topic too broad, and then follow these steps:

Search the library databases to find a good selection of articles on your topic. Don’t waste time! Ask for

help if your searches yield no results. The research librarians provide valuable assistance.

It will be to your advantage if the articles you select come from sources with distinctly different

readerships (e.g., Forbes and The Nation; Audubon and The Washington Times).

Ideally, the writers of both articles should make clear, assertive arguments. Research reports, clinical

studies, or other informative writing will likely be less useful to you than more persuasive writing, as

the authors of the former tend to utilize fewer obvious rhetorical devices.

Avoid shorter articles, as they offer little for analysis.

Determining Each Author’s Purpose

Once you have selected your two articles, you are ready to begin your pre-writing activities. The

following suggestions should help you begin.

Audience analysis: For each article, examine the entire print or electronic publication. By scanning the other

articles, editor’s page, graphics, and ads, you will be able to make an informed judgment regarding the

demographics, values, and personal and political interests of the audience. Determining the overall aim of the

publication should help you consider what the article itself may be intended to accomplish.

Read with rhetorical awareness: First, read each article all the way through without making notes or

annotations. Ask yourself about the writer’s intentions, and how the writer’s choices affect you as a reader.

Often you can determine the rhetorical purpose of an author by gauging your intellectual and emotional

reactions to the presentation. If you are angry or upset, for example, the author has achieved an effect through

the use of particular rhetorical devices.

Identify the rhetorical tactics: Next, read the texts closely and make annotations with the aim of highlighting examples of the authors’ rhetorical strategies. The University of British Columbia’s website has a useful list of

critical reading questions for a rhetorical analysis assignment:

http://www.writingcentre.ubc.ca/workshop/tools/rhet1.htm

University of Arkansas 2

Organize your observations: As you begin to identify the rhetorical devices in each of the articles, it may be

helpful to organize them in a chart. Creating a chart as a pre-writing task will help you identify differences

between the articles. One possible arrangement for charting your observations:

Author’s Purpose Audience

Analysis

Tone Language Evidence

Article I

Article 2

Drafting Your Paper If your instructor does not specify how to organize your paper, you might consider the following suggestions.

Your introduction, which you might want to draft after you write your body paragraphs, should

include a description of the topic or issue

list the titles, authors, and source publications of both articles

briefly identify arguments and apparent aims of the authors

briefly forecast the organizational arrangement of your analysis

Your body paragraphs might follow one of the two organizational strategies that follow.

1. Form subtopics based on the rhetorical strategies identified. In each section, you compare and contrast the

ways in which the authors make use of the devices. For example, a section on language might describe how

one author makes heavy use of the slang and diction of young adults, while the other uses more formal

language and academic jargon.

2. Organize the body of your paper in major sections, analyzing one article in the first half and the other

article in the second. If you structure using this strategy, make sure that you include discussion across the

sections comparing and contrasting the rhetorical considerations under analysis.

Conclusion Remind your reader about the importance of the issue, perhaps, or about the persuasive power of rhetorical

devices in the media. Remember to consult your instructor’s assignment sheet for possible instructions

regarding the conclusion.