A rhetorical analysis essay is a piece of writing where you pay close attention to the technique and style the writer has adopted to persuade the readers. Instead of just focusing on what the writer has said, it focuses on how the writer has said something.
Like other essay types, a rhetorical essay is also structured as:
View or download this rhetorical essay template:
What is rhetorical analysis?
In simple words, rhetorical analysis deals with breaking down the text to identify the writer’s persuasive style and techniques to evoke people’s desired reactions. These styles and techniques include:
A speaker or writer may use humorous or poetic lines to explain a serious topic.
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A speaker or writer can persuade people using the following rhetorical modes:
| Rhetoric Modes | What does it mean? |
|---|---|
| Compare and contrast | Comparing and contrasting two different or the same ideas, concepts, people, procedures, or situations. |
| Narration | Storytelling |
| Description | Describing a person, place, or thing |
| Definition | Explaining a word, topic, or idea |
| Argumentation | Arguing about a specific topic with supporting evidence |
| Illustration | Explaining general statements with specific examples |
| Process explanation | Step-by-step info about how to complete a specific task |
| Cause and effect | Examining and explaining the outcomes and reasons behind a situation, process, or incident |
Here are some key components of a rhetorical analysis:
Context refers to the circumstances and location settings during which a speech or a piece of writing is completed. It means a deep meaning surrounds a written or spoken word that the author wants to convey to the audience.
It could be any quote, example, or literary figure of speech that describes a climate, person, situation, or emotion.
EXAMPLE
Without textual context: “She finally let it go”.
With textual context: “After years of resentment, Maria decided to forgive her sister. She finally let her go”.
It includes the strategies used to persuade the audience by:
An author can use language in the form of quotes, idioms, and literary devices like:
This type of literary speech triggers the audience’s emotions, a technique often used in creative writing pieces.
Whether it is a political, motivational speech, or a philosophical essay, rhetorical writing uses an argument that convinces the readers. The claims, ground, and warrant are integral parts of a strong argument.
| Integral parts of a strong argument | What does it mean? |
|---|---|
| Claims | A claim is a conclusion or a point to persuade viewers or listeners. It is often called a conclusion statement in an argumentative essay. |
| Ground | The ground is known as evidence, data, or fact used to support the claim. |
| Warrant | The warrant refers to the reasoning, logic, and explanation that shows how the evidence supports the claim. |
What are the important parts of an argument?
Important parts of an argument are:
Appeals have been the most important technique used by writers since the Aristotle era. The appeals include ethos, logos, and pathos.
This appeal lets the readers know how credible and trustworthy the writer is in discussing this topic. Ethos shows whether the speech conveyed is based on solid evidence, personal experience, expert recommendations, and in-depth knowledge of the topic.
EXAMPLE
Imagine your friend suggests you use medicated skincare products to get rid of your acne, you will be sceptical about it, as your friend might not be a dermatologist or skincare expert.
Instead, if you see an advertisement recommending a dermatologist/dermatologist’s choice, it builds trust, and you are more likely to buy it.
Why so? Because a professional is recommending it, who knows the product, its usage, effects, and has expertise in that specific field.
Pathos refers to the writing style used to target the audience’s emotions, like anger, happiness, sorrow, and grief. Pathos is used to convince the audience by creating an emotional bond to agree with the author’s perception.
For example, politicians use many persuasive words and phrases that target the audience’s emotions.
Pathos is usually used in literary writings such as novels, dramas, and poems.
Logos includes logical arguments based on solid proof and reasoning to demonstrate a certain perception. The author must provide legitimate justifications before presenting an argument to validate the claim and make it more authentic.
If an author uses a compelling argument, readers would most definitely be persuaded by a specific perspective.
What are persuasive writing appeals?
Persuasive writing appeals are used to convince an audience by appealing to their sense of credibility, emotion, and logic. Three persuasive writing appeals are:
We make sure our essays are:
To analyse the text rhetorically, read the given text or speech carefully and start taking notes of the important points. While doing so, you can ask yourself the following questions to summarise the text:
Q1: Who is the author?
Q2: Who is the target audience?
Q3: What’s the purpose of the writer’s speech?
Q4: What was the writer’s/speaker’s setting while delivering or writing the speech?
Q5: What’s the role of location and set in impacting the crowd?
If you find out the answers to the above questions, your text analysis process will be significantly simplified.
How do quotes exemplify the technique used by the writer?
You can try to discuss the answer to the following questions:
Here are the three essential steps to write a rhetorical analysis essay:
In the rhetorical analysis essay introduction, you need to introduce the topic, text, or speech you will discuss in the essay. You will also write about the text’s history and background, followed by summarising the argument’s main points. You end the introduction with a strong thesis statement.
In the rhetorical analysis essay body, you will discuss the answers to these questions:
Remember to assign each paragraph to critically analysing a specific strategy used by the writer. You can also use specific quotes or literary figures used by the author and craft a paragraph to explain.
In a rhetorical analysis essay conclusion, you need to summarise the main points of the argument in a proper sequence.
You can wrap this section by highlighting:
IMPORTANT NOTES
What are the steps to write a rhetorical analysis essay?
A rhetorical analysis essay examines how a writer or speaker uses language and persuasive techniques to convey their message and influence the audience.
Usually, the length of rhetorical analysis essays ranges from 500 to 1000 words. However, longer essays may require 2000+ words. Always follow your instructor’s guidelines.
No. Avoid using first-person narration in formal academic writing. Instead, use third-person narration and objective language.
All text types, whether informational or neutral, use rhetorical strategies. To ensure that, analyse word choice, tone, and structural techniques.
When choosing evidence, select key quotations or passages where the author’s rhetorical strategies are most viable. Ask these questions:
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