Rhetorical analysis is an attempt to understand how authors use different strategies to achieve their goals of writing a paper. Rhetorical analysis is used with nonfiction; It not only analyzes texts, it can also analyze speech and visual texts such as commercials, cartoons.
In a rhetorical analysis, one does not try to understand or summarize the meaning of a work, but analyzes how the writer writes, not what the writer writes. Therefore, rhetorical analysis evaluates the diction, style, structure, and other strategies used by the author and looks at whether the author has been successful in achieving his or her primary goal. Therefore, a rhetorical analysis must contain the objectives, the strategies or the technique used, the examples and the effectiveness of these strategies.
Different writers have different goals. Some write to entertain readers while others write to inform. Some other writers try to persuade their readers through writing. The strategies used by different writers differ according to their purpose. These strategies may also differ across different fields; For example, a writer in the humanities may use a completely different set of strategies than a writer in the medical field.
Preparing to write rhetorical analysis
1. Read
Read the text very carefully and understand the full meaning of the text. Identify the writer’s main ideas, arguments, and purpose.
2. Break down
You may not be able to parse a text as soon as you have finished reading it. The best way to analyze the text is to divide it into different elements. Answering the following questions will help you break the text into separate parts. Write down the responses on a piece of paper.
These are just some of the questions you can use. You can also add other questions to understand the text more clearly.
- What is the main idea presented in the text?
- What topic does the writer discuss? Why have you selected this particular topic?
- Who are the recipients / readers of this text?
- What is the writer’s goal? (Does the text inform, criticize or persuade?)
- How are the ideas organized in this text? (Topical, chronological, cause-effect, etc.)
- How is diction (word choice) used in this text?
- Is there any dialogue, quote? Why have they been used?
- Does the writer use punctuation for effect?
- Are some words and phrases repeated? What is the meaning of this repetition?
- What type of sentence structure does the writer use? (Are there many passive sentences, parallel lines, fragments, exclamations, commands, etc.?)
By answering these questions you can identify the rhetorical strategies used by the writer. These answers will explain why the writer chooses to write the way he does.
Writing a rhetorical analysis
Thesis statement
After identifying the rhetorical strategies used in the text, you can begin to analyze their use. Before beginning the rhetorical analysis, decide what you think about the author’s choices. Do you think he is successful in the use of rhetorical devices? Have you been able to achieve your final purpose?
Organize
Once you have finished your introduction, arrange the essay in a logical order. For example, you might start by discussing why the author has used the particular theme, and then move on to his stylistic choices and their effect. You don’t have to analyze each and every strategy, stick to the strategies that the author has used frequently and the ones that you can analyze well.
Analyze
Writers use different strategies to achieve different purposes. Do not just summarize the strategies that have been used, but indicate why they have been used. For example, instead of simply saying that the writer uses colloquial expressions, describe the effect created by the colloquialism.
