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Writing a thesis a rhetoric and reader

A rhetorical analysis can be written about other texts, television shows, films, collections of artwork, or a variety of other communicative mediums that attempt to make a statement to an intended audience. In order to write a rhetorical analysis, you need to be able to determine how the creator of the original work attempts to make his or her argument. You can also include information about whether or not that argument is successful. To learn more about the right way to write a rhetorical analysis, continue reading.

Steps Edit

Part One of Four:
Gathering Information Edit

Identify the SOAPSTone. The SOAPSTone of a text include its Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject and Tone.

The speaker refers to the first and last name of the writer. If the writer has any credentials that lend to his or her authority on the matter at hand, you should also briefly consider those. Note that if the narrator is different from the writer, though, it could also refer to the narrator.
The occasion mostly refers to the type of text and the context under which the text was written. For instance, there is a big difference between an essay written for a scholarly conference and a letter written to an associate in the field.
The audience is who the text was written for. This is related to the occasion, since the occasion can include details about the audience. In the example above, the audience would be a conference of scholars versus an associate in the field.
The purpose refers to what the writer wants to accomplish in the text. It usually includes selling a product or point of view.
The subject is simply the topic the writer discusses in the text.

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Examine the appeals. Appeals are the first classification of rhetorical strategy and involve the ethos, logos, and pathos.

Ethos, or ethical appeals, rely on the writer’s credibility and character in the garnering of approval. Mentions of a writer’s character or qualifications usually qualify as ethos. For instance, if a family therapist with 20 years of practice writes an article on improving familial relations, mention of that experience would be using ethos. Despite their name, these appeals don’t have anything to do with “ethics” as we usually think of them.
Logos, or logical appeals, use reason to make an argument. Most academic discourse should make heavy use of logos. A writer who supports an argument with evidence, data, and undeniable facts uses logos.
Pathos, or pathetic appeals, seek to evoke emotion in order to gain approval. These emotions can include anything from sympathy and anger to the desire for love. If an article about violent crime provides personal, human details about victims of violent crime, the writer is likely using pathos.

Note style details. Style details are the second rhetorical strategy and include a wide variety of elements, such as imagery, tone, syntax, and diction. [1]

Analogies and figurative language, including metaphors and similes, demonstrate an idea through comparison.
Repetition of a certain point or idea is used to make that point seem more memorable.
Imagery often affects pathos. The image of a starving child in a third-world country can be a powerful way of evoking compassion or anger.
Diction refers to word choice. Emotionally-charged words have greater impact, and rhythmic word patterns can establish a theme more effectively.
Tone essentially means mood or attitude. A sarcastic essay is vastly different from a scientific one, but depending on the situation, either tone could be effective.
Addressing the opposition demonstrates that the writer is not afraid of the opposing viewpoint. It also allows the writer to strengthen his or her own argument by cutting down the opposing one. This is especially powerful when the author contrasts a strong viewpoint he or she holds with a weak viewpoint on the opposing side.

Writing a thesis a rhetoric and reader coherent sense by

Form an analysis. Before you begin writing your analysis, determine what the information you gathered suggests to you.

Ask yourself how the rhetorical strategies of appeals and style help the author achieve his or her purpose. Determine if any of these strategies fail and hurt the author instead of helping.
Speculate on why the author may have chosen those rhetorical strategies for that audience and that occasion. Determine if the choice of strategies may have differed for a different audience or occasion.
Remember that in a rhetorical analysis, you do not need to agree with the argument being presented. Your task is to analyze how well the author uses the appeals to present her or his argument.

Organize your body paragraphs by rhetorical appeals. The most standard way to organize your body paragraphs is to do so by separating them into sections that identify the logos, ethos, and pathos. [3]

The order of logos, ethos, and pathos is not necessarily set in stone. If you intend to focus on one more than the other two, you could briefly cover the two lesser appeals in the first two sections before elaborating on the third in greater detail toward the middle and end of the paper.
For logos, identify at least one major claim and evaluate the document’s use of objective evidence.
For ethos, analyze how the writer or speaker uses his or her status as an “expert” to enhance credibility.
For pathos, analyze any details that alter the way that the viewer or reader may feel about the subject at hand. Also analyze any imagery used to appeal to aesthetic senses, and determine how effective these elements are.
Wrap things up by discussing the consequences and overall impact of these three appeals.

Write your analysis in chronological order, instead. This method is just about as common as organizing your paper by rhetorical appeal, and it is actually more straight-forward.

Start from the beginning of the document and work your way through to the end. Present details about the document and your analysis of those details in the order the original document presents them in.
The writer of the original document likely organized the information carefully and purposefully. By addressing the document in this order, your analysis is more likely to make more coherent sense by the end of your paper.

Provide plenty of evidence and support. [4] Rely on hard evidence rather than opinion or emotion for your analysis.

Evidence often include a great deal of direct quotation and paraphrasing.
Point to spots in which the author mentioned his or her credentials to explain ethos. Identify emotional images or words with strong emotional connotations as ways of supporting claims to pathos. Mention specific data and facts used in analysis involving logos.

Maintain an objective tone. A rhetorical analysis can make an argument, but you need to be scholarly and reasonable in your analysis of the document.

Avoid use of the first-person words “I” and “we.” Stick to the more objective third-person.

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A rhetorical analysis can be written about other texts, television shows, films, collections of artwork, or a variety of other communicative mediums that attempt to make a statement to an intended audience. In order to write a rhetorical analysis, you need to be able to determine how the creator of the original work attempts to make his or her argument. You can also include information about whether or not that argument is successful. To learn more about the right way to write a rhetorical analysis, continue reading.