Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical Analysis, For your first project in this course, you will choose a piece of rhetoric focused on social, cultural, and/or political issues and perform a rhetorical analysis. This can be something which is historical in nature or recent. This does not have to be a speech given by a politician (although that is an option). Think about the artists, activists, politicians, or everyday people which have influenced you in some way. APA.

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Or you could think of a specific piece of rhetoric which has had a strong influence on you. OR you could choose a piece of rhetoric/rhetorician which influences the “other” (i.e. a politician whose views you don’t agree with). (Note: you can pick anyone you want but please keep in mind I am a liberal and don’t support the current president.) Work to answer the following questions regarding the piece of rhetoric you chose to analyze. Rhetorical Situation What is the rhetorical situation?

Rhetorical Analysis

What is the context surrounding the piece of rhetoric? What occasion is the rhetoric responding to (kairotic moment)? What motivated the creator to produce this piece of rhetoric? Author/Creator Who created the piece of rhetoric? How does the creator establish credibility (ethos)? Does the creator’s reputation/background convey a certain authority? Audience Who is the creator’s intended audience? What are the demographic, situational, and psychographic traits of the target audience? What attitudes, values, or beliefs would a person have to hold in order to find this piece of rhetoric persuasive? How did you decide this? Did the creator find useful ways to connect to their intended audience? Message/Claim What message is the creator seeking to send? What overall claim does the rhetoric make regarding social/cultural/political issues? What themes are present in the rhetoric? Form What is the structure of the rhetoric? How is it arranged?

Rhetorical Analysis

What form/format is the rhetoric presented in? (i.e. written, oral, musical, visual, etc.) Does the form complement the content? Why/why not? Appeals What emotional appeals (pathos) are used to influence the audience? What imagery and/or language is used to generate these appeals? What logical appeals (logos) are used to influence the audience? Overall Analysis Does the piece of rhetoric succeed in fulfilling the creator’s intentions? Why/why not? Essay Guidelines Follow MLA writing standards Cite a minimum of 3 outside sources (not including the rhetoric itself!) to support your analysis Use in-text (parenthetical) citations Include a Works Cited page Limit quoted material! – Aside from providing quotes from the piece of rhetoric, you should paraphrase information as much as possible to show your understanding of the material and ability to synthesize.