Rhetorical analysis is crucial for any student of literature. It can be divided into two categories: 1. General rhetorical analysis and 2. Rhetorical analysis proper.
In general, rhetorical analysis refers to the literary analyses of different genres of literature, including poetry, novels, short stories, and plays. This includes analyses of the plot, characters, and setting, as well as the various critical approaches to literature. In this understanding, rhetorical analysis is simply literary criticism.
Rhetorical analysis proper focuses on a more narrow genre of literature — namely, political speeches, arguments, and other forms of persuasive writing. This is the type of analysis that this article looks at.
1. What is rhetorical analysis?
Rhetorical analysis is a critical genre of writing that analyzes the effects of a piece of writing in terms of its persuasive effect on listeners or readers. This critical genre typically targets political speeches, social commentary, and other forms of argument.
In particular, it examines the emotional effect of the speaker on the listener and how the speaker achieves such effects. The emotional reaction of the listeners is not obvious from what is read. However, we use what we know about rhetorical devices and human psychology to determine the effect that the speaker’s words have on listeners.
2. How to write a rhetorical analysis essay
To write a proper rhetorical analysis, follow these steps: Step 0. Understand the concepts of rhetorical analysis (i.e., rhetorical appeals and devices); Step 1. Familiarize yourself with the piece of literature being analyzed in terms of context; Step 2. Develop a thesis statement; Step 3. Write the rhetorical analysis; and Step 4. Revise your work.
Understanding the concepts of rhetorical analysis means becoming familiar with rhetorical appeals and rhetorical devices. Rhetorical appeals refer to strategies used to sway the audience of the correctness of an argument. They are usually divided into three categories:
Logos — Appeals to logic
Pathos — Appeals to emotion
Ethos — Appeals to ethics
The table below provides definitions and examples for each:
Concept | Definition | Example |
Logos | Logos relies on arguments based on reason and logic to persuade an audience. | Federick Douglass uses logos in his speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” to point out the irony of the US celebrating independence while keeping slaves. |
Pathos | Pathos relies on appealing to the emotions of an audience to persuade them. | Winston Churchill relies on appealing to a spirit of heroic emotion when he says, “We are fighting by ourselves alone; but we are not fighting for ourselves alone.” |
Ethos | Ethos describes the authority of the speaker on the topic they’re speaking on. | A doctor can appeal to ethos to show their experience qualifies them to promote a specific health policy. |
Rhetorical devices are figures of speech used by speakers that rely on manipulating patterns of speech to achieve an intended effect on an audience. Please see No. 5 for further elaboration.
3. What are logos, pathos, and ethos?
Logos is an appeal to reason; pathos is an appeal to emotion; and ethos is an appeal to reputation and authority. Please see No.2 for further elaboration. They are essential concepts in rhetorical analysis. In carrying out rhetorical analysis, you should be able to determine which one of the three appeals are being used and explain their effects.
4. What are rhetorical devices?
Rhetorical devices are parts of speech that rely on the manipulation of speech patterns to achieve an intended effect in an audience. They cna be roughly divided into three categories: 1. Devices based on repetition; 2. Devises based on structure; and Devises based on dramatic appeals.
The list below provides some of the more common rhetorical devices.
i. Repetition-based rhetorical devices
Anaphora: repetition at the start
Epistrophe: repetition at the end
Anadiplosis: repetition of the ending at the beginning
Symploce: repetition at the end with a small change in the middle
Polyptoton: repetition of the variation of the root of a word
Chiasmus: repetition with the order in reverse
ii. Structure-based rhetorical devices
Isocolon — Parallel structure
Chiasmus — Reversal of structure
Anastrophe — Inversion of words
Polyptoton — Repetition of the root
Polysyndeton — Using extra conjunctions
Asyndeton — Leaving out conjunctions
Ellipsis — Leaving out words
iii. Dramatic-based rhetorical devices
Praeteritio — Saying things by not saying them
Aposiopesis — Breaking off in midstream
Metanoia — Correcting oneself
Litotes — Rhetorical uses of the negative
Erotema — Rhetorical questions
Hypophora — Asking questions and answering them
Prolepsis — Anticipating objections and answering them
5. Example of rhetorical analysis
I will provide a brief rhetorical analysis of one line made in a speech made by Sir Winston Churchill.
Churchill, London radio broadcast (1940):
We are fighting by ourselves alone; but we are not fighting for ourselves alone.
This was a speech delivered during the Battle of Britain during World War II. The British were being subjected to brutal and consistent air raids conducted by the German air force (Luftwaffe) between July and September 1940. If the German air force had succeeded in its golas, then Great Britain would have been exposed to invasion by the German army. Churchill, who was British prime minister at the time had the task of providing moral support and leadership in a time of grave crisis.
In this speech, he makes an appeal to pathos using symploce — repetition at the end with a small change in the middle. Here, a small change in wording — that is from by to for — results in a massive change in meaning. The sentiment changes from one of anxiety and a sense of abandonment from fighting alone to a sense of heroic strength and pride. This is the strength and pride of fighting and sacrificing for a cause and struggle bigger or greater than one’s self. The fact that such a large shift in sentiment rests on changing a single word will impress a powerful and immediate effect on the listeners.
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Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2024, November 17). Rhetorical Analysis: Frequently Asked Questions. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/rhetorical-analysis-frequently-asked-questions |
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