Independent Reading Rhetorical Analysis Essay

First draft due in class for peer review/conference: Tuesday, 2/15

Final draft due in class: Friday, 2/25

To begin, let us define what a rhetorical analysis is NOT. A rhetorical analysis is not a summary

of a literary work or scholarly article. You may have analyzed a novel’s plot line or taken apart

the meaning of Shakespeare’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy in Hamlet before; however, trying to

understand the meaning of a work or summarize a story is NOT the goal of a rhetorical analysis!

Now that we’ve declared the most common mistake among rhetorical analysis papers, let’s begin

dissecting what a rhetorical analysis does ask you to do.  Definition: A rhetorical analysis requires you to apply your critical reading skills in order to “break down” a text. In essence, you break off the “parts” from the “whole” of the piece you’re analyzing. The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to articulate HOW the author writes, rather than WHAT they actually wrote. To do this, you will analyze the strategies the author uses to achieve his or her goal or purpose of writing their piece.

Assignment: In a thoughtfully written, carefully proofread essay of 5-7 pages, analyze the rhetorical devices and stylistic elements used by the author of your Independent Reading selection to achieve his or her purpose.

·         First, read you independent reading book carefully, annotating as you go.  Consider what you know about the author, her intended audience, and her purpose(s) for writing the book.  Make notes about the various rhetorical strategies/stylistic devices you encounter as you go.  These include, but are not limited to:

o   The four major modes of discourse: exposition, narration, description, argumentation

o   Rhetorical strategies used to develop the modes of discourse: example, comparison/contrast, definition, cause and effect, process, and classification

o   Writer’s style, including subject matter, selection of detail, organization, point of view, diction, syntax, language, and tone.

·         Next, come up with your own thesis, which focuses on a purpose of your author in his book, and several rhetorical devices/strategies he uses to achieve his purpose.  It might look something like this:

In You are Not a Gadget, by Jaron Lanier, the author uses classification, organization, and tone to show how technology has become the new “religion” of the masses.

·         After identifying your thesis, try to arrange the rhetorical strategies you’ve identified in a

logical way. For example, you could start by identifying the purpose of the intended

audience and why the author chose to write about their topic. Next, you could identify

specific stylistic choices, such as word choice, formal/informal language, etc. The idea is

to logically transition from analyzing one rhetorical strategy to another. Stay on topic

with the strategies that the author uses often and actually has a purpose for using.

·          With each point you make, have a strong topic sentence declaring the overall purpose of

the rhetorical strategies you are about to discuss. This will help identify the argument

you are making, transition your ideas, and add fluidity.  Be sure to include specific examples from the text!

·         Keep in mind that while authors use different strategies to achieve their purposes, you

also need to be making points and evaluations about these strategies, not simply

summarizing them. For example, instead of simply stating the author uses formal

language in his essay, state what effect is created by using formal language. By doing

this you are not only identifying the rhetorical strategy, by analyzing its purpose.

5. As with all academic writing, check for grammar, transitional ease, fluidity, and a logical

argument. Proofread, proofread, proofread!