Writing A Rhetorical Analysis

What is Rhetorical Analysis?

Rhetoric being the study of persuasion, a rhetorical analysis is an essay that analyzes and evaluates how well a text communicates its message. It recognizes the rhetorical elements in the text and then examines how each contributes to the author’s intended purpose. The subject of analysis is the way the text is written and not its message or argument. 

This text is not necessarily a written one and can include media such as speeches, cartoons, and advertisements. Any kind of communication engaged in persuading or appealing to its audience can be referred to as rhetorical and can be subject to rhetorical analysis. 

How to Rhetorically Analyze a Text

Clearly, to analyze any text, in any manner, the first step should be to read it carefully and critically. The writer must familiarize themselves with the text so much so that they are easily able to summarize it. 

After reading, the rhetorical elements of the text should be picked out by answering questions about the text, like the following:

• What is the purpose and the context of the text (rhetorical situation)?
• What claim is the author making?
• What are the rhetorical devices and appeals used to communicate and justify the claim, thus, persuading audiences in its favor?
• What tone has the author struck with their work?
• Who is the text’s intended audience?
• How effective is the text in its purpose?

The answer to the final question forms a key component of the thesis for the essay as it is the main objective of rhetorical analysis.

Rhetorical Appeals

When writing persuasively, the strategies used by authors generally fall into three major categories:

• Ethos: When the author is making an appeal based on ethos, or an ethical appeal, they are invoking personal incidents/anecdotes or credentials that establish them as authoritative in the subject under discussion. For instance, when a leading practitioner of psychiatry gives a talk on mental health at an educational institution, what they say is qualified by their extensive experience. 
• Pathos: Appeals based on pathos, or pathetic appeals, are made directly to the audience’s emotions. Examples of this can be found widely in commercials.
• Logos: Logos appeals are appeals made using logic and reasoning. They are often used in academic articles and studies to persuade readers.

Authors can use these three kinds of appeals singly or combine them to make their case. When a text is rhetorically analyzed, an examination is also made of which of these appeals the author has employed and how well they have utilized them.

Parts of a Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Like most essays, rhetorical analyses are divided into three main parts.

• Introduction: The essay begins with a quick introduction to the text, its claim/purpose, its intended audience, and the author. The rhetorical situation or the context of the text is also included here. The writer maintains objectivity when speaking about the text’s content. The aim in this section is only to provide the reader with the basic information they need to understand the essay. However, this objectivity ends with the thesis statement.

Thesis statement: The thesis statement is usually placed at the end of the introductory paragraph and is contained in one or two sentences. It concisely states the writer’s evaluation of how the subject text conveys its message. The writer can also choose to make it more precise, for instance, by including arguments about the author’s use of specific kinds of appeals that will be substantiated in the body.

• Body: The actual analysis is presented here over the course of multiple paragraphs. Each paragraph deals with one rhetorical element of the text which is announced in the topic sentence. Usually, analyses of the audience and the rhetorical situation are placed first, followed by those of how the author has employed one or more of the appeals. However, the writer can choose the elements that are examined as well as the manner in which the body paragraphs are organized, as long as a logical flow is maintained. 

Textual evidence must be cited in these analyses, and logical arguments must be made to substantiate the essay’s thesis. 

• Conclusion: In the final paragraph of the essay, a short summary of the essay’s main points along with a restatement of the thesis demonstrate the latter’s validity. While no new points of analysis can be introduced here, the writer can include closing comments on the text itself, such as its importance or its place in the larger context. 

Outline of a Rhetorical Analysis

• Introduction:

• • • The content of the text and its author are briefly introduced.
    • The reader is informed of the text’s intended audience.
    • Its purpose and the rhetorical situation are established.
    • The thesis is stated.

• Body:

• • • The rhetorical elements of the text are analyzed, each in one paragraph.
    • Each paragraph opens with a topic sentence that lets the reader know its subject.
    • Relevant sections from the text are quoted to justify the writer’s position.

• Conclusion:

• • The main points from the body are briefly summarized.
  • The thesis is restated.
  • Closing comments can be included.

Example of Rhetorical Analysis

This example essay analyzes an article titled What You Eat is Your Business.

• Introduction

The essay begins with an introduction of the writer and the text under consideration. Since it is a published article, anyone can read it. However, mentioning The Cato Institute contextualizes it, giving the readers an idea of who the intended audience could be (those who regularly read The Cato Institute) along with a glimpse of the writer’s political inclination. 

The Cato Institute’s Policy analyst, Radley Balko, in his article “What You Eat Is Your Business” talks about the idea of obesity and whose fault it is. Balko’s purpose is to convey the idea that obesity is the individual’s responsibility, not the government’s or anyone else’s for that matter. Ultimately, Balko’s “What You Eat Is Your Business” has a strong hold on ethos, pathos, and logos, making for a successful and persuasive article.

The final sentence expresses the writer’s thesis – an evaluation that the article performs well.

• Body

In this essay, the writer has chosen to discuss the author’s use of appeal. Each one is covered in one paragraph. Opening topic sentences make it clear to readers what the paragraphs are about, and quotes from the article provide ample textual evidence to support the writer’s assertions about it.

To begin with, ethos, being the author’s credibility, is efficiently used throughout the entire article. Each paragraph demonstrates the extent of Balko’s thorough research with quotes such as “President Bush earmarked $200 million in his budget for anti-obesity measures. State legislatures and school boards across the country have begun banning snacks and soda from school campuses and vending machines. Sen. Joe Lieberman and Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, among others, have called for a “fat tax” on high-calorie foods” and “Sen. Hillary Clinton just penned a lengthy article … calling for yet more federal control of health care. All of the Democratic candidates for president boasted plans to push health care further into the public sector. More and more states are preventing private health insurers from charging overweight and obese clients higher premiums, which effectively removes any financial incentive for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.” Every segment of information packed in the article is specific with names, numbers, and claims that could be searched and proven by anyone with an internet connection, but the sophistication present makes the reader instantly want to confide in his words. His word choice and language maintained the seriousness of the article and kept focus around it.

Then, pathos reels in the audience causing them to agree with his claims completely. Balko makes his claim that obesity is the person’s own fault, and those people who do not need to deal with obesity should not have to pay for those who are. He says things like “We’re becoming less responsible for our own health and more responsible for everyone else’s. Your heart attack drives up the cost of my premiums and office visits” and “We’ll all make better choices about diet, exercise, and personal health when someone else isn’t paying for the consequences of those choices.” Such proclamations make readers realize that they share the same personal experience as the author (assuming they are not associated with obesity) and make his claim convincing to his audience. Balko does not need to include a sad or awful story that keeps the readers’ attention. Repeatedly stating that obesity is coming out of everyone’s pockets, whether they themselves are obese or not, is a story within itself; it is everyone’s story. Balko targets the emotional strings of his readers well by applying his own rage and building on it.

And finally, logos, ties the piece together, creating a strong argument and convincing the reader that he is correct. All the paragraphs, words, and evidence he uses flow nicely together and leave no room for surprise about what to expect in the upcoming sentences and paragraphs. “If policymakers want to fight obesity, they’ll halt the creeping socialization of medicine and move to return individual Americans’ ownership of their own health and well-being back to individual Americans” and “That means freeing insurance companies to reward healthy lifestyles and penalize poor ones. It means halting plans to further socialize medicine and health care” demonstrate how he has explored the idea until the point is crystal clear and a solution is evident. He doesn’t ever cite his sources directly, but the information listed appears credible enough without it. The ideas presented are practical and could offer results over time, changing our world as we know it. None of Balko’s propositions are out of place and thus contribute to a solid argument, showing a successful use of logos.

• Conclusion

The writer briefly mentions the main points of the article itself while restating the thesis and ends by including an opinion on it.

In conclusion, Balko’s article effectively hits all the elements of persuasion. It makes a strong claim that obesity is indeed the individual’s fault and that they should take full responsibility in resolving it, not depending on others to do it for them. He also presents doable solutions to this problem, ensuring that his article functions as a call to action and not just as a frustrated rant.