{"id":251,"date":"2017-12-07T03:18:33","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T03:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=251"},"modified":"2022-01-11T16:25:43","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T16:25:43","slug":"what-is-rhetorical-analysis","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/what-is-rhetorical-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"6.3 What is Rhetorical Analysis?"},"content":{"raw":"Rhetoric: The art of persuasion\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Analysis: Breaking down the whole into pieces for the purpose of examination<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Unlike summary, a rhetorical analysis does not only require a restatement of ideas; instead, you must recognize rhetorical moves that an author is making in an attempt to persuade his or her audience to do or to think something.\u00a0In the 21st century's abundance of information, it can sometimes be difficult to discern what is a rhetorical strategy and what is simple manipulation; however, an understanding of rhetoric and rhetorical moves will help you become more savvy with the information surrounding you on a day-to-day basis. In other words, rhetorical moves can be a form of manipulation, but if one can recognize those moves, then one can be a more critical consumer of information rather than blindly accepting whatever one reads, sees, hears, etc.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to explain <strong>what<\/strong> is happening in the text,\u00a0<strong>why<\/strong> the author might have chosen to use a particular move or set of rhetorical moves, and <strong>how<\/strong> those choices might affect the audience. The text you analyze might be explanatory, although there will be aspects of argument because you must negotiate with what the author is<em> trying to do<\/em> and <em>what you think <\/em>the author is doing. Edward P.J. Corbett observes, rhetorical analysis \"is more interested in a literary work for what it <em>does<\/em> than for what it <em>is\"\u00a0<\/em>(qtd. in Nordqvist).<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">One of the elements of doing a rhetorical analysis is looking at a text's rhetorical situation.\u00a0The rhetorical situation is the context out of a which a text is created.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The questions that you can use to examine a text's rhetorical situation are in\u00a0\u00a0<span style=\"color: #339966\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/rhetorical-situation-the-context\/\" style=\"color: #339966\">Chapter 6.2<\/a><\/span>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAnother element of rhetorical analysis is simply reading and summarizing the text. You have to be able to describe the basics of the author's thesis and main points before you can begin to analyze it.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The questions that you can use to summarize a text are in\u00a0<span style=\"color: #339966\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/4-1-writing-summaries\/\" style=\"color: #339966\">Chapter 5.1<\/a><\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nA third element of rhetorical analysis requires you to connect the rhetorical situation to the text. You need to go beyond summarizing and look at how the author shapes his or her text based on its context. In developing your reading and analytical skills, allow yourself to think about what you\u2019re reading, to question the text and your responses to it, as you read. Use the following questions to help you to take the text apart\u2014dissecting it to see how it works:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Does the author successfully support the thesis or claim?<\/strong>\u00a0 Is the point held consistently throughout the text, or does it wander at any point?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Is the evidence the author used effective for the intended audience? <\/strong>How might the intended audience respond to the types of evidence that the author used to support the thesis\/claim?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>What rhetorical moves do you see the author making to help achieve his or her purpose?<\/strong> Are there word choices or content choices that seem to you to be clearly related to the author's agenda for the text or that might appeal to the intended audience?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Describe the tone in the piece.<\/strong> Is it friendly? Authoritative? Does it lecture? Is it biting or sarcastic? Does the author use simple language, or is it full of jargon? Does the language feel positive or negative? Point to aspects of the text that create the tone; spend some time examining these and considering how and why they work. (Learn more about\u00a0tone in Section 4.5 \u201c<span style=\"color: #008000\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/wrd\/chapter\/tone-voice-and-point-of-view\/\" style=\"color: #008000\">Tone, Voice, and Point of View<\/a>.<\/span>\u201d)<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Is the author objective, or does\u00a0he or she try to convince you to have a certain opinion?<\/strong> Why does the author try to persuade you to adopt this viewpoint? If the author is biased, does this interfere with the way you read and understand the text?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Do you feel like the author knows who you are?<\/strong> Does the text seem to be aimed at readers like you or at a different audience? What assumptions does the author make about their audience? Would most people find these reasonable, acceptable, or accurate?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Does the text\u2019s flow make sense?<\/strong> Is the line of reasoning logical? Are there any gaps? Are there any spots where you feel the reasoning is flawed in some way?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Does the author try to appeal to your emotions?<\/strong> Does the author use any controversial words in the headline or the article? Do these affect your reading or your interest?<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Do you believe the author?<\/strong> Do you accept their thoughts and ideas? Why or why not?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIt is also a good idea to revisit <span style=\"color: #008000\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/2-3-how-to-read-rhetorically\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #008000\" rel=\"noopener\">Section 2.3 \"How to Read Rhetorically.\"<\/a> <\/span>This chapter will compliment the rhetorical questions listed above and help you clearly determine the text's rhetorical situation.\r\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Once you have done this basic, rhetorical, critical reading of your text, you are ready to think about how the rhetorical situation (<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/rhetorical-situation-the-context\/\"><span style=\"color: #008000\">Section 6.2<\/span><\/a>) - the context out of which the text arises -\u00a0 influences certain rhetorical appeals (<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/rhetorical-strategies-building-compelling-arguments\/\"><span style=\"color: #008000\">Section 6.4<\/span><\/a>) that appear in it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n\r\n<strong>Attributions<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThis chapter contains material from<span style=\"color: #008000\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/wrd\/chapter\/writing-summaries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color: #008000\">\"The Word on College Reading and Writing\"<\/a><\/span> by <span style=\"color: #008000\"><a style=\"color: #008000\">Monique Babin, Carol Burnell, Susan Pesznecker, Nicole Rosevear, Jaime Wood<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/openoregon.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color: #008000\">OpenOregon Educational Resources<\/a>, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oregon.gov\/ccwd\/Pages\/index.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #008000\">Higher Education Coordination Commission: Office<\/span> <span style=\"color: #008000\">of Community Colleges and Workforce Development<\/span><\/a> is licensed under <span style=\"color: #008000\"><a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color: #008000\">CC BY-NC 4.0<\/a><\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;","rendered":"<p>Rhetoric: The art of persuasion<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Analysis: Breaking down the whole into pieces for the purpose of examination<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Unlike summary, a rhetorical analysis does not only require a restatement of ideas; instead, you must recognize rhetorical moves that an author is making in an attempt to persuade his or her audience to do or to think something.\u00a0In the 21st century&#8217;s abundance of information, it can sometimes be difficult to discern what is a rhetorical strategy and what is simple manipulation; however, an understanding of rhetoric and rhetorical moves will help you become more savvy with the information surrounding you on a day-to-day basis. In other words, rhetorical moves can be a form of manipulation, but if one can recognize those moves, then one can be a more critical consumer of information rather than blindly accepting whatever one reads, sees, hears, etc.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to explain <strong>what<\/strong> is happening in the text,\u00a0<strong>why<\/strong> the author might have chosen to use a particular move or set of rhetorical moves, and <strong>how<\/strong> those choices might affect the audience. The text you analyze might be explanatory, although there will be aspects of argument because you must negotiate with what the author is<em> trying to do<\/em> and <em>what you think <\/em>the author is doing. Edward P.J. Corbett observes, rhetorical analysis &#8220;is more interested in a literary work for what it <em>does<\/em> than for what it <em>is&#8221;\u00a0<\/em>(qtd. in Nordqvist).<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">One of the elements of doing a rhetorical analysis is looking at a text&#8217;s rhetorical situation.\u00a0The rhetorical situation is the context out of a which a text is created.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The questions that you can use to examine a text&#8217;s rhetorical situation are in\u00a0\u00a0<span style=\"color: #339966\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/rhetorical-situation-the-context\/\" style=\"color: #339966\">Chapter 6.2<\/a><\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Another element of rhetorical analysis is simply reading and summarizing the text. You have to be able to describe the basics of the author&#8217;s thesis and main points before you can begin to analyze it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The questions that you can use to summarize a text are in\u00a0<span style=\"color: #339966\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/4-1-writing-summaries\/\" style=\"color: #339966\">Chapter 5.1<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A third element of rhetorical analysis requires you to connect the rhetorical situation to the text. You need to go beyond summarizing and look at how the author shapes his or her text based on its context. In developing your reading and analytical skills, allow yourself to think about what you\u2019re reading, to question the text and your responses to it, as you read. Use the following questions to help you to take the text apart\u2014dissecting it to see how it works:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Does the author successfully support the thesis or claim?<\/strong>\u00a0 Is the point held consistently throughout the text, or does it wander at any point?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Is the evidence the author used effective for the intended audience? <\/strong>How might the intended audience respond to the types of evidence that the author used to support the thesis\/claim?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>What rhetorical moves do you see the author making to help achieve his or her purpose?<\/strong> Are there word choices or content choices that seem to you to be clearly related to the author&#8217;s agenda for the text or that might appeal to the intended audience?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Describe the tone in the piece.<\/strong> Is it friendly? Authoritative? Does it lecture? Is it biting or sarcastic? Does the author use simple language, or is it full of jargon? Does the language feel positive or negative? Point to aspects of the text that create the tone; spend some time examining these and considering how and why they work. (Learn more about\u00a0tone in Section 4.5 \u201c<span style=\"color: #008000\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/wrd\/chapter\/tone-voice-and-point-of-view\/\" style=\"color: #008000\">Tone, Voice, and Point of View<\/a>.<\/span>\u201d)<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Is the author objective, or does\u00a0he or she try to convince you to have a certain opinion?<\/strong> Why does the author try to persuade you to adopt this viewpoint? If the author is biased, does this interfere with the way you read and understand the text?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Do you feel like the author knows who you are?<\/strong> Does the text seem to be aimed at readers like you or at a different audience? What assumptions does the author make about their audience? Would most people find these reasonable, acceptable, or accurate?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Does the text\u2019s flow make sense?<\/strong> Is the line of reasoning logical? Are there any gaps? Are there any spots where you feel the reasoning is flawed in some way?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Does the author try to appeal to your emotions?<\/strong> Does the author use any controversial words in the headline or the article? Do these affect your reading or your interest?<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-Normal\"><strong>Do you believe the author?<\/strong> Do you accept their thoughts and ideas? Why or why not?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is also a good idea to revisit <span style=\"color: #008000\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/2-3-how-to-read-rhetorically\/\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #008000\" rel=\"noopener\">Section 2.3 &#8220;How to Read Rhetorically.&#8221;<\/a> <\/span>This chapter will compliment the rhetorical questions listed above and help you clearly determine the text&#8217;s rhetorical situation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">Once you have done this basic, rhetorical, critical reading of your text, you are ready to think about how the rhetorical situation (<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/rhetorical-situation-the-context\/\"><span style=\"color: #008000\">Section 6.2<\/span><\/a>) &#8211; the context out of which the text arises &#8211;\u00a0 influences certain rhetorical appeals (<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/chapter\/rhetorical-strategies-building-compelling-arguments\/\"><span style=\"color: #008000\">Section 6.4<\/span><\/a>) that appear in it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<p><strong>Attributions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This chapter contains material from<span style=\"color: #008000\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/wrd\/chapter\/writing-summaries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color: #008000\">&#8220;The Word on College Reading and Writing&#8221;<\/a><\/span> by <span style=\"color: #008000\"><a style=\"color: #008000\">Monique Babin, Carol Burnell, Susan Pesznecker, Nicole Rosevear, Jaime Wood<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/openoregon.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color: #008000\">OpenOregon Educational Resources<\/a>, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oregon.gov\/ccwd\/Pages\/index.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #008000\">Higher Education Coordination Commission: Office<\/span> <span style=\"color: #008000\">of Community Colleges and Workforce Development<\/span><\/a> is licensed under <span style=\"color: #008000\"><a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color: #008000\">CC BY-NC 4.0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-251","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":116,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1740,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/251\/revisions\/1740"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/116"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/251\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=251"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=251"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/csu-fyw-rhetoric\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}