The Rhetorical Analysis EssayAP English Language and

Composition

What is the purpose? To demonstrate your facility with reading,

understanding, and analyzing challenging texts

To assess your ability to manipulate language to communicate your written analysis of a specific topic

How do the parts (rhetorical devices/ strategies) make up the whole (meaning/ purpose)?

What Kinds of Analysis Essays Can You Expect? An author’s view on a specific subject Rhetorical devices to achieve a purpose Stylistic elements and their effects Author’s tone & how it is conveyed Compare/contrast with regard to style, purpose,

or tone Recreation of an experience Intended and/or probable effect of a passage

Different Types of Analysis Speaker Audience Tone Diction Syntax Strategies/ Approaches/ Reasoning Types of Evidence Structure/ Organization Logical Fallacies (errors) Aristotelian appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos) Figurative Language

Planning the Analysis Essay 1-3 minutes deconstructing, reading and

“working” the prompt 5 minutes reading and making marginal notes

regarding the passage (Analyze/ SOAPStone) 5-8 minutes preparing to write

Outline Key words

20-25 minutes writing 3 minutes proofreading

Example Prompt- from the Princeton Review The following paragraphs are from the opening of

Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. After carefully reading the excerpt, write a well-organized essay in which you characterize Capote’s view of Holcomb, Kansas, and analyze how Capote conveys this view. Your analysis may consider such stylistic elements as diction, imagery, syntax, structure, tone, and selection of detail.

How do you mark up the prompt?

Practice Marking up the Prompt Florence Kelley (1859-1932) was a United States

social worker and reformer who fought successfully for child labor laws and improved conditions for working women. She delivered the following speech before the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia on July 22, 1905. Read the speech carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical strategies Kelley uses to convey her message about child labor to her audience. Support your analysis with specific references to the text.

Writing the Introduction Include the author and title of the text Address the elements you will refer to in

your essay- specifically or vaguely Address the second part of the prompt-

specifically or implicitly DO NOT REPEAT THE WORDING IN THE

PROMPT- AP SUICIDE!!! Ahhh!!

Sample Introductions In the opening of In Cold Blood, Truman Capote presents a

picture of the town of Holcomb, Kansas. Through structure, selection of detail, and a detached tone, he makes it clear that he views Holcomb as dull and ordinary.

“Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow trains streaking down the Santé Fe tracks, drama in the shape of exceptional happenings had never stopped here.” This is the town of Holcomb, Kansas. Using a reportorial tone, specific structure, and selection of detail, Capote introduces the reader to this unremarkable town in the opening of In Cold Blood.

Writing the Body of the Analysis Analyze the parts that make up the whole Use specific references and details from

the passage (use quotation marks) Use “connective tissue” to establish

adherence to the question Echo words Transitions between paragraphs

Sample Analysis Paragraph- Tone Throughout the passage, Capote maintains a tone that resembles a

detached reporter who is an observer of a scene. Although the impact of the passage is seeing Holcomb in a less than positive light, the author rarely uses judgmental terminology or statements. In describing the town, he uses words such as “float,” haphazard,” “unnamed,” “unshaded,” unpaved.” Individuals are painted with an objective brush showing them in “denim,” “Stetsons,” and “cowboy boots.” Capote maintains his panning camera angle when he writes of the buildings and the surrounding farmland. This matter-of-fact approach is slightly altered when he begins to portray the townspeople as a whole when he uses such words as “prosperous people,” “comfortable interiors,” and “have done well.” His objective tone, interestingly enough, does exactly what he says the folks of Holcomb do. He “camouflages” his attitude toward the reality of the place and time.

Writing the Conclusion Be unique! Offer insight: Answer the question, “So

what?” BALANCE- a LITTLE bit of summary, and A

LOT of ingenuity! Conclusion doesn’t have to be lengthy at

all- sometimes 1-2 sentences will work.

Qualities of a high-range paper Complete understanding of the prompt and

passage Mature diction Integrates references to support the thesis of the

essay in a sophisticated manner Grasps subtleties & implications Uses “connective tissue” Creates original and insightful comments Unique, insightful conclusion

Some Advice….The Do Nots Do not use first person—remember, you are being asked to deconstruct

and analyze someone else’s words…it isn’t an argument, they don’t necessarily want to hear your personal opinion, just your analysis.

Do not refer to the reader “paints a picture in the reader’s mind” or “it makes the reader….” for example

Use strong verbs- do not use “this shows”…So out of style, so sophomore year!!

Please edit- simple, unnecessary grammar mistakes distract DO play with language- try something new, take risks, and learn to

enjoy writing!!! It’s fun, I swear!! (repetition, parallel structure, strong diction…find YOUR voice, not Jane Schaffer’s or Step-up-to-writing voice! Break free from your rigid, suffocating writing handcuffs)