Students are often given the assignment of writing a rhetorical analysis, in which they must analyze how a speaker makes an argument, and evaluate whether or not they do so effectively.
However, this practice is useful not only for students, but for all of us who want to evaluate everyday arguments—whether they’re made by advertisers, politicians, or our friends—and learn to think more critically on our own.
A rhetorical analysis is an essay that examines and evaluates a text (or sometimes other types of media, such as video) based on its rhetoric. Rather than focusing on what the actual message is, a rhetorical analysis looks at how that message is created and delivered.
In writing your rhetorical analysis, you’ll examine the author or creator’s goals, techniques, and appeals to their audience (which you’ll summarize in your essay’s thesis).
Follow these 6 steps to write a rhetorical analysis that’s clear and insightful.
Start your analysis by taking note of the following rhetorical elements:
Audience: Who is the piece intended for? Depending on the medium being used, the audience might consist of readers, spectators, listeners, or viewers. What might you infer about this audience and their backgrounds (age group, political preferences, etc.)?
Purpose: What is the speaker’s purpose? What is the outcome that they wish or intend to incite? What are they trying to convince their audience of?
Medium: How is the message being delivered? Through writing, video, images, audio, or some other medium?
Context: Consider the time, place, and social climate of when the material was originally produced. What else was going on during that time?
Identify and describe the rhetorical appeals used by the speaker, as well as other devices, such as tone, syntax, imagery, etc.
The 3 main rhetorical appeals, established by Aristotle, are ethos, pathos, and logos. They describe how the speaker appeals to an audience’s ethics, emotions, and logic, respectively. This can be done in a number of ways, including imagery, anecdotes, examples, or specific data.
Next, it’s time to analyze how and why the speaker uses those devices to appeal to their audience.
As noted above, there are many ways for a speaker to use these devices and appeals. Analyze which methods they chose, how they applied them, and why you think they chose them.
Finally, evaluate the author’s success in using these techniques to reach their goals. Do you think they were effective? Why or why not?
If you don’t think they were effective, what effect do you think they will have instead on the audience? Your evaluation is important because it will become your main argument, or thesis.
Now that you’ve completed your analysis of the material, try to summarize it into one clear, concise thesis statement that will form the foundation of your essay.
Your thesis statement should summarize: 1) the argument or purpose of the speaker; 2) the methods the speaker uses; and 3) the effectiveness of those methods.
For example: In [Title of the Work], the author convincingly argues in favor of education reform by using specific data, compelling anecdotes, and her experience as a teacher.
Next, using your thesis statement as a foundation, organize your ideas and evidence into a coherent outline.
For example, you might organize your body paragraphs into 3 categories: one paragraph for each of the rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos), with specific examples of how the speaker makes those appeals.
The introduction to your rhetorical analysis essay doesn’t need to be too lengthy or detailed. However, there are a few things you should introduce before jumping into your analysis.
You should start with some contextual information, so your reader can understand what kind of material you’ll be analyzing. Be sure to reference the title, the writer/speaker, and any other relevant details about the work (this can include the year it was published, or background information about what was going on at that time).
Then, you should state your thesis, which will explain what you’ll be arguing in your essay. From there, you can transition into the main body of your analysis.
The following outline is an example of how you could structure your rhetorical analysis. To make planning your essay easier, you can simply copy and paste this outline and fill it in with your thesis and supporting examples.
There’s no strict rule for how many words your rhetorical analysis should be, although you might be given specific guidelines by your instructor.
In general, however, these essays aren’t very long, ranging anywhere from 500–1,000 words. The important thing is that your analysis is complete and you adequately support your thesis.
Analyzing rhetoric is one way to evaluate the work of other writers and creators, and it can also show you new strategies for making your own arguments more effectively.
Next time you read an article or listen to a speech, don’t just pay attention to what the author or speaker says, but how they say it. This is an important step in critical thinking that will help you to draw your own conclusions and evaluate different forms of media more critically.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. This was so helpful, and I have been anxious about this paper I must write. I just could not figure out how to get started or which way I should put it in order. Your guidelines and suggestions have really eased my mind. If I did not say it before, THANK YOU!
Lollie on April 8, 2023 at 11:43 pmI have taken a few years of English and comp classes, but this article helped me more than any of those! Breaking it down helped me immensely. Thank you!!
Ronald Walker on January 18, 2022 at 10:03 amMs. Barron, thank you so much for your post, which is clearly written, comprehensive, and succinct. I am a teacher, and I thought that I would introduce students to rhetorical analysis by asking them (actually we will write together) to write a rhetorical analysis of the Pledge of Allegiance. Your post provides an EXCELLENT overview of the process and (different) parts. We will just write a one-page-paragraph, to begin. Thank you, again.
Kaelyn Barron on January 22, 2022 at 9:53 pm Thank you Ronald, I am so happy to hear that you found the post helpful for your class! :) Naveed on May 13, 2022 at 6:05 amKaelyn, thank you for your post. I am given a book to write the Rhetorical analysis. I hope your guidelines will serve the purpose. God bless you. Prayers.
