writing a rhetorical analysis essay

WRITING A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

ESSAY

The Scarlet Letter

Passage 1

The Rhetorical Analysis All essays are questions

answer them. There are two essential

questions that must be answered on the rhetorical

analysis essay.

THE QUESTIONSThere are two questions that need to be answered

Question 1: tone/purpose/theme (TPT)

Question 2: Prompt Question (attitude)

The Scarlet LetterPrompt

In the following passage from The Scarlet Letter, the narrator introduces the reader to the Puritan community of the novel. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay analyzing how the narrator’s description of the Puritans and their community suggests his attitude toward them.

Big Question On top of prompt write T/P/T: Tone: Read the passage-at the top write T

and provide five tone words Purpose: After reading passage-what was

his purpose for writing this-to expose, indict, critique, judge (verb)

Theme-tie it to an abstract noun-is it to expose the Puritans for the hypocrites they are and thereby reveal human nature?

Analysis of TONETone is the

emotional voice of the author

Tone is expressed through specific and strong adjectives

List four specific adjectives that speak to Hawthorne’s tone of voice towards the Puritans.

Analysis of AUTHOR’S PURPOSE

Author’s purpose is the goal or intent of the writer’s written work

Author’s purpose is always expressed through a specific and strong verb

Look at your tone words find verbs (doing words) that reflect the meaning of your adjectives

What does a critical voice do?

Analysis of THEME STATEMENT Theme is a

universal statement about the human condition

Theme is expressed with a strong verb and an abstract noun

Think about Hawthorne’s message about the Puritans and their life choices.

Big QuestionWrite your TPT statement.Circle your TPT statement.Highlight all adjectives.

Initial TPT statement Hawthorne’s narrator in The Scarlet

Letter indicts an intolerant Puritan community.

Revising your TPT statement

Count how many words you have until your first adjective

That’s your first answerHow strong are your adjectives

The Big Question: Revising your TPT statementBlock your first verb.

That’s your second answer

TPT statement format

The format you have to use: adj. and adj., author+title, verb+abstract noun

Accusatory and critical, Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter indicts the Puritans for their intolerance.

Other format: Author, adj. and adj., title verb+statement

Hawthorne, accusatory and critical, in The Scarlet Letter indicts the Puritans for their intolerance.

TPT Statement addresses the BIG

QuestionCircle your theme/main idea/big idea statement.

Has to have an abstract noun

Does your answer to the Big Question look

like this?Rewrite first sentence so it

addresses TPTUsing this recipe:Adjective and Adjective+, +title

author+, +verb+theme statementOrAuthor+, adjective and adjective,

+ title+ verb + theme statement

Little Question: what the prompt is asking for Where do you address narrator’s attitude towards the Puritans? (a good start is an adjective)

Little QuestionUse the word voice and answer the question what is Hawthorne’s attitude towards the Puritans?

Little QuestionAlways address the question(s) listed in the prompt.

What is the narrator’s attitude toward the Puritan community?

AttitudeLook up synonyms for attitude

Attitude is not TONETone is the emotional position of the author

Attitude is the author’s perspective, point of view ,opinion toward the subject (characterization)

RewriteSentence 1 an appositive or absolute

Adjective clause

Sentence 2A strong answer to the prompt question about attitude

Introductory paragraph: answers Big and Little

Question Accusatory and critical, Hawthorne in The

Scarlet Letter indicts the Puritans for their intolerance. The narrator’s scathing voice augments the caustic irony which operates to critique Puritan zealotry.

TALLY ASSESSMENTTrade papersWrite tally at

the top of the paper and sign your name at the bottom

Circle the first sentence

Circle the first sentenceHighlight the twin adjectivesExamine for correctnessAssign one tally or write no

tone adjectives

Circle the VerbExamine the strength of the verb

Expose, criticize, judge, evaluate, highlight, augments

Assign a tally or write lacks verb

Underline the THEME/BIG IDEA

Make sure there is an abstract noun (is there a negative abstract noun)

Intolerance, oppression, control, mean-spiritedness

Assign one tally or write lacks theme

Second SentenceHighlight an adjective

Assign a tally or write no detail/specificity

Second SentenceCircle the word attitude or synonym (you must have a stem of the question)

Assign tally or write no stem

Second SentenceUnderline the answer to the question-What is Hawthorne’s attitude towards the Puritans?

Assign tally or write no answer.

Scoring6=A 5=B4=C 3=D2-1=F

Tally for Introduction Sentence 1 or

TPT=adjective phrase or appositive (1 point), strong verb (1 point) and an abstract noun addressing Big Question (I point)=3 points

Sentence 2=Thesis it addresses the prompt

Adjective (voice)(1 point)

Stem of the question (voice, attitude, outlook, perspective, position)( 1 point)

Tie it to rhetoric or big idea (1 point)=3 points

Supporting ParagraphEssays are idea driven not evidence driven

You did not create the evidence, so you will not be assessed on it.

Circle your supporting paragraph

Underline your first sentence

Highlight only your ideas in one color

Highlight evidence in another

Adjectives Strong verbs

(descriptive not linking verbs)

Abstract noun

How many answers did you have?

Minimum of 5 or 1 per sentence.

You only assess by the commentary

Sentence 1 Highlight the

sentence Circle the adjective Underline verb Circle abstract noun Make a note of what

you are missing.

Initial sentence 1: The irony evident in

paragraph one sets the tone for the rest of the passage.

*missing adjective, verb could be stronger, where is my abstract noun?

Revised: The sardonic diction evident from paragraph one sets the damning judgment of the intransigence of the Puritan community.

Accusatory and critical, Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter indicts the Puritans for their intolerance. The narrator’s scathing voice augments the caustic irony which operates to critique a fanatical society.

The sardonic diction evident from paragraph one sets the damning judgment of the intransigent Puritan community. One sees the town’s “good people” gathered; one anticipates some execution for some awful crime, perhaps a homicide. However, the narrator lets us know that “early severity” of the Puritans could be triggered by something as trivial as a sluggish bond-servant or an undutiful child, hardly the insidious crimes one expects from their stern, rigid physiognomies. It is clear that the narrator arraigns the Puritans for their intolerance. As a result, he makes us question whether these people are “good people” indeed. Their rigidity makes them an extension of a harsh penal code which they should reject but instead embrace. Here are a people who have crossed an ocean, severed ties with all they know in order to achieve religious freedom, but instead have become a medium of oppression-where humanity is intolerable and the “mildest and severest acts of public discipline are alike.” Hawthorne chides the Puritans for their narrow-mindedness because he knows that it will bring about their own demise.

BodyHow dense is

your body?Highlight the

evidence and underline commentary (your ideas)

How many circles do you have?

Commentary should have a minimum of three (they should follow each of your evidence)

Your commentary is the only thing you are being assessed on.

Last Sentence Circle your last

sentence Highlight the

adjective Circle the verb Underline abstract

noun Make a note of what

you are missing

Was your last sentence evidence rich or commentary rich?

There should be no evidence in your last sentence.

REVISE Using this StructureFirst sentence-adjective, verb,

big idea about rhetorical deviceBody-evidence and commentary

(the effect or what is being built by the rhetorical device)

Ending sentence-adjective, verb, big idea about rhetorical device

Conclusion Paragraph 1st sentence-restatement of thesis (Little

Question)-You have to paraphrase it. Frame TPT-restructure Ender-insight Or Frame TPT-where you address part of it Thesis –restate Ender-bring back to big idea

Sample Intro. and Conc.Introduction

Conclusion