Rhetorical AnalysisHow to analyze an author’s rhetoric
What is rhetorical analysis?
Rhetoric: language
Analysis: method of studying the nature of something or of determining its essential features and their relations
So……rhetorical analysis is, simply put, studying the nature of an author’s language.
No, really, what is rhetorical analysis?
Each time an author puts pen to paper, he has a purpose. He has a goal he wants to achieve.
With rhetorical analysis, we first have to figure out what the author’s purpose was when he wrote his work.
Once we determine his purpose, then we look at the language he uses to achieve that purpose. HOW did he use language to achieve that purpose.
So, rhetorical analysis is….
HOW an author uses language to achieve his purpose.
But how do I explain that in an essay??
When you’re looking at a piece of writing and you’re asked to analyze the rhetoric, there are several things you need to consider about the language.
Diction
Word choice.
What words did the author use?
How did he use them?
Diction: Connotation vs. Denotation
Connotation: the implied meaning of a word
Denotation: the literal meaning of a word
Examples: happy vs. ecstatic vs. joyful Sad vs. devastated vs. sorrowful vs. depressed Angry vs. furious vs. irritated
Diction: Abstract vs. concrete
Concrete: tangible
Abstract: intangible
Examples: Abstract: education, justice, freedom Concrete: books, jail cell, Declaration of
Independence
Diction: General vs. Specific
General: the author might refer to freedom in general or life in general, etc.
Specific: the author might refer to a specific instance when someone’s freedom was taken away or to a specific time in his life.
Tone
The attitude of the writer towards his subject and/or audience.
Words like accusatory, bitter, sincere….these are tone words; they describe an author’s attitude. When you write about tone, you MUST go deeper than simply stating, “the author’s tone is happy.” How do you know? What’s he happy about? Why? How does he convey this? How does it accomplish his purpose?
Syntax
Whereas diction is an author’s choice of words, syntax is how the author puts those words together and the punctuation he uses to emphasize his word choice.
Think Yoda. If you watch Star Wars, you will notice Yoda rearranges words: “Jedi you are,” instead of “you are a Jedi.”
Why does an author put words together in a certain way? Why is there a comma here or an exclamation point there?
Why is this sentence short and this one long?
Think of it this way…
When you begin a conversation with someone, you have a specific purpose for that conversation.
If you want to ask your parents to buy you something or allow you to go somewhere, you have a reason for your word choice, your tone, your syntax.
If you want your friend to do you a favor, your word choice, your tone, your syntax will be different from the choices you made when speaking to your parents.
