5 Excellent Tips for Writing Rhetorical Analysis Essays
Disclosure: In our articles, we independently choose products and services to feature that we think you'll find useful. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of our links, we may earn a small commission.Are you taking any English classes? You may be asked to write a rhetorical analysis essay. But, as you will see, it is more than that. Here are great tips to making an essay that may stick out to your teachers.
1. Know Your Rhetorical Devices
Of course, before you can make a rhetorical analysis, you need to know rhetorical devices and how to spot them. Though I will not go over specific rhetorical devices, I will mention some ways to find them.
Since rhetorical devices are used to persuade, look where the author is most likely to try to persuade you. Is it at the end? What about the topic sentences for the body paragraphs? Often times, you’ll find rhetoric in the conclusion and topic sentences. Also, make sure that you look at the introduction. There may be a little rhetoric used to get the reader interested.
Once you know where rhetoric would be used, you can now start looking for some rhetorical devices.
2. Pick Rhetorical Strategies to Write About
If you have found the rhetorical strategies used, you now need to pick the best for analysis. I would say that having about five would be all you would need for a good essay. Of course, the more you choose, then the less space and time you’ll have for synthesis of each one.
So, choose the rhetorical strategies that are in the most critical parts of the article. Where the author is making his strongest support of his thesis, you’ll be sure to find some good rhetoric.
3. Arrange Ideas Thoughtfully
After picking the best rhetorical strategies used, you must arrange your ideas and create an outline for your rhetorical analysis. After your introduction, you’ll want to show the largest and most effective pieces of rhetoric in the article. Those are the ones that have lasting impact on readers, so they must be brought to light first.
As you arrange your ideas, know that it would be best to analyze the effects and implications of rhetorical strategies on multiple levels. You can address the effects on a high level first. Then you can dig deeper into the rhetoric and be even more critical.
Keep in mind that throughout your analysis, you’ll want to show the relationship between the evidence and the thesis of the article. Know that understanding rhetoric, and how authors use it to support their ideas, is crucial to finding the connection.
4. Write Your Own Argument
By this, I do not mean that you need to go off and write an argument about anything. Rather, you would want to write an argument in favor of the article, and then support it with your rhetorical analysis. Rhetorical analysis essays that get scores of an 8 or a 9 do this. By making an agreeing argument, and successfully supporting it with your rhetorical analysis, you are proving that the author who wrote the article was successful in his persuasion, which is exactly what you want to convey.
5. Have a Down-to-Earth Writing Style
Being frank and having a mix of subjective and objective viewpoints appeals to readers, especially exam graders. Knowing when to use logic and when to use rhetoric yourself will help you have a better style when analyzing rhetorical strategies.
When you write your own argument, you want to use a little emotion to prove that you understand rhetoric yourself. However, you’ll also want to use logic and reasoning some when analyzing the author’s support for his thesis. Throughout your English course(s), you’ll be able to develop your own balance.
Bonus: Practice Analyzing Others’ Arguments
If you are taking AP English Language, then you know just how helpful practice can be. All of those times you analyze rhetoric are supposed to help you make a great essay on exam day. As you know, practice may or may not make perfect, but it helps build the right skills.
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Sources:
George Ehrenhaft, Ed.D. Barron’s AP English Language and Composition. Hauppauge: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 2017. Print.
https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english-language-and-composition/writing-study-skills
Various teachers
Steve is a staff writer at Plan and Organize™. He specializes in articles about technology and education yet often delves into home, business and finance topics.
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