How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay on Chosen Article

How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay on Chosen Article
Table of Contents
  1. How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay on Chosen Article
  2. Things to Remember Before to Start
  3. Strategies for Getting Ready
  4. 1. Prepare a Schedule
  5. 2. Take Notes (Pre-Writing)
  6. 3. What is Ethos, Pathos, Logos and How to Use the Method
  7. Develop Your Rhetorical Analysis Essay’s Outline
  8. 1. First / Introduction Paragraph
  9. 2. Body Section (3-4 Paragraphs)
  10. 3. Conclusion paragraph
  11. Some Effective Writing Recommendations
  12. To Sum Up
  13. Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example

AP English is a popular discipline among students who love improving their language skills. Just as any other class, this course implies that students will face at least one project and midterm + final exams. Besides, this class involves a lot of research, writing and college homework.

At the test, the students must be ready to handle 3 original types of academic papers. One of the essays is known as a rhetorical analysis essay. A good definition of rhetorical analysis and a mind blowing example of what you will challenge can be seen in Inception film. A stellar rhetorical evaluation essay is a real challenge, so, you don't have to browse the web any further - learn all possible ways of writing it thanks to our effective tips.

Need homework help? Contact our academic writing service and receive stellar assistance. 

Things to Remember Before to Start

First, you should know a definition of what a rhetorical analysis is before moving to write this type of paper. It is difficult to understand the meaning of an assignment which sounds like “write about the writing.” However, through reading this article, you will learn how to write such essays and get a solid understanding of the definition of analysis and its meaning.

The main goal is to study and uncover the methods and persuasive approaches that the writer of the specific article is using to receive feedback. It is important to break apart the words, phrases, and sentences. A topic should be based on the original speech of the authorities. They can be politicians, scientists, actors, etc. All you have to do on your test is to evaluate the value of some example of such speech.

You may discover how to write an original persuasive essay using these tips!

Strategies for Getting Ready

While mastering different techniques day by day, do not forget that any examination sets certain time limits. Usually, you have just 50 minutes to write a complete rhetorical essay. You may think that it’s more than enough, but it's not. Mind that you need some time for creating a draft and revision.

1. Prepare a Schedule

The author should prepare a schedule. Try to dedicate a sufficient amount of time to several activities that contribute to the complex process of writing a rhetorical analysis essay:

  1. Reading and comprehension
  2. Observation/Investigation
  3. Composition
  4. Multi-tasking
  5. Evaluation of results

Most of your time should be invested in the original analysis of the given text.

2. Take Notes (Pre-Writing)

A professional essayist gets down to pre-writing before even starting to think about creating a draft or outlining their paper, so you’d better do this too. This will help you  develop ideas for your rhetorical essay.

The moment you have completed your research, you should have a pretty good idea of what you want your essay will be about. Now, it is time to think of how to structure an essay. However, your thoughts are probably disorganized and all over the place. You can organize all of those different thoughts by recording every single one on a piece of paper. Sit down, pull out a blank page, and scribble down every single thought, word, or idea related to your project that comes to mind. Before you know it, you will have a long list of material for your essay.

Begin taking notes of what you read (the data you collect) from the very start. You may face such a problem as - a great amount of new information to process. Try to choose only the most effective questions to answer:

  • Explain who the author is, but do not include the whole biography.
  • Define the reading audience.
  • Identify the main goal of the example speech.
  • Write about specific settings like time and location. Share your ideas why the author chose this setting.

This way, a writer can find the most effective and easy strategies. It is important to understand the persuasive and debatable techniques applied by the author. In AP English course, it is critical to determine the impact of the chosen techniques and strategies on the ethos, pathos, and logos.

3. What is Ethos, Pathos, Logos and How to Use the Method

The first component deals with ethics. In this part, a student has to present arguments that explain why the specific article is a credible one. Validate the words of the author with the help of certain examples and facts, turn to a dictionary. After ethos, a pathos follows. It has to do with the reader’s emotions. How does the author manage to set contact with the readers and stimulate people to demonstrate an emotional reaction to the reading? Study all the data needed to find out how the readers are responding to the writer’s or speaker’s statement. Finally, the logos stand for the ability to express logical/rational ability to think. Is the speaker successful with his attempts to persuade the audience? How does it treat him?

  • An example of ethos: “The best chefs from China suggest that people apply this recipe when cooking sushi!” “I am a doctor with more than 15 years of experience so that I can heal your anorexia.”
  • Pathos sample: “Jake knows how to cope with that assignment better than others as he has a talent for solving complicated math problems." “You will not find a good job if you don’t write a good resume today.”
  • An example of logos: “The example of the resistance between Europeans and Indians prove that people with weapons possess the entire power.” “I have not noticed too much rain in California for 7 years so far.”

Decide on your preferred tactic to compose an original and impressive rhetorical essay. Having the examples and all the required information and data in front of you, practice writing this type of paper before the examination date.

Search for the best way to use all three effective techniques to persuade the audience with free online examples of rhetorical analysis essays.

Develop Your Rhetorical Analysis Essay’s Outline

An evaluation essay demands a good outline just like any other academic paper. You should write an effective outline stating all basic points to win the highest score on your AP Examination. If you have no idea how to create an outline, follow our argumentative essay template. It contains the same structure you need for your work. It is recommended that students include up to six paragraphs using one of the official writing styles. The order of the structure remains the same: introduction paragraph – body paragraphs – conclusion section.

1. First / Introduction Paragraph

The introduction must be brief and clear enough to let the readers understand your topic. To begin with, prepare a summary of the main thought of the analyzed author. It would be your original thesis statement. Do not copy-paste the words of your speaker - write in your own words. Even though you may include an interesting citation from the speech and get some new definitions from a dictionary. Mind your persuasive styles.

2. Body Section (3-4 Paragraphs)

These 3-4 paragraphs require the most of your exam time. Make sure to develop an original question for each paragraph and present an effective answer to it in order to come up with something new in your results. These would form your arguments. The paragraphs begin with such sentences. The following sentence of the rhetorical analysis paper must contain evidence to support these arguments. Each argument must be related to the thesis statement. Recall all data you got and the strategies you have chosen to cover ethos, pathos, and logos. A good evidence will be a direct in-text citation. It will prove that you have read the entire text carefully and you understand the topic. Here are the basic questions for you to consider when writing the body of your rhetorical essay:

  • Are the chosen strategies effective?
  • Share examples of how the selected techniques function.
  • Explain why the speaker selected specific ways to interact with the target audience.
  • Describe the way people react to the speech.

3. Conclusion paragraph

Wonder how to conclude an essay? Wrap up the paper with the powerful outcomes. First, it is critical to add a rewritten thesis statement. Next, present information on how the piece influenced the readers or listeners. Make sure to unite all arguments into one whole picture. The last sentence of the last paragraph must include a general conclusion to reflect the significance of the given speech/written article and its role in the society.

Some Effective Writing Recommendations

These tips might help on the way to creating a meaningful analysis essay.

  • Pay attention to grammar. It is important to re-read the entire essay once done to correct all English grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. Make sure to use only pure, official English. Check the structure of your rhetorical analysis essay as well.
  • Mind how you use different words. English dictionary is another important part to consider as you should avoid complex terms that you do not understand.
  • What about the coherency? Your analysis essay must be as smooth as possible. Use appropriate transition words to have your paper written in good English.
  • Apply present tense only. Also, avoid using the first-person.
  • Following the guidelines, give a meaningful response to the speech or article shared by the author.

To Sum Up

A rhetorical analysis essay is a real challenge on the way to a high test score. If you are assigned one to complete at home, there is no better solution than ordering the academic paper from the competent AP English writers. Being native speakers with the prestigious diplomas and rewards for long years of work in the educational field, we are ready to prepare the most effective analysis essay for all our customers!

 

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example

 

A Rhetorical Analysis of “A Liberal Education is Key to a Civil Society” 

James Downey’s essay entitled “A Liberal Education is Key to a Civil Society” was written sometime after 1993. Downey summarizes his view on the “value of a liberal education” and how university educators should be responsible for incorporating it into all undergraduate studies to give students “a broad base of skills, knowledge, and outlook for a meaningful engagement as citizens.” Downey’s target audience is his colleagues in the universities, especially those in the humanities and social sciences faculties, whom he thinks are failing in setting an example of social capitalism. Downey’s thesis states that the value of a liberal education in universities is that it prepares students to prosper in social capitalism and creates a much needed civil society. 

He also states that it is the responsibility of the universities to incorporate a liberal education. Downey effectively appeals to his audience by using logos (cause and effect on society, using a well respected the colleague’s studies), pathos (in his respectful tone of language, and reminders of his colleague’s responsibilities to their students and society), and ethos (his standing as a past Dean of two universities, an author and a well respected speaker).

Downey identifies his audience early in the essay by addressing the humanists and social scientists in the university. He also directly addresses his colleagues in “starting with ourselves, in universities,” when he explains who should be addressing the problem of a lack of strong community in our society. He again speaks directly to his colleagues when he states that “we, who profess ourselves to be humanists and social scientists…[,] must be prepared to lead by example, starting with our own universities--the programs we offer, the academic citizenship we practice.” Downey is a well known and respected speaker in universities and past president of the universities of Waterloo and New Brunswick, and his essay could well have been a speech prepared for his colleagues. He is imploring his colleagues that it would be “better and truer” for them to take responsibility and commit to setting an example of a civil society in the university they teach in. He supports his views on the institutions having a positive effect on society by stating that “an institution that relies on mutual respect and assistance is simply more effective at achieving its ends than an oppositional, distrustful community.”

Even though Downey refers to only one other colleague’s studies for support of his thesis, this use of logos is quite effective with his target audience, since the majority of his colleagues would know of Robert Putnam from Harvard University. Putnam is a well known author of books and scholarly articles published in 10 languages, he is a past dean of JFK School of Government, and he is held in high esteem as a speaker at universities. Downey would have been even more effective if he had used at least one more study, especially one from the North American continent. Downey uses cause and effect well throughout the essay in stating how society has changed from valuing social economics to valuing capitalistic economics. He states people feel that “social capital has been depleted in Canada” and says it is “the result in part of severe and often crude economic measures governments and corporations have taken to balance budgets, contain costs, and increase productivity.” He says that the effect of this is that “economic disparities have grown,” and people have become apathetic. His logical appeal is quite strong throughout by his reminding his colleagues over and over of the effects a liberal education would have on society versus the capitalistic sway that it seems to be given at present.

Downey’s use of pathos may seem a bit weak, but to his target audience it would be very effective in that he uses a very respectful language tone in imploring his colleagues to take action and be responsible members of the institutions they represent. His use of the words “better and truer,” “mutual respect and assistance,” “application of knowledge and values it embodies,” and “heart of the university” are particularly effective. In his last statement, he uses his strongest pathos as he restates his thesis in saying, “If we who profess ourselves to be humanists and social scientists wish to defend and promote the ideals of a liberal education in a hard-edged materialist culture, we must be prepared to lead by example, starting with our own universities- the programs we offer, the academic citizenship we practice.”

Downey’s ethos lies in the fact that he himself is a past president in universities and he is very knowledgeable about what goes on in universities as far as teaching goes. He is a well known speaker to his colleagues and a writer as well. He also is well connected to other deans, presidents, professors and other faculty members of universities. His essay is very effective in the way he uses logos and pathos in appealing to his target audience even though he could have been more specific in ways for the faculty to address the problem he sees.