Rhetorical Analysis: A Comprehensive Guide to Essay Writing

This document provides a comprehensive overview of rhetorical analysis, defining it as the process of evaluating and describing how words influence individuals by exploring the interaction between the author, text, and reader. It delves into the principles of rhetorical analysis, emphasizing its purpose in discussing and assessing the effectiveness of arguments, using persuasive techniques, and identifying the situation described in the text. The document outlines the three main concepts of rhetorical analysis: description, analysis, and evaluation of content. It provides a detailed guide to writing a rhetorical essay, including prewriting steps, creating outlines, gathering information, developing thesis statements, writing introductions and body paragraphs (with emphasis on Ethos, Pathos, and Logos), and crafting conclusions. A rhetorical essay example is included, analyzing an article by Steven Hayward. The document concludes by providing the format of a rhetorical essay, including the introduction, thesis statement, tools of analysis, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

What is a Rhetorical Analysis?
Rhetorical Analysis can be defined as a process of evaluating as well as describing the words that
how they influence the individuals. It explains how the author, text, as well as the reader,
interact with each other. In order to analyze the text rhetorically, the individual needs to
incorporate the use of principles of Rhetorical Analysis as they help in exploring the argument
in the text. The text which is rhetorically analyzed doesn't need to be in written form, it could be
a visual work, a picture, or a speech. The main purpose of Rhetorical Analysis is to discuss how
the argument has been made. It also helps in exploring analysing whether the approach used in
order to make the argument is effective or not. But sometimes people think that the purpose of
rhetorical analysis is to critic or support the argument which is presented in the text. The
persuasive technique is used in Rhetorical Analysis. The author uses the persuasive technique in
order to analyze the text in detail as well as present his point of view. The author of the rhetorical
analysis should ensure that the developed analysis is informative to the reader. If the developed
analysis is not informative to the reader, the rhetorical analysis will not be an effective analysis.
It is also necessary that the author should be able to identify the situation which has been
described in the text at the end of the Rhetorical Paper. The overall extent of the paper should
be analyzed by the author in order to determine whether the text is meeting the original goals of
the author. There are three main concepts around which Rhetorical Analysis revolves such as
the description of the content in the text, analysis of the content, as well as evaluation of the
content.
Writing a Rhetorical Essay
It is a tough task to write a rhetorical essay as it requires preparation for Writing a Rhetorical
Analysis Essay. The main goal of writing a rhetorical essay is analyzing a complex text as well

as coming up with text which is easy as well as comprehensive for the reader to understand. It is
necessary to use critical thinking skills while writing a rhetorical paper in order to examine the
elements of the text which are being analyzed. The focus of writing should be based on how the
writer has written the text by exploring the content of the work. It is necessary to know about the
elements of a rhetorical situation in order to write a Good Rhetorical Analysis Essay. It is also
important to know how the elements of the rhetorical situation relate to one another. There are
three main elements of rhetorical situation such as Ethos, Pathos, as well as Logos. These
elements influence one another in the text. Thus, it is significant to know how these elements
work.
Ethos is defined as the credibility of the writer or the author. Ethos is analyzed by analyzing the
moral character of the author. It can also be analyzed by looking at the format which has been
used in writing the text. On the other hand, Pathos can be defined as the emotional feeling which
is evoked by the text in the audience. It helps in analyzing the feeling that the author has and the
feeling that the author the reader or the audience to experience. Apart from these two, Logos
helps in analyzing how the author persuades the audience about the message of his or her text.
How to write a good Rhetorical Essay?
There are certain things which should be kept in mind while writing the rhetorical paper in
order to make the paper effective. There is a set of tips which should be followed by the writer to
write an effective essay.
Prewriting

The author should start writing the essay by drafting a draft of the paper. The main points of the
paper or highlights of the paper should be noted down which can be used as a guide while
writing the paper. The author should develop a structure to analyze the content of the text.
Create an outline
Creating an outline helps in writing the paper in consistent way as well as smooth flow.
Therefore, before writing the paper, the author should develop an outline. It will help in
organizing the ideas and hence the author will not drift away from the main idea of the paper.
Gather information
A good paper is indeed based on good research as well as good writing skills. So, it is important
to identify a suitable writing style before starting to write the paper. The writing style should be
maintained throughout the paper. Apart from this, the author should also identify the audience as
well as examine the rhetorical appeal so that the author can address them effectively.
Develop a thesis statement
A thesis statement is considered as the backbone of the analysis. It helps in providing the
information to the audiences what to expect in the paper. The thesis statement provides a solid
base to the discussion and hence the author should focus on the thesis statement.
Write the Introduction
The writer should start writing the introduction of the paper by dividing the analysis into cases.
The writer should stat the text he or she is analyzing. Background information should also be
provided to the audience. But the information provided in the introduction section should be

brief as well as direct. The writer should also highlight the purpose of the paper and overview of
the essay should also be provided to the audience.
Develop the body paragraphs
There are three techniques which can be used in the text in order to develop a strong argument
for analysis. Every technique should be analyzed in the paragraph. Chronological order can be
used in order to discuss each technique. Each paragraph should be started with a topic sentence.
Compelling evidence should also be provided in the paragraph in order to support the argument
made in the Rhetorical Analysis Essay. But the author should ensure that the evidence used in
the paper is authentic as well as credible.
Write the conclusion
The author should conclude the paper by tying loose ends on the argument by summarizing all
the key points presented in the paper. Conclusion can be written in several ways. For example,
the author can conclude the paper by restating the thesis statement or pointing out the relevance
of the argument presented in the paper as well as the underlying message. The author can also
describe how it is related to the real world. The conclusion of the paper should be brief and it
should be ended by leaving a positive impression on the reader.
Revise the paper
After completing the paper, it is essential to go through the paper. It is one of the significant parts
of writing. Reviewing the paper will help in identifying if any mistake has been made in the
paper. It improves the effectiveness of the paper and makes a good impression on the reader.
Rhetorical Essay Example

In order to understand how to write a good Rhetorical Analysis Paper, it would be helpful to
analyze a Rhetorical Essay Example. Here is an example of a Rhetorical Essay. In the below
example A rhetorical analysis of “How to Think About Oil Spills” of Steven Hayward has been
done.
The article “How to Think About Oil Spills” has been written by Steven Hayward. The article
was published in Weekly Standard Magazine in June 2010. The author argues in the article that it
would be unwise to withdrawal from offshore drilling in regards to the deepwater horizon
platform explosion. He is an American author who has written several articles covering public
policy issues. He has authored the book Mere Environmentalism. He starts off the article by
touching on an earlier argument which he had made about offshore drilling technology has
enhanced. The article “How to Think About Oil Spills” goes on to talk about the lack of tradeoffs
to offshore drilling. He explains that there are some alternatives to the oil which is being drilled
offshore. He has also mentioned in his article about the ecological effects of the deepwater
horizon to other past offshore drilling disasters. Remaining part his article is focused on
illustrating as well as explaining the hazards of overreacting to the British Petroleum oil spill and
how the advantages of offshore drilling exceed the cost of the environment.
The article “How to Think About Oil Spill” tries to persuade the audience by stating that there is
no current alternative to offshore drilling which can meet the demand for oil in America. He is
trying to persuade the audience in this article by focusing on developing a relationship with the
audience (mostly the audiences are neo-conservatives). He is developing a relationship with the
help of ethos as well as connecting to the emotions of the audience with the help of pathos.
Rhetorical Essay Format

It is very tough to write a rhetorical analysis essay. Writing a rhetorical paper seems like a
daunting task. With the help of rhetorical analysis, an individual can analyze a poem, or a
painting, an advertisement, etc. But one of the most common forms of rhetorical analysis is
persuasive pieces. As writing a rhetorical analysis paper is a tough task, it is always helpful to
stick to the format of the essay. Following the format of the rhetorical essay helps in writing an
effective rhetorical paper. The format of the rhetorical essay has been given below;
Introduction
In the introduction section, the writer needs to state the document or the article or the essay that
he or she is going to analyze. Generally, the document, essay, or the article is referred to as
"Text" in rhetorical analysis. The author needs to inform the reader about the rhetorical situation
that is the author of the text, the intended audience as well as the context in which the article was
produced. It is also important to note that all the background information should be short as well
as concise.
Thesis
Generally, the thesis statement of the essay is located at the end of the introduction section of the
paper. A thesis statement usually consists of one or two sentences. The thesis statement tells the
reader about the purpose of the essay. Therefore, it should be specific as well as clear. It also
tells the readers what to expect from the paper. Apart from this, the author also needs to outline
the tools which will be analyzed. It is also important to outline the contribution of the tools to the
overall argument of the author.
Tools

The tools which will be analyzed should be clearly specified in the thesis. Some of the tools
which can be discussed are the way the author uses simile, imagery, or specific kinds of diction.
Diction is defined as word choices while imagery refers to the descriptive visual language. Apart
from this, a simile refers to the comparison between two things.
Body Paragraph
The body paragraph of the paper should analyze the concrete examples from the article that the
author is discussing. Each body paragraph should be started with a topic sentence and each topic
sentence should hearken back to the thesis. It helps in further proving the point which is
discussed in the essay. The writer should also consider that the topic sentence of each paragraph
should highlight the purpose of the author.
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
Ethos, pathos, and logos are used to influence and impact the reader. The author needs to use
ethos, pathos, and logos in the rhetorical paper as it increases the effectiveness of the paper. The
author can persuade the reader effectively with the help of ethos, pathos, and logos. Thus,
effective use of ethos, pathos, and logos should be done in the paper by the author.
Conclusion
The conclusion of the paper should address the overall argument made on the paper. The
conclusion section should be brief and concise. The author should not include new information
which has not been discussed in the paper. It reduces the effectiveness of the paper significantly.
The author should give an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the text. Apart from this,
the author should also reinforce why he or she believes the text proves effective or not.

Importance of Rhetorical Analysis
Rhetorical analysis is very significant for the students as it equips the students with several
necessary skills and competencies. With the help of rhetorical writing, the students can be aware
of the ways through which they can actively engage the audience. Rhetoric is the art of
discourse. Therefore, it is crucial for students to communicate effectively with the audience.
Rhetoric is also considered as the art of persuasion in speaking as well as writing. It is important
for writing or speaking that it must be persuasive. Hence, rhetoric makes it persuasive and hence
the author can persuade the audience effectively. Apart from this, the rhetorical analysis also
makes the students able to think critically. Critical thinking is an essential skill that every student
should have. Critical thinking skill allows the students to think for an issue from a different
perspective and hence a set of solutions can be developed with the help of critical thinking skill.
Critical thinking skill also helps in dealing with a complex situation.
The rhetorical analysis also helps the student to learn broad thinking skills. With the help of
broad thinking skill, a student can think about an issue from a wider perspective. It is very
important for students to have broad thinking skills.
Conclusion
In order to conclude the essay, it can be said that Writing a Rhetorical Analysis Essay is not an
easy job and hence the students need to learn the rules and format of writing the rhetorical paper.
It is also helpful to go through Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example to learn how to write the
rhetorical paper. The rhetorical paper helps the students to learn several essential skills such as
critical thinking skill, broad thinking skills, etc.