"Class in the Classroom" analytical essayWrite a formal, academic essayanalyzing TWO writing strategiesHalberstam used to make the article an effective one. This assignment is not about the content o
What is rhetoric?
Simply put, rhetoric is the art of making a convincing argument. The ancient Greeks were the first rhetoricians, and we continue to employ many of their ideas for effective argumentation.
What is a rhetorical analysis?
Writers, filmmakers, artists use many strategies to communicate their arguments and ideas. Just about anything that works to assert an idea can be a rhetorical strategy. For example, if I dress in all black, or all pink, that in itself makes a statement. If I choose one example over another, one word over another, I am consciously making decisions about what will further my argument.
When making a rhetorical analysis, critical thinkers consider the strategies the writer, filmmaker, or artist may have employed to help communicate meaning.
For analysis of written and spoken arguments:
The classical appeals
ethos (author's credibility, use of sources, appeal to higher moral ground)
logos (examples, testimony, logical arguments, stats, unity of argument)
pathos (appealing to emotions through anecdotes, value-laden words)
For analysis of art
color
texture
size & shape
artistic line
framing
For analysis of film & photography
black and white v. color
angle
cinematic techniques
For analysis of written arguments
repetition (anaphora)
analogy
vivid examples
format
sentence structure
word choice
organization
audience awareness
tone (formal or informal)
humor
This list is not exhaustive, and the items on it not mutually exclusive. The trick is to be aware of the intentionality of choices and how those choices affect the idea or argument.
Be able to identify those choices in the works of others, and utilize rhetorical strategies to make your own arguments persuasive.
