People often confuse rhetorical analysis as a summary of any literary work or a scholarly article. While reading an author’s written piece, you may have outlined out of the entire context or plotline. However, rhetorical analysis isn’t about understanding the meaning of the author’s or summarizing them. So, what exactly is a rhetorical analysis? And more importantly, how can you write a solid rhetorical analysis thesis? Let’s see below.
What is a Rhetorical Analysis?
A rhetorical analysis is about understanding the methods used by the author to achieve their goals or purpose of writing an article, a literal piece, or a book, etc. Furthermore, people report a rhetorical analysis thesis to articulate the “How” instead of “What” the writer or author writes. However, you must note that different authors have different ways of writing. Therefore, it is okay if you have interpreted and analyzed a written piece differently than others
Write a Strong Rhetorical Analysis Thesis
You may think that writing a rhetorical analysis thesis is straightforward. All it requires is a bit of time. However, many students and even researchers fail to make a mark with their rhetorical analysis simply because they weren’t aware of its basics. Yes, to write a rhetorical analysis thesis, there are specific rules and fundamentals that you must follow. Hence, we have come up with some essential tips to help you write a solid rhetorical analysis thesis. Also, while writing a rhetorical analysis, understand that authors usually use the three popular forms of appeal to convince their audience of what they want to convey. They are:
- Logos or the logical appeal.
- Ethos or the ethical appeal.
- Pathos or the pathetic appeal.
Read More: How To Write A Convincing Case Study In 7 Steps?
SOAPSTone Rhetorical Analysis
When writing a rhetorical analysis thesis, it would be best to consider using the SOAPSTone method. The SOAPSTone stands for an acronym – Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone. The method can help you interpret the author’s work better and enhance the overall quality of your rhetorical analysis thesis. To practice this method for your rhetorical analysis, you can follow the tips below:
- Determine the speaker
- Recognize the occasion
- Describe the audience well
- Understand the purpose of the written piece
- Investigate the writing better
- Determine the tone
Steps to Write Strong Rhetorical Analysis
The art of rhetoric helps a person understand the texts and arguments made by the writer and convey their messages to a particular audience. Since you must have known about it by now, here are some steps for writing a solid rhetorical analysis thesis.
Understand the Persuasion Strategy
Once you focus on finding the persuasive strategy used by the author to convince the audience, you will have a better understanding of the written piece. Any literary work to persuade may contain one or all three forms of appeals –Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. To know better, remember that:
- Logos refers to the logical appeal used by the author to convince readers through logical reasoning and facts.
- Ethos refers to the ethical appeal used by the author to convince readers through the exhibition of morals and justification.
- Pathos refers to the emotional appeal used by the author to convince readers through emotions and emotional responses.
Read Multiple Times
When you read a written piece, you can easily misunderstand and misinterpret the author’s message that was intended to be conveyed. However, on the second and third read, you can understand the written piece more in-depth. So, try to read multiple times and dig as deep as possible before writing your rhetorical analysis thesis.
Create an Outline
Once you reach a point where you are confident enough to start articulating the author’s work, you must begin your writing with an outline. It would be best if you structured the outline to make for clear thesis statements. Here are some key points to remember while creating an outline.
- Introduction: The introduction paragraph works as the first impression on readers. Try to start strong by introducing the text on which you are doing the rhetorical thesis. A crisp summary is the safest way to go here.
- Body: The body contains the majority of the rhetorical analysis. Here try to justify your argument with examples to support your messages and outcomes procured from the written piece.
- Conclusion: It is the last paragraph where you must focus upon tying everything all together. You can end with a drawn-out message.
Also Read: How To Format Your Critical Essay?
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FAQs
Q: What’s the goal of a rhetorical analysis?
A: To explain a written piece to convey the author’s message to the audience.
Q: What counts as a text for a rhetorical analysis thesis?
A: A written piece that a person can analyze, such as a scholarly work.