BB 4: Ch.

4 Rhetorical Analyses
The process of analyzing a text, given source or artifact is referred to as Rhetorical
Analysis. The purpose of a rhetorical analysis is to determine how and why texts are or are not
influential. The component parts in writing a rhetorical analysis include: An Introduction, An
explanation of the rhetorical concepts, A description or summary of the subject, an analysis of
the subject, and last but not the least, A conclusion.
An introduction identifies the subject of the analysis, states the purpose and the thesis
statement, offers background information on the subject, and stresses its importance. In most
cases, the introduction of writing is usually brief; it talks just a few things about what the writer
will be discussing in the body of the document. Thus, the introduction of writing does not say
much about the subject. Its like giving a speech in class or doing a presentation in general, the
speaker does not begin to explain things right away. When giving a speech, the speaker
introduces him or herself, and then gives a brief definition or background about what he or she is
going to talk about. An introduction in writing is like giving a speech; the writer gives a brief
background about the subject and then proceeds to the next paragraph.
To analyze the subject, a writer needs to explain the rhetorical concepts in a way that the
readers would explicitly understand the explanation. It is important to define and explain to the
audience or the readers the rhetorical concepts of the writing. When professors give project work
without explaining to their students what to and what not to do, it is very difficult for the students
to think through what they are being asked to do. They try to figure it out themselves but without
a little support of explanation from the professor, they cannot pull it off. Therefore, it is very
important to explain to the audience what the subject is.

Summarizing the text the writer has analyzed give the readers an overall understanding.
This is important because sometimes readers dont have time to read the entire book so a couple
of paragraphs that summarize the whole text help them get a clear understanding of the text. In
addition to summarizing the text, it is better to analyze the text. Analyzing the text is based on an
interpretation of the rhetorical concepts that has already been defined. This could be done by
following the organization text the writer is analyzing, starting from the beginning to the end of
the text; or discussing the text through each rhetorical concept separately.
Pathos, Ethos, and Logos show the emotions, credibility, and the logic of writing,
respectively. Pathos is used by the writer to show the emotions of the writing. For example,
reading a story about a person with HIV/AIDS would make some readers sad, feel sorry for the
victim or even be angry at the victim for not protecting him or herself. Others would also not
care at all because it none of their business. Credibility is the quality of being trusted,
convincing, and/or believable. Some writers do not back up their arguments that their readers
begin to get bored while reading. A writer should be able to provide good and tangible reasons to
back up his or her arguments to make the readers know that he or she knows exactly what he or
she is talking about. Also, credibility comes from trusted sources that are very popular and that
people absolutely believe in them, such as: .org, .gov, etc. Citing logical examples make the
readers even believe in the writer the more. Writers can use logics such as real life examples,
dates, and more to prove their points. This makes the writing more realistic.
Last, conclusion is where the writer wraps up the analysis. The conclusion shouldnt
more than two paragraphs but should answer at least one of the following questions: what does
my rhetorical analysis reveal about the text I studied? What does my analysis tell my readers
about the rhetorical concept(s) I used to analyze the text? Why is my explanation of the text or

the rhetorical concept(s) important to my readers? And last, what should my readers look for in
the future with this kind of text or this persuasion strategy? These are the component parts in
writing a rhetorical analysis.