Rhetorical Analysis Study Guide

By: Kemen, Andy, Micah, and Jayden

AP Eng Lang/Per 3
10/1/2024
What is Rhetoric?
Rhetoric is the art of persuasive writing and having an impressive effect on the
audience with your piece. It is used to provide a framework for critical thinking and
for the audience to understand the writer’s thought process. As such, it is used in
almost every form of writing that is attempting to convey a point. One example of
the use of rhetoric in everyday life is through advertisements(ADs). Companies put
ADs on TV stations, billboards, benches, practically everywhere you can think of, all
for the purpose of drawing customers to their product to earn revenue and
popularity. Moreover, utilizing rhetoric is vital in making a companies argument
compelling on why someone should by their product.
What is the Rhetorical Situation?
● The rhetorical situation refers to how the author communicates with the audience
and the effect they intend to achieve including how they use the elements of
rhetoric.
● These elements include: exigence, purpose, audience, context, and message. The
exigence refers to the specific occasion that prompts the writer to write, the
purpose is why the speaker conveyed this message, the audience is who the writer
speaks to, the contexts are the circumstances surrounding the situation, the writer
is who developed the piece of text, and the message is what the writer wants the
audience to think or know.
● It is important to understand the rhetorical situation as it helps to understand the
texts they’re reading, the texts you’re writing, and how messages are crafted and
communicated across different contexts.
What are Rhetorical Choices and what are their intended
effects?
● Rhetorical Choices are verbs that describe what the author is doing in their
writing. It helps the reader understand what the author is trying to convey within
whatever they are reading.
● Examples of Rhetorical Choice verbs are; illustrates, persuades, acknowledges,
evokes, challenges, establishes, contrasting, urging, creates, etc.
● When an author uses Rhetorical Choice, it has a lasting effect on the reader,
helping the reader to understand the gravity of the situation in which they author
is talking about.
Here is a list of Rhetorically Accurate Verbs that can be used as rhetorical choices.
Rhetorically Accurate Verbs
Rhetorical Appeals
Rhetorical appeals are the strategies the writer utilizes to influence the audience in
their writing. These strategies are typically divided into three types:
ethos(credibility/ethical appeal), pathos(emotional appeal) and logos(logical appeal).
First, ethos can be expressed by establishing a trustworthy background with the
audience which would make them more likely to accept your argument. Next,
pathos can be expressed through emotional diction in order to evoke feelings in
the audience. Finally, logos can be expressed using statistics or logical reasoning
to win over the audience and make your argument more accurate.
Rhetorical Devices 1
1. Simile: A figure of speech comparing one thing to another of another kind, Using the words like or as.
a. Ex. “...As hard as nails”, “Like two peas in a pod”
b. When to use: Similes can be used to help a reader visual and have a clearer understanding of the situation/subject.
2. Metaphor: A figure of speech where a phrase is applied to an action to which it can not actually be applied to.
a. Ex.” Life is a rollercoaster”, “His heart was broken/shattered into pieces”
b. When to use: Similar to simile, can be used to make a clearer visualization of a subject, and can be used to
exaggerate an action.
3. Hyperbole: A statement that is exaggerated and meant to not be taken literally.
a. Ex. “I've told you a MILLION times”,
b. When to use: Can be used when trying to draw attention to a certain element of a story, convey emotion, dramatic
effect
4. Anaphora: A repetition of a word/phrase at the beginning of a successive clause.
a. Ex. Martin luther kings “i have a dream” in which he used “i have a dream” at the beginning of 8 conclusive
sentences.
b. When to use: Can be used to emphasize one's words, or make one’s words memorable
5. Imagery: visually descriptive or figurative language in literary work.
a. Ex. The sky was as blue as the ocean and the clouds sailed across it like white boats.”
b. When to use: Can be used whenever a description is necessary.
Rhetorical Devices 2
1. Juxtaposition: Two things placed next to each other with contrasting effect.
a. Ex. “All is fair in love and war”, “Sweet and Sour sauce”
b. When to use: Can be used to create a contrast that shows a similarity or difference between two things.
2. Irony: the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic
effect.
a. Ex. Someone saying “What a beautiful day” on a stormy cold day.
b. When to use: When creating suspense, bring complexity in the narrative structure, and contrast knowledge with ignorance.
3. Analogy: a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
a. Ex. Comparing me and him is like heaven and earth.”
b. When to use: Can be used to compare similarities between two unrelated things as a way to make a point through the
comparison
4. Anecdote: a short interesting story about a real incident or person.
a. Ex. Telling someone about the time your uncle fell asleep in the middle of a wedding ceremony
b. When to use: to show sides of their personality or events from their past that aren't part of the main narrative
5. Rhythm: Alliteration(the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.),
Assonance (repetition of vowels without repetition of consonants), Consonance(when words share the same consonant sounds, but
they come after different vowel sounds)
a. Ex. Alliteration(Clary closed her cluttered clothes closet) ,Assonance (His tender heir might bear his memory),
Consonance(Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.)
b. When to use: can be used to create a tone for the poem, and it can generate emotions or enhance ideas.
What is S.P.A.C.E.C.A.T and when should you use it?
S peaker 1. Speaker is the author or writer
P urpose 2. Purpose is the reason the text is created
3. Audience is the intended recipients of the message
A udience 4. Context is the circumstances surrounding the creation of the text
C ontext 5. Exigence is the immediate issue that caused the writer to write
6. Choices are the rhetorical techniques used by the speaker i.e.
E xigence language
C hoices 7. Appeals is basically ethos, pathos, logos
8. Tones are the attitude of the speaker towards what they’re
A ppeals writing, their feelings about the topic.
T ones
Rhetorically Accurate Verbs
Rhetorically accurate verbs are meant to describe what the author is doing in the
text. A couple examples of this include:

- argues / argument
- asserts / assertion
- suggests / suggestion
- claims / claim
- questions / question
- explains / explanation
- declare / declaration
Thesis Statement Frames
Frame 1: Given (element of the RS), Author (choice 1 w/ rhetorical verb) and (choice
2 w/ rhetorical verb) in order to convey (message).

Frame 2: By first (Rhetorically accurate verb), then (rhetorically accurate verb), and
finally (rhetorically accurate verb). (speaker/author) establishes a (tone description)
tone for (intended audience) challenging/urging/asking them to (intended purpose).