Checklist for Rhetorical Analysis



Checklist for Rhetorical Analysis

|I. Analyzing the Arrangement |

|Description: This process is designed to make explicit the structure of the article, the function of each section, and the claims made by |

|the writer. |

| |

|1. Draw a line where the introduction ends. Is it after the first paragraph, or are there more |

|introductory paragraphs? |

|2. Divide the body of the essay into sections based on topics or themes. |

|3. Draw a line where the conclusion begins. Is it the last paragraph or does it begin before that? |

|4. In the margins, write brief statements describing the rhetorical function and content of each |

|paragraph or section. |

|What does each section do for the reader? What is the writer trying to accomplish? |

|What does each section say? What is the content? (Helps to summarize) |

|What are the major claims or assertions made by the writer? (You may want to underline these.) |

|5. Lastly, what do you think is the essay’s main point? Is it explicit or implicit? |

|II. Audience and Purpose |

| |

|1. Who is the audience for this piece? |

|2. Does the writer use appropriate tone and/or voice to address his or her audience? |

|3. What is the writer trying to accomplish with this piece? |

|III. Thinking Critically |

|Ethical Questions (Ethos) |

| |

|1. Who is this author? What can you tell from the information in the text? Does he or she have the |

|background to speak with authority on this subject? |

|2. If you were going to perform a background research on this author, what would you want to |

|find out? Why? |

|3. What sort of ethos does this writer try to project in this article? What devices does he/she use to |

|project this ethos? |

|4. Do you trust this author? Do you think this author is deceptive? Why or why not? |

| |

|Questions about emotional effects (Pathos) |

| |

|1. Does this piece affect you emotionally in any way? What parts? |

|2. Do you think the author is trying to manipulate your emotions in any way? How? |

|3. Do your emotions conflict with your logical interpretation of the arguments? In what ways? |

| |

|Logical Questions (Logos) |

| |

|1. Aristotle notes that in ordinary speaking and writing, we often use what he calls a “rhetorical |

|syllogism” or an enthymeme—which is an argument in which some of the premises remain |

|unstated or are simply assumed. Locate major claims and assertions you have identified in your |

|previous analysis and work out the unstated assumptions behind them. Are these assumptions |

|valid? Why or why not? Explain. |

|2. Look at the support/evidence for major claims and ask, “Is there any claim that appears to be |

|weak or unsupported? Which one and why? |

|3. Can you think of counter-arguments that the author fails to deal with? |

|4. Do you think the author has left something out on purpose? Why or why not? |

| |

|Lastly, after you consider all your responses to previous questions, are you persuaded by this author’s thesis and arguments? Why or why |

|not? |

|IV. A More Practical Application |

| |

|Good writers tend to touch on all three of these appeals in the course of their essays. That is not to say that an equal emphasis should be |

|given on logos, pathos, and ethos every time (of course, this depends on the kind of essay that you are writing), but experienced writers |

|understand the various uses and effects of each appeal, and uses them accordingly to strengthen their arguments. |

| |

|Examples of Logos—Here you pay attention to your audience by arranging your thoughts into patterns that most people would find reasonable and |

|convincing. |

| |

|1. Reasoning from consequences: The outcome of an idea that guides your reasoning about its merit. |

|Ex. If we don’t pay teachers more, then the good teachers will be forced to find work elsewhere, and we will be left with teachers who aren’t |

|as qualified to teach. |

| |

|2. Reasoning from comparisons: Arguing for or against a point of view by comparing it to another situation. Ex. A school district in Texas |

|raised teachers’ salaries and found that it was easier to attract higher qualified teachers and that overall worker morale was higher. |

| |

|3. Reasoning from authority, testimony, and statistics: Here you use the ideas and evidence from experts in the field you are writing about, |

|including statistics, research findings, etc. |

|Ex. “I taught for thirty years in some of the worst schools in Manhattan, and in some of the best, and during that time I became an expert in |

|boredom” (Gatto, 152). |

| |

|4. Reasoning from examples: Here you draw upon specific events or situations to demonstrate your point. The more specific and concrete the |

|illustration, the better. |

|Ex. “In 1999 one-quarter of U.S. public schools reported that the condition of at least one of their buildings was inadequate. In 1997 the |

|entire Washington D.C. school system had to delay the start of school for three weeks because nearly one-third of the schools were found to be|

|unsafe” (Moore, 140). |

| |

|Pathos- Here you aim at the reader’s heart by using language, quotations, examples, and images that provoke an emotional response. |

|Ex. When I went to my teacher’s home, I was shocked to discover that she was only able to afford a run-down apartment. The fixtures were old|

|and worn. The carpet was badly stained. And the noises from the neighbors came through the walls and floor. Since the heater didn’t work, |

|we sat in the cold as we talked. I hardly heard her words. Instead, I was asking myself again and again how my favorite teacher could give |

|so much to her students and yet live in such a filthy hole. |

| |

|Ethos- Here you appeal to the reader’s sense of fairness by discussing the ethics, morals and values behind the situation in question. |

|Ex. If we truly value our children, as we often say we do, then we should also value those we entrust to furthering their intellectual |

|development. In other words, if we care about our kids, then we should care about their teachers. |

(*Adapted from John Edlund, Director of University Writing Center)

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