Presidential Speech Rhetorical Analysis Advanced Placement Language Composition

Presidential Speech Rhetorical Analysis Advanced Placement Language & Composition

What is a rhetorical analysis? The University Writing Center at Texas A&M University says: “A rhetorical analysis is an essay that breaks a work of non-fiction into parts and then explains how the parts work together to create a certain effect—whether to persuade, entertain or inform. ” http: //writingcenter. tamu. edu/2010/types-communication/academicwriting/rhetorical-analysis/

What have others said about rhetoric?

“Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men. ” ~Plato

“The broad masses of a population are more amenable to the appeal of rhetoric than to any other force. ” ~Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

“Because of demagogues, rhetoric has a tainted reputation in our time. However, rhetoric is central to democratic governance. It can fuse passion and persuasion, moving free people to freely choose what is noble. ” ~George F. Will, One Man’s America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation

What is the purpose of a rhetorical analysis? “A rhetorical analysis should explore the rhetorician’s goals, the techniques (or tools) used, examples of those techniques, and the effectiveness of those techniques. ” http: //writingcenter. tamu. edu/2010/typescommunication/academic-writing/rhetorical-analysis/

Rhetorical Devices http: //samuelpearchprofessionalportfolio. wikispace s. com/file/view/Rhetorical+Devices+and+Appeals +Handout. pdf (PDF format) http: //webcache. googleusercontent. com/search? q =cache: z. Bbr. D 3 JONb. YJ: samuelpearchprofessionalp ortfolio. wikispaces. com/file/view/Rhetorical%2 BDe vices%2 Band%2 BAppeals%2 BHandout. pdf+rhetori cal+devices+handout&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us &client=firefox-a (html format)

What rhetorical devices should you use? Is it possible to analyze a speech using ALL of these rhetorical devices? Would it be conducive to do so? If so, do you think your audience would be able to absorb all of the information? If not, what ideas might you have to write an effective rhetorical analysis?

Rhetorical Triangle Author Who created this text? For whom? Why was the text created? Audience Purpose

Rhetorical Triangle: Author What do we know about the author? Educational background Political affiliations Socio-economic background Biases Investment in message

Rhetorical Triangle: Audience For whom is the message intended? What is the age, gender, socioeconomic status, or culture of the audience? What are the political affiliations? Where do we look for information about the audience?

Rhetorical Triangle: Purpose What is the purpose of your text? to inform? to entertain? to call to action? How can you infer the purpose of the text? How do you use rhetorical devices to find the purpose of a text?

Rhetorical Tools Considering the definition of rhetoric, what are the different ways we can use it? What is your definition of rhetorical devices? How can you use them to analyze non-fiction?

Rhetorical Appeals Ethos Logos Pathos

Common Rhetorical Devices Appeals Pathos Audience’s emotion Ethos Writer’s own credibility Logos Reason, evidence, and proof http: //youtu. be/o. Kt. QEn. ERh. SY

More information on using rhetorical devices Rhetorical Devices Rap by some AP Language & Composition students from a different school (Boston Community Leadership Academy): http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=G 2 Dtmhk 6 v. Jw

Building a Bridge Rhetorical Triangle: Author Audience Purpose Ethos Logos Pathos

Citing Your Sources: In-text Citations and Works Cited Page

Quality Websites for Presidential Speeches American Rhetoric The American Presidency Project Miller Center Presidential Speech Archive Ten Great Presidential Speeches Burges Databases

Quality Websites to Help You Organize Your Rhetorical Analysis Texas A&M University Writing Center http: //writingcenter. tamu. edu/2010/types-communication/academicwriting/rhetorical-analysis/ Purdue University Online Writing Lab https: //owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/725/03/ De. Paul University A Quick Guide to Rhetorical Analyses http: //condor. depaul. edu/writing/writers/Types_of_Writing/rhetanalysi s. html

Some Important Guidelines Familiarize yourself with rhetorical devices. Read the speech (to get the feel). Listen to the speech (if you have access). Read the speech again, looking for rhetorical devices. Take notes. Write your paper, using the strategies applicable to writing a rhetorical analysis. Keep track of your resources and write your work cited page as you go. Next class…how to cite your sources.

How to Create a "Works Cited" Page What are the steps? (using easybib. com/)

Steps to Create a "Works Cited" Page

Works Cited "University Writing Center. " University Writing Center. N. p. , n. d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.