Rhetoric the art of speaking or writing effectively

Rhetoric: the art of speaking or writing effectively (Merriam-Webster)

SOAPSTone New American Lecture

Speaker The voice that is telling the story or giving the information. Is it an omniscient narrator, a character in the story, or the actual author? Why did the author chose that person to be the speaker? What details about this person are important to know?

The speaker in this scene is Megamind, the protagonist of the story. The writers likely chose to have him narrate because they want us to be on his side - to believe his retelling instead of piecing together our own. Megamind is a super villain who has been largely misunderstood.

Occasion The time and place of the writing; the context that prompted the writing. All writers are influenced by the larger occasion: an environment of ideas, attitudes, and emotions that swirl around a broad issue. Then there is the immediate occasion: an event or situation that catches the writer's attention and triggers a response.

Occasion When and where do the events take place? From what geographical and chronological context is the speaker thinking and acting? How does the time and place affect and inform the text? What details are given about the occasion in the text itself?

Megamind lives in Metro City, a fictional city that he has no place in. Megamind has never been very well understood and this is his attempt at explaining how he transitioned from evil to good. He (or the writer) could be trying to prove that he was never really bad, just misguided or misunderstood.

Compare and contrast Megamind as a speaker versus Metroman as a speaker. What is important to each of them?

Audience The group of readers to whom this piece is directed. It may be one person or a specific group. This choice of audience will affect how and why a particular text is written. Who was the text written for? Why was it written for them? What characteristics do you know about the audience and how do you know that the text was written for them in mind?

Presumably, the audience is the citizens of Metro City. However, in many ways it is also the viewers who are also regular citizens who don’t understand the inner-workings of a villain's brain.

Purpose The reason behind the text. The author could be attempting to persuade, inform, entertain, explain, or describe. Why would the author write this particular text for the audience you noted above? What does the author think or hope the audience of the text will think about the text or do as a result of it? How does the author effectively (or ineffectively) make his or her purpose clear and realize the purpose’s goals?

Megamind and his writer are seeking to persuade us that he is not a total bad guy. They want us to believe that he was forced into a life of crime and was never taught any better. They want us to feel pity for Megamind and think that he is misunderstood - his actions are a product of his misled upbringing and not his true character. They do this by using irony, creating a discrepancy between what Megamind says and what we see and can interpret about his life based on our own experience.

If you were to tell your backstory, what would be your purpose? What do you think people could learn or enjoy from hearing about your life?

Subject The topic or primary idea of a text. What is the author really getting at? What is the idea/topic behind what they are saying? What does the author reveal (or not reveal) about the subject?

The subject of this section of Megamind is Megamind’s life story. However, it is also about humanity and stereotypes. The writer seems to believe that how someone is labeled doesn’t determine who they really are. This story aims to show that.

Tone The attitude of the author. The spoken word can convey the speaker's attitude and thus help impart meaning through tone of voice. With the written word, tone extends meaning beyond the literal. Evaluate the word choice, organization, and rhetorical patterns in the writing.

Tone What is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject? Is the message heavy handed or subtle? What can you say about the structure of the text and how it creates the tone?

Megamind’s attitude is non-emotional and he instead presents his story somewhat factually. He doesn’t seem upset about his backstory or ask for our pity, which makes him endearing and gives a sense of subtlety to his message.

How would this section of the movie change if Megamind had a different purpose? Say he was trying to convince the world that he was the greatest supervillain to have ever lived? What might he focus on or take out? How would his tone change?

Definitions and Questions were taken (almost word for word) from: Newbold, C. (2017). SOAPStone Strategy for Written Analysis. Retrieved from The Visual Communication Guy: https: //thevisualcommunicationguy. com/2017/07/ 26/soapstone-strategy-for-written-analysis-2/ SOAPSTone: A Strat egy for Reading and Writing AP Central -The College Board, 2018.