Thesis & Commentary
What should a rhetorical analysis thesis include?
The author’s purpose and the rhetorical choices they use.
What rhetorical appeal relies on credibility or character?
Ethos
Identify the device: "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end..."
Antithesis or Repetition
What is the author’s purpose in a rhetorical analysis?
To persuade, inform, or entertain.
What does the “S” in SOAPS stand for?
Speaker and Subject.
What is the difference between a summary and commentary?
Summary tells what happened; commentary explains how and why.
Whay appeal target the audience's emotions
Pathos
What is a rhetorical question?
A question asked for effect, not to get an answer.
True or False: The intended audience can affect the tone of a text.
True
What does "O" stand for in SOAPS?
Occasion (time/place/context).
In commentary, what should you always connect back to?
The author’s purpose or rhetorical situation.
What appeal uses logic, data, or reasoning?
Logos
Giving human qualities to non-human things is called what?
Personification
How might an author adjust their appeals depending on the audience?
They might use more emotional or logical appeals depending on what the audience values.
What word describes the author’s attitude toward the subject?
Tone
What makes a strong rhetorical choice in an essay?
Specific, purposeful techniques like repetition, tone shifts, appeals, etc.
True or False: Anecdotes are an example of logos.
False (They appeal more to pathos.)
“The pen is mightier than the sword.” This is an example of what rhetorical device?
Metaphor
An author writes a speech filled with national symbols and emotional language during wartime. What is the likely purpose?
To unify and emotionally inspire the audience.
Give an example of a tone word that expresses anger.
Irritated, bitter, outraged, etc.
What makes a rhetorical analysis thesis stronger: naming the devices or explaining their effect?
Explaining their effect
A strong thesis connects rhetorical choices to the author’s purpose or message.
An author begins an essay by recounting a personal story of overcoming poverty, then supports their argument with statistics on income inequality. Identify the two rhetorical appeals used and explain how they function together to strengthen the argument.
Pathos and Logos
Pathos is used through the personal story to emotionally connect with the audience, while logos is used through statistics to provide logical evidence. Together, they make the argument both relatable and credible, appealing to both the heart and the mind of the reader.
When a writer references another well-known work, person, or event, what is that called?
Allusion
Why might an author adjust their tone when addressing a group of professionals versus high school students?
Because different audiences require different levels of formality and language.
How can diction affect tone?
Word choice influences how the reader perceives the speaker’s attitude.