Monty Python: The Argument Clinic: Director's Cut. Rhetoric and Composition/Rhetorical Analysis. Overview of Rhetorical Analysis[edit] A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS REFERS TO THE PROCESS OF ANALYZING A TEXT, GIVEN SOURCE OR ARTIFACT. The text, source, or artifact may be in written form or in some different sort of communication. The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to take into consideration the purpose, audience, genre, stance, and media/design of the given rhetorical situation. In other words, the analysis explores not only what everything means in the given source (content), but also why the author wrote about it (the purpose), who the author is (background), how the piece was organized (structure), where and/or when it was published (forum), and the intended message conveyed to the audience (topic).
A rhetorical analysis is one of the more challenging assignments in any writing class. The PURPOSE of a rhetorical analysis is to engage in critical thinking with the intention of effectively communicating an intended message to a predetermined audience. Critical Reading[edit] To explain? The Rhetorical Triangle. The Rhetorical Triangle (Taken from Writing Arguments, Chapter 4) Before looking at the construction of arguments, it is first necessary to look at their shape and form. To do this, we must recognize that arguments occur within a social context--they are the process/product of people interacting, and relating. Over the years, several scholars have mapped out these relations, much as you would a family tree. Aristotle was the first to notice the similarities of arguments and stories.
For Aristotle, the act of storytelling consisted of three elements: a story, a storyteller, and an audience. Storyteller----------------------------------->Story---------------------------------->Audience Similarly, arguments also required these three elements: Speaker/Writer----------------------------------->Message----------------------------------->Audience Aristotle defined these three elements as ETHOS, LOGOS, and PATHOS. What if this were an isosceles or right triangle? Argument Identification. Seech (2005) states that there can be many uses for language. For example, sometimes we wish to simply convey information. Sometimes we wish to persuade someone of something (i.e., reasons for believing). A third reason for language might be to explain something (i.e., why or how). In business, we attempt to provide "correct" and "persuasive" reasoning as the foundation of day-to-day business decision making.
Correct & persuasive reasoning involves an argument. So, what is an argument? Arguments at their most basic level consist of conclusions and premises. When someone presents an argument for something, the evidence, reasons or support are directed toward establishing the truth of some conclusion. Source: Seech, Zachary (2005). So, is this an argument? A final thought concerning conclusions is in order before progressing to a discussion of the supporting premises. Unsupported claims or conclusions are called opinions. Parts of an Argument. OWL. Contributors:Allen Brizee.Summary: This resource outlines the generally accepted structure for introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions in an academic argument paper.
Keep in mind that this resource contains guidelines and not strict rules about organization. Your structure needs to be flexible enough to meet the requirements of your purpose and audience. The following sections outline the generally accepted structure for an academic argument paper. Keep in mind that these are guidelines and that your structure needs to be flexible enough to meet the requirements of your purpose and audience. You may also use the following Purdue OWL resources to help you with your argument paper: Introduction The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions: What is this? You should answer these questions by doing the following: First, I will define key terms for my argument, and then I will provide some background of the situation. Thesis checklist Induction. Visual Argument Analysis.