How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis | Tips & Examples

Rhetoric, the craft of effective, persuasive speech and writing, has been studied for millennia. Rhetorical analysis looks at how something is expressed rather than what is being expressed. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are among the many great philosophers and writers who have written about the topic.

A rhetorical analysis, therefore, examines techniques employed by the author or speaker that are designed to sway the audience’s opinions or feelings. Perhaps the best-known technique is the rhetorical question, in which the questioner uses a question as a rhetorical device to have an effect on their audience.

Key rhetorical concepts

The study of rhetoric has two useful purposes: to understand how a writer or speaker has been successful in affecting their audience and to learn how to use these techniques in your own writing or speaking to win over your own audience.

Over the centuries, many theories and explanations have been examined and proposed, but in modern understanding, rhetoric centers on the following main concepts:

Appeals to pathos, logos, and ethos

An appeal is what the author uses to persuade their audience. Aristotle identified three key appeals that we still discuss today. They are pathos, logos (pronounced in American English and in British English), and ethos.

Pathos: From this Greek word, we get “pathetic,” “sympathy,” and “empathy,” and its original meaning of “suffering” provides a clue to its meaning in rhetoric. A pathetic appeal is one that appeals to the audience’s emotions. The author might provoke anger, fear, or any other emotional response.

Logos: Literally meaning “word” in Greek, we find this word in terms such as “theology” and “biology,” where the “-logy” suffix means “study.” In rhetoric, it refers to the use of reason and logic (also from logos) to persuade your audience.

Ethos: This is the Greek word from which we get the English word ethos (meaning characteristic habits, attitudes, and beliefs of individuals or groups). In rhetoric it has a different meaning, though. An appeal to ethos is when the author puts themself forward as an example or expert or authority.

These are all fundamental parts of the art of rhetoric, and you are likely to find them in any persuasive text. Being able to identify them is thus central to being able to analyze rhetorical technique.

Putting the “text” into “context”

When we study rhetoric then, a text can be many things, including images, moving images, advertisements, and (of course) written texts.

When analyzing a print advert, for example, the analysis will probably include consideration of the visual elements as well as textual ones.

The word context is used to describe everything surrounding a text. In other words, the context of Winston Churchill’s speech to Parliament after Dunkirk was the tremendous humiliation of the British Army in France as well as the relief felt that an even larger disaster was averted by the evacuation.

An analysis of text and context should consider who the audience is, who the author is, and what the intended effect was or is.

Making claims, giving supports, and using warrants

The purpose of a rhetorical text is to persuade the audience of the author’s point of view. Sometimes the purpose is explicit—a logical argument presented to convince the reader or listener. On other occasions the purpose might be implicit—such as with a satirical or ironic piece.

Whatever approach is taken, the argument is constructed using claims, supports, and warrants.

A claim is a central idea that the author wants to make and persuade the audience about. There might be one central claim or a series of claims. It is most common for them to be explicitly stated, but they might be implied.

The claims made in a text are backed up by supports. These might be facts or appeals to pathos, for example.

A claim is connected to its support through the use of warrants, which are assumptions or logic that back up the claim. These might be explicit (e.g., “Every dollar spent on preventative measures saves five dollars in later medical bills by reducing ill health”) or they might be unstated (e.g., “The weather was appalling that day; very few votes were cast”).

Textual analysis

Analyzing the rhetorical features of a text begins with a careful reading with the purpose of identifying the techniques used by the author. This process can be made easier by asking yourself a series of questions:

• Is the author’s purpose clear?
• Who or what is the intended audience?
• What is the tone of the text? Is it angry, emotional, formal, informal?
• What evidence is presented?

These questions will help you focus on what rhetorical devices are being used and what their intended purpose is. You can then form your own judgment about how effective they (and the text overall) are.

Rhetorical analysis: Introduction

As with any essay, a rhetorical analysis begins with an introduction. However, as with most non-examination essays, it is wisest to write the introduction after the body paragraphs and before the conclusion.

The most important part of the introduction is the thesis statement. This is where you set out the main thrust of your analysis. From it, all your subsequent analysis should flow. Mouse over the various parts of the introduction below to see how it works.

Rhetorical analysis: The analysis

You will need one topic for each paragraph of your rhetorical analysis essay, and the length of the essay (and thus the number of paragraphs) will depend on the rubric for the assignment. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that introduces the central idea for the paragraph.

Rhetorical analysis: Conclusion

Your conclusion should restate the main thesis and summarize the main points of the essay without lapsing into too much repetition. It’s an opportunity to refresh your reader’s memory as to the case you have made without introducing any major new ideas.

Frequently asked questions about rhetorical analysis essays

What are logos, pathos, and ethos?

Logos, pathos, and ethos are the three modes of persuasion, or ways to persuade people. More specifically:

• Logos appeals to the audience’s reason. It involves presenting logical arguments, statistics, and facts.
• Pathos appeals to the audience’s emotions. It involves influencing the audience’s emotions through storytelling or evocative language so that they are more likely to accept the speaker’s viewpoint.
• Ethos appeals to the speaker’s or writer’s credibility. It involves establishing the speaker’s or writer’s authority, trustworthiness, and moral character, making the audience trust them.

What are claims, supports, and warrants?

A claim is, as the name suggests, a claim that the author is making, a key point. The evidence that is given to back it up is known as a support, and the link between the two is called a warrant.

A warrant can be explicit (e.g., “We need to reduce adolescent obesity rates because they have contributed to a terrifying spike in early-onset diabetes”) or implicit (e.g., “Adolescents today have higher rates of obesity, and there has also been an alarming rise in early-onset diabetes”). In this case, the reader is invited or expected to draw the link between the two halves of the statement.

Analyzing claims, supports, and warrants is often part of a rhetorical analysis essay.

What is the purpose of rhetorical analysis?

The purpose of rhetorical analysis can be one of several things. If you want to learn how to write persuasive, effective speeches or articles, then it is worth studying the art of doing so. Or if your interest is understanding how some people have managed to sway their audience particularly effectively, then you also might want to study rhetoric.

This can be of mere academic interest (e.g., a study of successful—or unsuccessful—marketing or political campaigns to understand why they succeeded or failed).

Or it can be of practical use, so that a campaign or speech can be crafted to be optimally effective. Certainly, studying the art of rhetoric can help anyone who wants to persuade someone to their point of view.

It is also of benefit for all of us to understand how advertisers, politicians, or bosses can seek to manipulate our opinions by their use of rhetoric.

How do I start a rhetorical analysis essay?

As with any essay, a rhetorical analysis essay needs a clear introduction. This will lay out the outline of your essay and will give a clear statement of your main thesis.

An introduction doesn’t have to be long, but it should link back to the prompt or question and set out the direction for the essay.

Apart from examination essays, it is usually best to write your introduction once you have finished the main body paragraphs of your essay. That way you already know the direction your essay has taken.

How do I write a conclusion for a rhetorical analysis?

The conclusion to a rhetorical analysis essay should include a brief summary of the points you have made in your essay and a reframing or restatement of your main thesis statement.

It can be a challenge sometimes to write an effective conclusion because you don’t want to repeat yourself too much, but you also should not be including any major new points in the discussion.

A well-written conclusion wraps up the essay in a neat and satisfying way and leaves the reader with a clear idea of what they have read.