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.
Continue reading: What is the purpose of rhetorical analysis?
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.
Continue reading: What are claims, supports, and warrants?
To start a body paragraph when writing an essay, you should write a topic sentence that includes two pieces of information:
- The topic of the upcoming paragraph
- How that body paragraph topic is connected to your essay’s main idea
You can also include a transition word or phrase (e.g., “also” or “additionally”) to show how the body paragraph relates to the others in your essay. Here are examples of topic sentences from a literary analysis essay:
- One way that Walker develops a theme about cultural heritage is through the use of dialogue.
- Walker also uses imagery to differentiate Dee’s approach to cultural heritage from Mama’s.
No matter how you start your body paragraphs, they need to be error free. QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will instantly find and fix typos.
Continue reading: How do I start a body paragraph?
A strong conclusion in a literary analysis includes this information:
- A reminder of the author’s main theme or purpose.
- A summary of how the literary devices or techniques that you analyzed in your body paragraphs are connected to the author’s theme.
- A final insight about how the text enhances readers’ understanding about a particular topic or theme.
One way to speed up the process is by using QuillBot’s free AI conclusion writer to show you a sample conclusion, which you can then adjust to match the goals of your analysis.
Continue reading: What should a strong conclusion in a literary analysis always include?
Getting the first steps right when writing a literary analysis is like making sure a building’s foundations are done properly. If you get it wrong, it undermines the rest of your work.
The most important first steps are:
- Make yourself familiar with the text. The deeper your knowledge, the easier it is to analyze it.
- Compose your thesis statement.
- Write your topic sentences and put them in the best logical order.
- Write your body paragraphs.
- Write your introduction.
- Write the conclusion.
QuillBot’s free online Notepad can help you keep track of your ideas throughout the essay-writing process. When you have finished your first draft then it’s time to proofread your work, check the grammar and spelling (you can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker), check any citations (try the QuillBot Citation Generator), and check for plagiarism (using the QuillBot Plagiarism Checker).
Continue reading: What are the first steps to take when organizing a literary analysis?
Put simply, a topic sentence expresses the topic to be discussed in a paragraph in a clear and concise way. It is the first sentence of the paragraph, and the body text expands, explains, and evidences the point expressed.
Writing an effective topic sentence is possibly the hardest part of writing an essay and, at the same time, the most effective way of improving your essay writing.
QuillBot’s free online Notepad can help you keep track of your essay notes, and our Paraphrasing Tool can help you to create effective topic sentences.
Continue reading: What is a topic sentence?
There is no absolute rule for this, but in general, a paragraph will be between 150 and 250 words.
If it is much shorter than this, then you need to consider if the point you are making is substantial enough or if you have included enough evidence to support your point.
If it is much longer, then you need to consider breaking it down into smaller points when writing your essay.
That is not to say that a 300- or 350-word paragraph will always be too long. But it is a guideline to help you judge the effectiveness of your essay.
QuillBot’s Paraphrasing extension can help you phrase paragraphs in the most effective way. Additionally, QuillBot’s Word Counter tool can help you track the word count and readability level of your essay.
Continue reading: How long is an essay paragraph?
To find out how many body paragraphs should be in an essay, look for clues such as these in your assignment instructions.
- If your assignment says “5-paragraph essay,” you need 3 body paragraphs. The 5-paragraph format is common for beginner-level writing classes and essay test questions.
- Look for a required word count. An essay paragraph is usually about 200 words. Divide the total number of words required by 200 and subtract 2 for the introduction and conclusion.
- Look for a required number of pages, and plan for about 2 paragraphs on each double-spaced page.
While your instructor is always the best source of information about how many body paragraphs you need, QuillBot’s AI Chat can also help you unpack assignment requirements if you include them in your AI prompt.
Continue reading: How many body paragraphs should be in an essay?
The best way to start a paragraph in an essay is with a topic sentence. This is a sentence that expresses clearly and concisely the point that the paragraph will be making.
Possibly the most difficult aspect of essay writing is learning how to formulate your ideas into effective topic sentences. It takes practice, but it is well worth the time spent.
One further advantage of topic sentences is that you can easily create an outline using them, which is the basis of your plan.
QuillBot’s online Notepad can help you during the planning stages of your essay writing. You can also use QuillBot’s Paraphrasing Tool to come up with just the right words for your essay.
Continue reading: How do you start a paragraph in an essay?
It depends a little on what type of essay you are writing. Most college and high school essays will be argumentative or expository, and they need a different introduction from a narrative or descriptive essay.
With an expository, argumentative, or analytical essay, you will need an opening sentence that refers back to the prompt and contains a brief statement of the overall thesis for your essay (e.g., “While there is no doubt that smartphones have eroded the mental health of adolescents, there are some positives that suggest hope if the right changes are made in a timely manner”).
With a narrative or descriptive essay, be more creative and capture the reader’s attention from the first opportunity (e.g., “The place I remember the best is the one that I wish with my whole heart I could forget”).
Although your essay will most likely be read by someone who has to read it, it’s still important to make it as engaging as possible. Remember, yours might be one of several hundred being graded, so do everything you can to make it outstanding.
QuillBot’s Paraphrasing extension can help you come up with the best phrasing for your essay, and our online Notepad can help you throughout the planning and writing process.
Continue reading: What is the best way to start an essay?
