Unlike various college-level assignments, a rhetorical analysis essay differs from various high school-level papers. As such, writing the first rhetorical analysis essay may prove a daunting task for many students.
This article will guide you on various steps for writing an excellent ap lang rhetorical essay and provide a rhetorical analysis essay template to guide your writing efforts.
What is a rhetorical analysis essay?
A rhetorical analysis essay is a form of writing that gauges the intent and technique of a piece instead of the content of the work. Here, for instance, you may gauge the style of how the author created their work, the purpose of the paper, and the effectiveness of the arguments.
The rhetorical analysis essay is a staple for AP English language and compositions. This essay can analyze various forms of work ranging from speeches, novels, tv shows, art exhibitions to advertisements.
The analysis essay comprises five paragraphs and is divided into a one-paragraph introduction, a three-paragraph body, and a single paragraph conclusion.
How to write a rhetorical analysis essay
Like various academic essays, much thought and consideration should go towards writing an analysis essay. Some of the steps to consider as you write your essay include:
1. Gather information
The first step to writing your rhetorical analysis paper is to examine the document under study. This examination should include an analysis of the writer, the occasion/ period in which the artist produced the work, the intended audience, the purpose, the subject of the document, and the tone used in writing your paper.
2. Gauge the appeals of the author
The appeals of a writer are the persuasive strategies used in building their claims. These appeals can be categorized into ethos, logos, and pathos.
Ethos are ethical appeals, e.g., the author’s qualifications in the field. Logos are logical pieces of evidence on which the arguments in your piece are based, while pathos is the emotional arguments in the text.
3. Analyzing styles and details
After analyzing the author’s appeals, the next step is to gauge the effectiveness of the word choice, tone, repetition, and figurative language. These tools will help you determine the mode of delivery and determine how each piece falls in place to achieve the overall result of the piece under study.
4. Outline your analysis
After collecting all the details essential for your paper, prepare an outline to properly showcase your analysis of the writer’s choices and their success in supporting their arguments. Within your outline, be keen to state the following:
- Writers intention
- Needs and expectations of the audience
- Basis of the claims in the piece
- Styles used to ensure the efficiency of the piece
- Impact of the art on the audience
- context of the paper
Ideally, the outline should showcase the flow of the paper and interlink various ideas in your essay. The outline is crucial as it allows you to gauge your paper’s completeness and helps you gauge various loopholes in your analysis.
Analyzing arguments in a rhetorical analysis essay
When analyzing the arguments in an essay, you should consider the claims, supports, and warrants behind various claims. The claim is the writer’s idea to relay to readers or a standpoint that an author is trying to portray to their readers.
The claim may be implied or stated boldly in the piece under analysis. The support comprises information that the argument is based on and the warrant, the logic connecting support to a claim.
Tips for writing an ap lang rhetorical analysis essay
- Always write in the third person and use present tense in your writing. This helps you maintain a commentary style and limits the chances of including personal opinions. As a result, you manage to maintain neutrality in your analysis, ensuring an objective evaluation of the work under study.
- Avoid introducing new information in the conclusion section, as this may limit the completeness of your paper.
- Properly cite any references used within your analysis.
Writing the rhetorical analysis essay introduction
Similar to various essays, the introduction of a rhetorical analysis provides relevant background information and shows the relevance of your evaluation.
When presenting your introduction, state the period in which the piece was released, the impact, and the impact in various periods.
We hope that this article helps you to structure your analysis paper. Feel free to engage our experts to guide your academic efforts for a unique outline.