Rhetorical analysis specific：具体的修辞分析

RhetoricalAnalysisCriticalReadingandWritingWhenyouareaskedtodoa"rhetoricalanalysis"ofatext,youarebeingaskedtoapplyyourcriticalreadingskillstobreakdownthe"whole"ofthetextintothesumofits"parts."Determinewhatthewriteristryingtoachieve,andwhatwritingstrategiesheorsheisusingtotrytoachieveit.Readingcriticallymeansmorethanjustbeingmoved,affected,informed,influenced,andpersuadedbyapieceofwriting.Readingcriticallyalsomeansanalyzingandunderstandinghowtheworkhasachieveditseffect.CriticalReadingWhat’sinaquestion?Onthenextslidesisalistofquestionstoaskwhenbeginningtoanalyzeapieceofprose.Thesequestionscanbeusedtosimplyreadthetextratherthanwriteaformalanalysis(asampleofdetailedformalanalysisfollowslaterinthissection).Keepinmindthatthewriterdoesnotneedtoapplyallofthesequestionstoeverytext.Thislistissimplyonemethodforgettingstartedonreading(andthenwriting)morecritically.QuestionstoaskforCRWhatisthegeneralsubject?Doesthesubjectmeananythingtoyou?Doesitbringupanypersonalassociations?Isthesubjectacontroversialone?

Whatisthethesis(theoverallmainpoint)?Howdoesthethesisinterpret/commentonthesubject?

Whatisthetoneofthetext?Doyoureactatanemotionalleveltothetext?Doesthisreactionchangeatallthroughoutthetext?

Whatisthewriters'purpose?Toexplain?Toinform?Toanger?Persuade?Amuse?Motivate?Sadden?Ridicule?Istheremorethanonepurpose?Doesthepurposeshiftatallthroughoutthetext?QuestionstoaskforCRHowdoesthewriterdevelophis/herideas?Narration?Description?Definition?Comparison?Analogy?CauseandEffect?Example?Whydoesthewriterusethesemethodsofdevelopment?

Howdoesthewriterarrangehis/herideas?Whatarethepatternsofarrangement?Particulartogeneral?Broadtospecific?Spatial?Chronological?Alternating?Block?

Isthetextunifiedandcoherent?Arethereadequatetransitions?Howdothetransitionswork?QuestionstoaskforCRWhatisthesentencestructurelikeinthetext?Doesthewriterusefragmentsorrun-ons?Declarative?Imperative?Interrogative?Exclamatory?Aretheysimple?Compound?Complex?Compound-complex?Short?Long?Loose?Periodic?Balanced?Parallel?Arethereanypatternsinthesentencestructure?Canyoumakeanyconnectionsbetweenthepatternsandthewriters'purpose?Doesthewriterusedialogue?Quotations?Towhateffect?

Howdoesthewriterusediction?Isitformal?Informal?Technical?Jargon?Slang?Isthelanguageconnotative?Denotative?Isthelanguageemotionallyevocative?Doesthelanguagechangethroughoutthepiece?Howdoesthelanguagecontributetothewriters'aim?

QuestionstoaskforCRIsthereanythingunusualinthewriters'useofpunctuation?Whatpunctuationorothertechniquesofemphasis(italics,capitals,underlining,ellipses,parentheses)doesthewriteruse?Ispunctuationover-orunderused?Whichmarksdoesthewriterusewhen,andforwhateffects?Dashestocreateahastybreathlessness?Semi-colonsforbalanceorcontrast?

Areimportanttermsrepeatedthroughoutthetext?Why?Arethereanyparticularlyvividimagesthatstandout?Whateffectdotheseimageshaveonthewriters'purpose?

QuestionstoaskforCRAredevicesofcomparisonusedtoconveyorenhancemeaning?Whichtropes--similes,metaphors,personification,hyperbole,etc.doesthewriteruse?Whendoeshe/sheusethem?Why?

Doesthewriterusedevicesofhumor?Puns?Irony?Sarcasm?Understatement?Parody?Istheeffectcomicrelief?Pleasure?Hysteria?Ridicule?RhetoricalAnalysisWhiletheterm"rhetoricalanalysis"is,atfirst,ratherintimidatingformanypeople,itiseasilyunderstood(atleastatitsmostbasic)whenbrokendownanddefined.Rhetoric:Theartofpersuasion

Analysis:Thebreakingdownofsomethingintoitspartsandinterpretinghowthosepartsfittogether.Inrhetoricalanalysis,then,weexaminehowauthorsattempttopersuadetheiraudiencesbylookingatthevariouscomponentsthatmakeuptheartofpersuasion.ComponentsofRhetoricAlthoughtherearecertainlymanydifferentviewpointsregardingwhat,exactly,rhetoricis,itisquiteoftendividedintothefollowinggeneralareas:1.Purpose:Whatistheauthorattemptingtodowithhis/herwork?Understandingtheintendedpurposeofatextisthefirst(andcrucial)stepinadeeperunderstandingofthetextandauthor2.Audience:Whoisthetextwrittenfor?Obviously,anauthor'sintendedreaderplaysalargeroleinhowtheauthorappealstotheaudience.Anaudienceconsistingofchildren,forexample,callsforverydifferentstrategiesthananaudienceofeconomists3.TheAppeals:Aristotle,whenreferringtothestrategiesthatwritersuseintheirtexts,discussesthreemaingroups:Ethos,Pathos,andLogos.ThreeRhetoricalStylesEthos:TheEthicalappealdoesNOTreferstrictlytoethics.Theethicalappeal,insteadreferstothecredibility,character,andconfidenceofawriter.Thereareanumberofwaysinwhichanauthormayestablishethicalappeal.

Pathos:Pathosisoftenreferredtoasthetheemotionalappeal,althoughitmaycertainlygobeyondemotion.Examplesofpathosincludetheuseofemotion-ladenwords,theuseofdescription,andtheuseofrepetition.

Logos:Thelogicalappealreferstotheuseofreasoningtoappealtothereader.Examplesofthisincludetheuseofdefinitions,statistics,law,andcomparisons.EthosAcmeGizmotronics,thecompanythatyou'vetrustedforover100years,hasrecentlyenteredtheWorldWideWeb!Nowyoucanpurchaseourfineproductsthroughtheinternet.Ourqualitygizmos,widgets,andthingamabobscanbeshippedtoyouwithinminutes.AllcomewiththefamouslifetimeguaranteethatmakesAcmethecompanythattheworlddependsonforit'sgizmoneeds.

Ourspokesperson,Mr.Coyotesays"I'mnotreallyacoyote,butIplayoneontv.I'veusedAcmeproductsforyears.Theirslingshots,rocketlaunchers,crowbars,pogosticks,andpowerpillsarethebestaround.Anddon'tforgettheirhigh-powereddynamite!IbuyeverythingfromAcme.TheyarethecompanythatItrustthemost."ethosACMEiscurrentlysupportingresearchintoaformofclean,ultra-efficient,cesium-basedpowerthatpromisestousherinanewperiodofcheap,globallyavailablepower.BasedonasmallislandoffthecoastofCostaRica,ACMETechnologyResearchisoneofourmostsignificantdivisions.

InterestedinlearningmoreaboutACME?Wethoughtyoumightbe.Backtoreality-EthosACMEisnotarealcompany,contrarytopopularbelief.It'ssomethingwemadeuptouseasanexampleofEthos.TheACMEhomepageisanexampleofethosbecauseofthewayitkeepsreferringbacktothecharacterofACME.ACMEisacompanythat"youhavetrustedforover100years."Theyevenhaveaspokespersonvouchingfortheirintegrity.ACME'snewdihydro-cesiumdetonationprocessBycombiningcesiumanddihydro-oxideinlaboratoryconditions,andcapturingthereleasedenergy,ACMEhaspromisedtoleadthewayintothefuture.Ourenergysourceisclean,safe,andpowerful.Nopollutantsarereleasedintotheatmosphere.Theworldwillsoonhaveanexcellentsourceofcleanenergy.

Atypicalexampleofenergyreleasedfromthedihydro-cesiumprocess.

ACME'snewdihydro-cesiumdetonationprocessACMEiscurrentlyworkingtowardsapatentonourprocess.Ourscientistsareexploringwaystousetheprocessincars,houses,airplanes,andalmostanythingelsethatneedspower.ACMEbatterieswillberefittedwithsmalldihydro-cesiumreactors.OncetheentireworldispoweredbyACME'sgenerators,wecanallrelaxandenjoyamucheasierlife.

BacktoReality-LogosLogosisanargumentbasedonlogicorreason.TheACMEResearchpageisprimarilylogos-basedbecauseitappealstothereasonofpeoplereadingit.ItsuggeststhatCesiumwillprovidetheworld'senergyforaverylongtime.Itisclean,safe,andefficient,allofwhichareappealstothelogicoftheaudience.Byusingsuchconvincingreasonsinitsargument,ACMEhopestoprovidetheworld'senergy.

Cesium-BasedReactorKills!Ababyturtlebreaksfreefromtheleatheryshellofitsegg,catchingitsfirstglimpseofitsfirstsunrise.Itpausesamomenttorest,unawareofthedangerthatliessoclosetoit.

Asthetidecomesin,approachingthenest,italsoapproachesasmallpileofmetal-cesium.Thewaterdrawscloserandcloser,theturtleunsuspectingofthedanger.

Finally,thewatertouchesthecesium.Thenestistorntobitsintheresultingexplosion,destroyingevenmoreofanendangeredspecies.Cesium-BasedReactorKills!Whydoesthishappen?Onename:Acme.

AcmeGizmotronicsissupportingadihydro-cesiumreactor,trying,intheiranthrocentrism,tosqueezeenergyoutofsuchdestructiveexplosions.And,theyaredumpingwa