how to embed evidence for a rhetorical analysis essay


The of a rhetorical analysis wraps up the essay by restating the main argument and showing how it has been developed by your analysis. It may also try to link the text, and your analysis of it, with broader concerns.


The term “text” in a refers to whatever object you’re analyzing. It’s frequently a piece of writing or a speech, but it doesn’t have to be. For example, you could also treat an advertisement or political cartoon as a text.

I understand that a rhetorical analysis examines the author's use of language to accomplish a certain purpose. However, I am unclear about the actual STRUCTURE of an EFFECTIVE rhetorical analysis essay.

How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis

In your thesis, you should briefly mention the author’s purpose and main argument, then list 3 to 4 of the main rhetorical devices the author uses.What if the author used more than 3 to 4 devices?

The of your rhetorical analysis is where you’ll tackle the text directly. It’s often divided into three paragraphs, although it may be more in a longer essay.

Professors want to see your writing, not a long string of quotes. Quotations should support your
argument, not replace it. Don’t depend on quotations to make your point; instead, use them to back
up and develop your ideas. Be selective in choosing what to quote. If a passage does not fit one or
more of the criteria below, it is probably best to paraphrase the ideas in your own words.

of Health 35) Work with no authorIf there is no author for the work being used, the works cited reference will begin with the title of that work. For the in-text citation, use a shortened phrase or title (often the first word of the title). Place the word in either italics or quotation marks to match the works cited.In “Analytics of English Majors,” several key points are explored.(“Analytics of English Majors” 31) Here is a to how to format your draft in MLA Style 9th Edition


[PDF] Rhetorical Analysis Essay: Formatting

Evidence is important because it enables you to engage with your text. Remember to limit your evidence so that you have more commentary than evidence. Commentary is going to be your Rhetorical Analysis. It’s how you explain the significance of the evidence to help prove your thesis. This is your insight into the text with your own original thoughts. Think about why the author’s word choice in repetition. Why did the author make that word choice for that audience on that occasion? When developing your commentary, remember to keep asking yourself why and how to explain the intentions behind it. Also, it helps to think about the grammar structure too. Authors write with deliberate intention, so we want to examine possible explanations.

How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis | Key Concepts & Examples

Like all essays, a rhetorical analysis begins with an . The introduction tells readers what text you’ll be discussing, provides relevant background information, and presents your .

How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay

The next step: Finding patterns in repetition for cohesion and style. When writing a rhetorical analysis, repetition is only one of the multiple elements of the rhetorical situation. A speech will have repetition unlike an article which will have less repetition. We are going to look at two presidential speeches from two different periods of time to examine the exigence or catalyst that prompted the speech. I want to you think about the questions: Are they speaking because a certain event happened? Are they responding to a letter that they received? What could be the exigence? Why?

Summarizing and Quoting for Your Rhetorical Analysis Essay

What is the rhetorical situation? Keep in mind that it is important to look for potential evidence of the rhetorical choices you intend to write about, however underlining too many lines may clutter the passage into redundancy. If you might be wondering, what am I looking for? Remember you are searching for rhetorical choices. You should be asking yourself, “What is the writer doing with this style of repetition?” Is the style of repetition working together to identify as asyndeton or another style of repetition? Second, we want to begin looking for evidence in the grammar structure within the repletion for evidence in your essay. When writing an essay, I recommend that you Cite one phrase, that bromide quote that you really liked.

How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay–Examples & Template

Now that we have identified how to find patterns of repetitions for evidence and commentary, let’s discuss comparing and contrasting. Let’s take examine a presidential speech President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on December 7, 1941. Let’s identify and discuss the rhetorical situation together in the following excerpt.