Rhetorical Elements: Analysis Strategies

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Rhetorical ElementsAnalysis Strategies

• Exigence, Persona,
• SOAPStone and DIDLS

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Exigence

• Why did the author write this? What was
  getting under his/her skin? What was he/she
  thinking about? What emotional reaction was the
  author having?
• Shakespeare and Macbeth New Scottish/English
  king who believed in the supernatural as elements
  of the devil. In addition, this king also
  happened to be the patron of Shakespeares acting
  company.

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Exigence continued

• Martin Luther King and I Have a Dream He
  wanted to inspire the people in the civil rights
  movement he also wanted to present the idea of a
  country without prejudice to the US as a whole
• Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry
  Finn He had a successful boys book in Tom
  Sawyer as the writing of the book continued, he
  became disgusted with certain aspects of society,
  including violence, gullibility, and greed.
  Later part of the book reflects this.

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Persona

• The role the author chooses to play. Not the
  same as the author.
• Similar to point of view in fiction
• To Kill a Mockingbird Scouts role
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Hucks role
• A Modest Proposal Swift is playing the role of a
  well educated, thoughtful Irish politician who
  believes he has a practical solution to poverty
  in Ireland.
• The author can be him/her self yet still play a
  role. Parents can play dumb, tough, etc.
  Politicians can play family person, hero,
  villain, common person,etc.

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SOAPStonean overview

• SSpeaker
• OOccasion
• A---Audience
• P---Purpose
• S---Subject
• T----tone

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S--Speaker

• The individual or collective voice of the text
• Is it the authors own voice?
• Is it a certain persona the author chooses?
• Is it reflecting a group?
• Is it reflecting a governmental body? (We the
  people)
• Most likely it is a combination of all or some of
  these

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O--Occasion

• The event or catalyst causing the writing of the
  text to occur
• The Declaration of Independence by Thomas
  Jefferson
• Second Inaugural Address by Abraham Lincoln
• The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln
• Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther
  King, Jr.
• We Have Nothing to Fear. by Franklin Delano
  Roosevelt

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A---Audience

• The specific group of readers to whom the text is
  directed
• Marc Antony and Brutus Roman citizens
• Macbeths letter Lady Macbeth
• Atticuss closing argument the jury but a
  specific jury
• Thomas Paine, The CrisisRevolutionary War
  Soldiers
• Patrick Henry, Speech to the Virginia
  Conventiona colony largely opposed to war

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P--Purpose

• The reason behind the text
• What the author wants us to do with the exigence
  placed before us
• A certain verb..
• To free the prisoners
• To find the defendant not guilty
• To kill Duncan
• To mutiny against Brutus, Cassius, and the other
  conspirators

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S--Subject

• The general topic and/or main idea
• Todays campaign messages our candidate and why
  he/she is the best choice
• NFL Sunday Football Football is cool, great,
  exciting, fun, etc.
• Gary Larson Cartoons Lifes more interesting
  through a unique perspective
• Brutus and Antony Caesar is dead what are we
  going to do about it?

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T--Tone

• The attitude of the author/persona toward his or
  her subject
• Lincoln somberGettysburg Address
• P. Henry urgent---Speech to the Virginia
  Convention
• Lady Macbeth disgustedher husband is a coward
  if he doesnt kill Duncan
• Marc Antony hesitant at first then strong
• Atticus practicalit makes sense to believe
  Toms version of things

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DIDLSan overview

• DDiction
• I----Images
• D-----Details
• L----Language
• S----Sentence Structure

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Diction

• What words does the author use?
• The evil that men do lives after them, the good
  is oft interred with their bones.
• The question before the house is one of awful
  moment to this country.
• Yesterday, December 7, 1941 a day that will
  live in infamy.

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Images

• What images does the author create?
• Visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, gustatory,
  kinesthetic
• How do these images imbue (permeate) the piece
  with sensory images?
• I would, while it was smiling in my face, have
  plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and
  dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have
  done to this.

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Details

• Which details does the author include and omit?
  
• Lady Macbeth mentions he had made a promise
  (which he had not).
• Atticus points out Tom can only use his right
  hand, while Mr. Ewell writes left handed
• Lincoln mentions four score and seven years ago

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Language

• What type of language does the author use?
• All right, then, Ill go to Hell.
• Ask Not what your country can do for you, ask
  what you can do for your country.
• We are apt to listen to that siren till she
  turns us into beasts..
• You are not wood, you are not stones, but men.

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Sentence Structure

• Simple, compound, complex, compound-complex
• Use of phrases
• Sentence variety
• Vivid verbs, etc.
• Active or passive voice

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Additional element Design

• Dictionary definitions
• verb (used with object)
• to prepare the preliminary sketch or the plans
  for (a work to be executed), especially to plan
  the form and structure of to design a new
  bridge.
• noun
• the combination of details or features of a
  picture, building, etc. the pattern or motif of
  artistic work the design on a bracelet.

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Design as it applies to media

• The overall look, feel, and sound of the piece
• Color?
• Camera angles?
• Use of pausing?
• Music and/or sound effects? (soundtrack)
• Special effects?
• Key question what design choices did the
  director make to convey certain ideas?
• Example Shindlers Listthe girl in the red
  dress

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Design

• Example Schindlers Listthe girl in the red
  dress