Writing a Rhetorical AnalysisWriting a rhetorical analysis was kind of a challenge for me. Normally when we analyze something, we just do it in our minds. So writing my thoughts on a paper was kind of hard.
The first step in rhetorically analyzing a paper was to know what a rhetorical analysis includes. So for this, we read a paper called "Backpacks vs. Briefcases" by Laura Carroll. This reading breaks down rhetorical analysis of basically anything very easily. Once I had established how to rhetorically analyze (Am I allowed to use "rhetorically analyze" as a verb? Oh well..., the next step was relatively easy. I picked an article by Carolyn Denton titled "How Does Food Impact Health?" and was able to apply rhetoric to it to break it down piece by piece. Below is a sample of rhetorical analysis of that piece. |
"Would you care for a sample?"
...This article is able to pass along a highly important message in a way that, well, kind of “dumbs it down” for the average person. As a result, the audience is able to understand what is being said without the use of those fancy medical terms that, let's be honest, we only see when sitting on the john reading the back of a shampoo bottle. The vocabulary constraints allow for the reader to understand the complexity of the topic without walking away with a headache that require three Tylenol extra strengths. The importance of understanding a rhetorical situation is critical in deciphering the rhetoric behind an article. The rhetorical situation can be broken down into three main aspects (Carroll 48), as discussed above. According to the article by Carroll, the three components of a rhetorical situation are exigence, audience, and constraints. However, understanding a rhetorical situation is only part of being able to analyze what's in front of you.
The second part is understanding the context. In the article Backpacks vs. Briefcases, Carroll discusses the three subconcepts of effective argumentation: logos, pathos, and ethos. These three concepts were preached by Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, who used them to “persuade different kinds of audiences in different kinds of rhetorical situations” (Carroll 52). In the writing by Carolyn Denton, all three of these appeals can be seen. The first example of logos can be seen in the article when you just look over it. There are many instances throughout the article when numbers and statistics are used to prove a point. One example of this is in the article states that “80% of the immune system is contained in the gastrointestinal system, a person’s issues with immunity could be related to faulty digestion.” This allows for the reader to be intellectually persuaded by Denton. Secondly, the appeal to reason, pathos, is an appeal to an individual's emotional side. The saying “getting a person worked up” had to come from somewhere. Maybe it came from Aristotle and the ancient Greeks when they were trying to persuade an individual towards a specific argument. This “appeal to emotion” as Carroll states can be words, or even pictures. In the case of Carolyn Denton and her article about food, both instances of pathos can be seen. Carolyn Denton finishes her article by giving an example of an elderly woman, much like many mothers or grandmothers, whose chronic problems were solved with the proper nutrition. Another context in which pathos can be seen throughout the article is with the use of pictures. At the beginning of the article, a picture of a young male child is seen biting into what seems like a juicy Granny Smith apple. Personally, the sight of this picture made me wanna eat an apple. This use of pictures throughout the article allow for the reader to put a mental image behind the reading. Finally, the last form of appeal being used in the article is ethos, or the credibility of the article. The author Carolyn Denton, a licensed nutritionist used references throughout the article from textbooks and medical articles. Secondly, the article was further reviewed by a dietician and a doctor of medicine. Combining all three of this logical appeals allows for the effective delivery of the argument–food and its importance.
In a big picture kind of way, “How Does Food Impact Health?” is really effective in passing its message on. It allows for the reader to understand what is being said without actually being bogged down by the “heavy information.” Furthermore, the presentation draws the reader in and makes its appeal towards their logic and emotion. Rhetoric is an important tool in understanding what is in front of you. Furthermore, understanding the implementation of rhetoric will help you in most, if not all circumstances.
The second part is understanding the context. In the article Backpacks vs. Briefcases, Carroll discusses the three subconcepts of effective argumentation: logos, pathos, and ethos. These three concepts were preached by Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, who used them to “persuade different kinds of audiences in different kinds of rhetorical situations” (Carroll 52). In the writing by Carolyn Denton, all three of these appeals can be seen. The first example of logos can be seen in the article when you just look over it. There are many instances throughout the article when numbers and statistics are used to prove a point. One example of this is in the article states that “80% of the immune system is contained in the gastrointestinal system, a person’s issues with immunity could be related to faulty digestion.” This allows for the reader to be intellectually persuaded by Denton. Secondly, the appeal to reason, pathos, is an appeal to an individual's emotional side. The saying “getting a person worked up” had to come from somewhere. Maybe it came from Aristotle and the ancient Greeks when they were trying to persuade an individual towards a specific argument. This “appeal to emotion” as Carroll states can be words, or even pictures. In the case of Carolyn Denton and her article about food, both instances of pathos can be seen. Carolyn Denton finishes her article by giving an example of an elderly woman, much like many mothers or grandmothers, whose chronic problems were solved with the proper nutrition. Another context in which pathos can be seen throughout the article is with the use of pictures. At the beginning of the article, a picture of a young male child is seen biting into what seems like a juicy Granny Smith apple. Personally, the sight of this picture made me wanna eat an apple. This use of pictures throughout the article allow for the reader to put a mental image behind the reading. Finally, the last form of appeal being used in the article is ethos, or the credibility of the article. The author Carolyn Denton, a licensed nutritionist used references throughout the article from textbooks and medical articles. Secondly, the article was further reviewed by a dietician and a doctor of medicine. Combining all three of this logical appeals allows for the effective delivery of the argument–food and its importance.
In a big picture kind of way, “How Does Food Impact Health?” is really effective in passing its message on. It allows for the reader to understand what is being said without actually being bogged down by the “heavy information.” Furthermore, the presentation draws the reader in and makes its appeal towards their logic and emotion. Rhetoric is an important tool in understanding what is in front of you. Furthermore, understanding the implementation of rhetoric will help you in most, if not all circumstances.