how to write a speech analysis

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A 9-Step Practical Guide On How To Analyze A Speech – Speech Analysis of I have A Dream Speech as an Example

A speech, as we all know, is a vocal opinion of a speaker’s stand. Speeches are usually used as an effective tool for rallying support, conveying opinion, as well as influencing the thoughts of others (usually the audience) to accept or agree with the thoughts of the Speaker.

For a speech to achieve its goal, the words used in a speech are usually chosen carefully. This is so because, through a speech, the audience can perceive the interest or personal motives of the Speaker.

However, in most cases, there is usually a need to consider what was not said in a speech, or what the motive of the Speaker was. For this reason, speech analysis comes in handy in order to have a full understanding of a speech.

What is Speech Analysis?

In its simplest form, speech analysis or speech interpretation can be said to be the process of extracting important pieces of information that are contained in a speech. When carrying out speech analysis, there is usually a need to take note of some essential and necessary components of the Speech . These include;

1. Analyzing the purpose or intent of the Speech

For instance, a speech may be written to entertain the audience with some humorous lines, persuade the audience into thinking or agreeing with the opinion of the Speaker, or to inform the audience about something which the Speaker is skilled in.

2. The target audience and how the Speech relates to them

Also of paramount importance during speech analysis is  taking note of who the target audience is, and how the Speech relates to the audience .

For instance, when analyzing a speech that was delivered to support the need for a pay rise in an organization, in that case, it will be expected that the audience listening to such a speech will be members of staff of the organization who are clamoring for a rise in their pay.

And in the above situation, the Speech is expected to contain some specific wordings, examples, dates, and anecdotes that relate to the audience.

3. The effective and validity of the Speech 

Finally, when carrying out speech analysis, another core aspect to consider is the effectiveness and  validity of the Speech to see whether or not it contains relevant and important proofs  such as examples, statistics, facts, and dates to back the claims contained the Speech.

Still using the same above example about a speech about a pay rise in an organization, the Speaker may have to include facts such as the agreed terms for a pay rise in the organization. 

With that, such a speech would be said to have concrete facts and evidence to support its claims and the need for it.

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What is the First Step in Rhetoric Analysis?

The Structure of a Speech

Although a speech can be written and presented in more ways than one, every Speech usually shares three basic elements in common. These elements include;

• The Introduction of a Speech

The introduction of a speech is one of the most important elements of a speech since it is usually designed to grab the attention of the audience, either with a hook, a preview of what the Speech is all about, a joke, a controversial statement, a startling statistics, why the Speech is important, or a powerful visual.

Introducing a speech with such powerful elements is an excellent way to give the audience reasons why they should listen to the Speaker, instead of starting with a dry  “hello everyone, it’s a great privilege to talk to you today.”

Due to the ultimate role which the introduction of a speech plays, making the right choice of other key elements such as body language, words, and other visuals to usher in a speech are all very important to make the introduction of a speech achieve its goal.

• The Body of a Speech

After the introduction comes the body of a speech, which is the part that contains the Speaker’s main points. These points are usually expected to be supported with relevant examples, details, statistics, and facts, which are explained in simply and concisely.

In the body of a speech, the Speaker should make necessary effort to ensure that all the facts and pieces of evidence presented in the Speech aligns with the primary objective of the Speech. As mentioned earlier, these facts and proofs should all be presented in a simple and clear language for the understanding of the audience.

• The Conclusion of a Speech

The concluding part of a speech also packs as much power as the other two parts mentioned earlier. 

In the conclusion section, the Speaker makes a substantial effort to remind the audience of the major points made in the Speech and then ends the Speech with thought-provoking words that will motivate the audience to respond to the final call to action in the Speech.

Also, in the conclusion of a speech, the Speaker should be concise about what he expects from the audience, whether it is for a petition to be signed, requesting their support, for a product to be bought, or for some other specific actions from the audience as contained in the Speech. 

How to Analyze and Interpret a Speech? 9 Key Questions to effective speech Analysis.

When analyzing a speech, there are usually some things, precisely nine questions that you must consider for effective speech analysis.

However, when analyzing a speech, don’t feel satisfied by merely outline these nine important questions in the Speech and answering them. Instead, there should be a complementary explanation or example of how these nine key questions work using a speech as an example. So, in analyzing a speech, here are the 9 key questions you must give appropriate answers to for effective speech analysis .

1. Who is the Speaker?

In analyzing a speech, you have to consider who is the Speaker, and how does the Speaker’s rank, position, personal views, motives, or experience affect the Speech.

2. Who is/are the Audience?

In this case, you have to consider who are the members of the audience. By so doing, you will have to look closely to know whether or not the audience are the people who are directly affected or needs the message conveyed by the content of the Speech.

3. What is the Type of Speech?

By considering the type of Speech under analysis, you try to dig deeper to know the motive or intent of the Speaker for the Speech. 

In this regard, the Speech delivered might be one that is intended to inform or educate the audience, entertain, or even persuade the audience to take certain steps of action.

4. What is the Structure of the Speech?

By analyzing the structure of the Speech, you are to consider how the Speech is being structured by the Speaker. In this case, you are required to analyze whether or not the Speech was well-structured into an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

Also worthy of note about the structure of a speech during analysis is checking to see whether or not there is a governing or central idea that is being captured in every bit of the Speech.

5. What is the Purpose of the Speech?

Like I mentioned earlier, every Speech is usually aimed at achieving a purpose. For some, the purpose might be to persuade the audience, entertain, or even to open the eyes of the audience about a piece of information they are yet to know.

With this, it is therefore very important to consider the purpose of a speech to know the mission of the Speaker when carrying out speech analysis.

6. What is the Content/Circumstances of the Speech

In evaluating the content and circumstances of a speech, you consider the events that have created the need for the Speech. In doing this, you may have to pay closer attention to specific elements such as;  

• Where the Speech is taking place , and how the choice of the geographical location of the Speech affects the acceptance of the Speech by the audience
• When the Speech is being delivered . This is very important because there might a special time or event that is currently going on, which may serve as the best time to deliver such a speech.
• Why is the Speech being delivered? In this case, you look at the reason why the Speaker is giving a speech, and by so doing, you also consider the expectation of the Speaker from the Speech.

7. What are the Techniques used by the Speaker?

Techniques employed by the Speaker are usually the various modes of persuasion, in which the Speaker adopts. These techniques are also known as rhetorical appeals , and they are ways of persuading the audience to believe the Speaker’s point of view.

As a way of swaying the audience to buy the Speaker’s point of view, a speaker may adopt Aristotle’s mode of persuasion known by the names;

• Ethos  – persuading the audience through the credibility, authority, experience, and personality of the Speaker   
• Pathos  – persuading the audience by creating an emotional response, which may either fear, happiness, or sadness through a convincing story or an impassionate plea.
• L ogos  –  persuading the audience through the use of logic, figures, facts, and data in a speech.

Also very important when analyzing a speech is looking out for the use of stylistic devices such as the use of contrast in a statement, repetition (the rule of three using triads), irony, or even imagery by the Speaker.

8. Is the Intention of the Speech Achieved?

By analyzing a speech to see whether or not it has achieved its purpose, you may have to carry out some evaluations to ascertain if the Speech was successful.

In doing this, you may have to consider whether or not a speech;

•  Affected/impacted the target audience
• Fit into the occasion which it was delivered
• Is convincing
• Use of ethos, pathos, and logs was balanced
• The argument is valid or solid.

9. What is the overall result of the analysis of the Speech?

After a thorough evaluation of a speech, you should be able to come up with a complete summary of the speech analysis outcome. Obviously, this will come as a result of the analysis of the various parts and components of the Speech as mentioned by the various questions above.

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The next point of discussion is a practical example of how to make a speech analysis by using the nine-step approach shared. Before digging into that, let me add below some of the top related and interesting articles that can add to what you’re learning from this one. If any of the titles picks your interest, please click and open in a new tab, so you can check them out later. Enjoy!

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Analyzing the I Have A Dream Speech by Martin Luther King Jr

In a bid to have a full understanding of how the various questions that should be considered when carrying out speech analysis work, we shall be considering the heroic Speech delivered by a civil rights leader – Martin Luther King Jr, on August 28, 1963, in front of the Lincoln Memorial Mall. 

Before we go straight into the analysis of the “ I Have A Dream ” Speech, let’s take a quick look at the context of the Speech. 

Exactly 100 years ago, the US President, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation of negro slaves in the US, and in 1963 in which the emancipation proclamation was due, it was time for negro slaves to gain absolute freedom and civil rights in the US. 

It was in response to this long-awaited dream come true that Martin Luther King Jr and other civil rights activists made the March on Washington in a peaceful protest to have the present parliament in 1963 to enact the emancipation proclamation and put an end to their years of captivity.

Related Article: The I Have A Dream Speech by Martin Luther King Jr (with Video+Audio+Full Transcript and Historical Context)

Alternatively, you can just watch the 17 minutes full Speech through the link below;

Below are some excerpts of the “I Have A Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr at the Lincoln National Mall, interspersed with my analytical thoughts in a bid to answer the 9 key questions you must ask when analyzing a speech.

The Speaker, in this case, is Martin Luther King Jr, who is a prominent negro civil rights activist fighting to secure freedom and emancipation for his fellow negroes.

The audience who are physically present and listening to Martin Luther’s “I Have A Dream” speech is majorly the African Americans who are also joining their voices in the fight for their emancipation. 

Also, present during the Speech are other “white” skin American citizens who are probably in support of the emancipation protest by the negroes.

However, it is evident that members of media were present to cover the event, and so it is obvious that the Speech was open to everyone who could have access to a live stream of the Speech

“And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”

From the excerpt above, it is obvious that Martin Luther’s Speech was a call demanding for the freedom and the enactment of the civil rights decree in favor of the negroes.

Although Dr. King’s Speech wasn’t divided into distinct parts with an introduction, body, and conclusion, the Speech is, however, seen to be coherent with a smooth flow of information. 

He started by reminding his fellow negroes about the history of the emancipation proclamation by Abraham Lincoln.

“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.”

From there, the Speaker, Martin Luther, went further to remind his audience of the undue injustice and oppression the negroes were going through in various parts of America despite the vast national resources available for all to benefit from.

“But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.”

Finally, as Martin Luther’s conclusion, there was a call to action for the emancipation and freedom of the negroes in every part of America by the then government.

“And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

From the content of Dr. King’s Speech, it is very obvious that the purpose of the Speech was to persuade the American government in 1963 to sign and enact the civil rights law that will bring absolute freedom and emancipation to the African American amongst them.

“We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquillizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”

Firstly, the circumstances that necessitated Martin Luther’s Speech was the undue segregation mated out to the negroes in America.

“There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote, and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Also worthy of note and analysis is the geographical location where the Speech was delivered and the choice of such location. 

In this case, Martin Luther’s Speech was delivered at the Lincoln National Mall, just in front of the statue of Abraham Lincoln. And the choice of this place was to bring to mind the fact that about 100 years ago, Abraham Lincoln, whose statue is right behind the Speaker, signed the Emancipation Proclamation of the negroes in America.

The choice of the time at which the Speech was delivered was the perfect timing since it was precisely 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was made by Abraham Lincoln.

In an attempt to persuade and convince the audience of the need for the negro’s freedom and emancipation, Martin Luther employed pathos to stir up an emotional response of sadness about the undue injustice the negroes were going through;

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”

“I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest — quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering.”

Dr. King also employed logos to give data and figures that will support his call for the emancipation of the African Americans.

“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.”

He also invoked a sentiment of nostalgia and the figure of the President Abraham Lincoln, who he clearly calls a “Great American”, the man who signed and declared the emancipation of negroes, but also was hailed as a hero by both white and negroes.

I also noted the use of irony to express the supposed reasons why the negroes are undergoing injustice and segregation in America.

“But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”

Although the Speech wasn’t intended to convince or persuade the audience to accept or agree to the need for the emancipation of the negro, since the majority of the audience who present during the Speech were all civil rights activists protesting for the passage of the civil rights law.

However, the “I Have A Dream” speech by Martin Luther King can be said to have achieved its intentions, especially as it helped the African American to secure the passage of the civil rights law into effect later in 1964.

In summary, I think that the “I Have A Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr was a timely call for the freedom of the negroes in America after the successful completion of 100 years after the emancipation proclamation by Abraham Lincoln.

The choice of the geographical location for the Speech was apt, and it was the perfect place to call to mind the emancipation proclamation for the negroes.

The use of various speech techniques such as the use of pathos and logos by Martin Luther was a good way to connect with the audience and make them see the urgent need for why African Americans needed to secure civil rights in America. Finally, concluding his speech with a call for freedom to reign in every part of America, where the negroes were undergoing injustice, was a very good way in which Martin Luther King Jr used in ending his Speech.

• https://study.com/academy/lesson/practice-analyzing-and-interpreting-a-speech.html   
• http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/speech-evaluation-1-how-to-study-critique-speech/  
• http://jorgenboge.wikidot.com/how-to-analyze-a-speech
• http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson885/speech-analysis.pdf  
• https://mannerofspeaking.org/speech-analyses/
• https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-ethos-logos-and-pathos.html
• https://www.theclassroom.com/write-irony-literary-essay-14211.html

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Writing a speech analysis

Writing a speech analysis means analysing a speech for WHAT is said and HOW it is said.

WHAT – What was said is analysed according to the familiar procedure of text analysis , conversation analysis , dialogue analysis .

HOW – How something was said is an additional consideration of who says something and how it is said, because in speeches, important messages can also be sent through appearance and behaviour. And as Paul Arden put it to the point by saying: „Don’t make a speech , put on a show.“ a speech is more than words. It’s a show.  

To get an idea and powerful evidence of the impact that appearance has on the message, watch this video by Cameron Russel: „ Looks aren’t everything. Believe me, I’m a model „, one of the most watched TED Talks ever.

Writing a speech analysis – Checklist 

Who is speaking to whom .

Who is speaking?

• Political Leader
• Parent, husband, child,
• Club president
• Expert on a specific subject

Appearance of the speaker

• What does the speaker look like?
• How is he dressed?
• What posture does he adopt?

Behaviour of the speaker

• Does the speaker use gestures?
• What is his voice like?
• How does he move?

To whom is (s)he speaking?

• Employees, colleagues
• Club members

What is said and why

What is the occasion of the speech?

• Political event
• Family event (birthday, wedding, funeral service, …)
• Professional event
• Association, Club

What is the topic?

• What is the speech about?
• Is the topic clear?
• Does the speech refer to something that happened earlier?

What is the intention and purpose of the speech?

• To explain something
• To update the audience on something
• To review something
• To give an opinion
• To argue something

How is the speech held?

• Introduction: how was the speech started? With an example, a quote, a question, a general statement, a personal experience, a current event, hypothesis, joke, thesis, …
• Main: how was the main part constructed? With arguments, counter-arguments, examples, personal experiences, scientific evidences like facts and figures, prom proofs, mental constructs, thoughts, prominent quotes as proof, …
• Conclusion and finish: how was the speech finished? With a request, petition, question, …

Style and tonality

• Are stylistic devices used? Metaphors, repetitions, scientific quotations, citations, …
• Was a particular language or expression used? Technical terms, scientific expressions, youth language, …

Evaluation: Does the speech have an impact?

• Is the speech successful?
• Does the message get across?
• Are the listeners convinced?
• Is the speech effective?
• Do the listeners react as the speaker intended?

Example of a Speech Analysis Hillary Clinton – Klasse 12 – (Note 1+)

Example of a Speech Analysis Trump Klasse 10 (Note 2+)

Another example of a speech analysis: here  about “Barack Obama’s New Hampshire Primary Speech”

Formulations for writing a speech analysis

Introduction

• „NAME OF THE SPEAKER“ introduces the topic of his speech by
• … aims to grab the audience’s attention with …
• … draws a historical parallel to
• … provides examples of / from
• … proves the necessity to / of
• … uses the evidence of …to justify
• … claims that …
• … acknowledges
• … refers to …
• … uses STYLISTIC MEANS of … to … 
• … frequent use of STYLISTIC MEANS, such as EXAMPLE, gives the audience the feeling that ….
• … emphasises the importance of his words by using STYLISTIC MEANS
• … admits that ….
• … focuses his argument on the fact that …
• … emphasises the point that … ….
• … asks his audience to …
• … emphasises the point ….
• … argues that
• … cities …
• by referring to …. he tries to attract the attention of the audience
• by stating that …  he tries to emphasise the importance of … to emphasise
• by pointing out
• by quoting … THE SPEAKER stresses that …
• by citing …. THE SPEAKER proofs
• by developing his argument step by step by …
• THE SPEAKER concludes the speech by …
• All in all, THE SPEAKER clearly states his aims and expectations …
• I would like to point out that THE SPEAKERs use of
• With his … appearance THE SPEAKERS persuaded, convinced, questioned, …
• in the final conclusion, the previous argumentation is summarised

More about writing English texts

• having a discussion
• writing a characterisation
• writing a comment
• writing a letter
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How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay–Examples & Template

What is a Rhetorical Analysis Essay?

A rhetorical analysis essay is, as the name suggests, an analysis of someone else’s writing (or speech, or advert, or even cartoon) and how they use not only words but also rhetorical techniques to influence their audience in a certain way. A rhetorical analysis is less interested in what the author is saying and more in how they present it, what effect this has on their readers, whether they achieve their goals, and what approach they use to get there. 

Its structure is similar to that of most essays: An Introduction presents your thesis, a Body analyzes the text you have chosen, breaks it down into sections and explains how arguments have been constructed and how each part persuades, informs, or entertains the reader, and a Conclusion section sums up your evaluation. 

Note that your personal opinion on the matter is not relevant for your analysis and that you don’t state anywhere in your essay whether you agree or disagree with the stance the author takes.

In the following, we will define the key rhetorical concepts you need to write a good rhetorical analysis and give you some practical tips on where to start.

Key Rhetorical Concepts

Your goal when writing a rhetorical analysis is to think about and then carefully describe how the author has designed their text so that it has the intended effect on their audience. To do that, you need to consider a number of key rhetorical strategies: Rhetorical appeals (“Ethos”, “Logos”, and “Pathos”), context, as well as claims, supports, and warrants.

Ethos, Logos, and Pathos were introduced by Aristotle, way back in the 4th century BC, as the main ways in which language can be used to persuade an audience. They still represent the basis of any rhetorical analysis and are often referred to as the “rhetorical triangle”. 

These and other rhetorical techniques can all be combined to create the intended effect, and your job as the one analyzing a text is to break the writer’s arguments down and identify the concepts they are based on.

Rhetorical Appeals

Rhetorical appeal #1: ethos.

Ethos refers to the reputation or authority of the writer regarding the topic of their essay or speech and to how they use this to appeal to their audience. Just like we are more likely to buy a product from a brand or vendor we have confidence in than one we don’t know or have reason to distrust, Ethos-driven texts or speeches rely on the reputation of the author to persuade the reader or listener. When you analyze an essay, you should therefore look at how the writer establishes Ethos through rhetorical devices.

Does the author present themselves as an authority on their subject? If so, how? 

Do they highlight how impeccable their own behavior is to make a moral argument? 

Do they present themselves as an expert by listing their qualifications or experience to convince the reader of their opinion on something?

Rhetorical appeal #2: Pathos

The purpose of Pathos-driven rhetoric is to appeal to the reader’s emotions. A common example of pathos as a rhetorical means is adverts by charities that try to make you donate money to a “good cause”. To evoke the intended emotions in the reader, an author may use passionate language, tell personal stories, and employ vivid imagery so that the reader can imagine themselves in a certain situation and feel empathy with or anger towards others.

Rhetorical appeal #3: Logos

Logos, the “logical” appeal, uses reason to persuade. Reason and logic, supported by data, evidence, clearly defined methodology, and well-constructed arguments, are what most academic writing is based on. Emotions, those of the researcher/writer as well as those of the reader, should stay out of such academic texts, as should anyone’s reputation, beliefs, or personal opinions. 

Text and Context

To analyze a piece of writing, a speech, an advertisement, or even a satirical drawing, you need to look beyond the piece of communication and take the context in which it was created and/or published into account. 

Who is the person who wrote the text/drew the cartoon/designed the ad..? What audience are they trying to reach? Where was the piece published and what was happening there around that time? 

A political speech, for example, can be powerful even when read decades later, but the historical context surrounding it is an important aspect of the effect it was intended to have. 

Claims, Supports, and Warrants

To make any kind of argument, a writer needs to put forward specific claims, support them with data or evidence or even a moral or emotional appeal, and connect the dots logically so that the reader can follow along and agree with the points made.

The connections between statements, so-called “warrants”, follow logical reasoning but are not always clearly stated—the author simply assumes the reader understands the underlying logic, whether they present it “explicitly” or “implicitly”. Implicit warrants are commonly used in advertisements where seemingly happy people use certain products, wear certain clothes, accessories, or perfumes, or live certain lifestyles – with the connotation that, first, the product/perfume/lifestyle is what makes that person happy and, second, the reader wants to be as happy as the person in the ad. Some warrants are never clearly stated, and your job when writing a rhetorical analysis essay is therefore to identify them and bring them to light, to evaluate their validity, their effect on the reader, and the use of such means by the writer/creator. 

What are the Five Rhetorical Situations?

A “rhetorical situation” refers to the circumstance behind a text or other piece of communication that arises from a given context. It explains why a rhetorical piece was created, what its purpose is, and how it was constructed to achieve its aims.

Rhetorical situations can be classified into the following five categories:

Asking such questions when you analyze a text will help you identify all the aspects that play a role in the effect it has on its audience, and will allow you to evaluate whether it achieved its aims or where it may have failed to do so.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Outline

Analyzing someone else’s work can seem like a big task, but as with every assignment or writing endeavor, you can break it down into smaller, well-defined steps that give you a practical structure to follow. 

To give you an example of how the different parts of your text may look when it’s finished, we will provide you with some excerpts from this rhetorical analysis essay example (which even includes helpful comments) published on the Online Writing Lab website of Excelsior University in Albany, NY. The text that this essay analyzes is this article on why one should or shouldn’t buy an Ipad. If you want more examples so that you can build your own rhetorical analysis template, have a look at this essay on Nabokov’s Lolita and the one provided here about the “Shitty First Drafts” chapter of Anne Lamott’s writing instruction book “Bird by Bird”.

Analyzing the Text

When writing a rhetorical analysis, you don’t choose the concepts or key points you think are relevant or want to address. Rather, you carefully read the text several times asking yourself questions like those listed in the last section on rhetorical situations to identify how the text “works” and how it was written to achieve that effect.

Start with focusing on the author : What do you think was their purpose for writing the text? Do they make one principal claim and then elaborate on that? Or do they discuss different topics? 

Then look at what audience they are talking to: Do they want to make a group of people take some action? Vote for someone? Donate money to a good cause? Who are these people? Is the text reaching this specific audience? Why or why not?

What tone is the author using to address their audience? Are they trying to evoke sympathy? Stir up anger? Are they writing from a personal perspective? Are they painting themselves as an authority on the topic? Are they using academic or informal language?

How does the author support their claims ? What kind of evidence are they presenting? Are they providing explicit or implicit warrants? Are these warrants valid or problematic? Is the provided evidence convincing?  

Asking yourself such questions will help you identify what rhetorical devices a text uses and how well they are put together to achieve a certain aim. Remember, your own opinion and whether you agree with the author are not the point of a rhetorical analysis essay – your task is simply to take the text apart and evaluate it.

If you are still confused about how to write a rhetorical analysis essay, just follow the steps outlined below to write the different parts of your rhetorical analysis: As every other essay, it consists of an Introduction , a Body (the actual analysis), and a Conclusion .

Rhetorical Analysis Introduction

The Introduction section briefly presents the topic of the essay you are analyzing, the author, their main claims, a short summary of the work by you, and your thesis statement . 

Tell the reader what the text you are going to analyze represents (e.g., historically) or why it is relevant (e.g., because it has become some kind of reference for how something is done). Describe what the author claims, asserts, or implies and what techniques they use to make their argument and persuade their audience. Finish off with your thesis statement that prepares the reader for what you are going to present in the next section – do you think that the author’s assumptions/claims/arguments were presented in a logical/appealing/powerful way and reached their audience as intended?

Have a look at an excerpt from the sample essay linked above to see what a rhetorical analysis introduction can look like. See how it introduces the author and article , the context in which it originally appeared , the main claims the author makes , and how this first paragraph ends in a clear thesis statement that the essay will then elaborate on in the following Body section:

Cory Doctorow ’s article on BoingBoing is an older review of the iPad , one of Apple’s most famous products. At the time of this article, however, the iPad was simply the latest Apple product to hit the market and was not yet so popular. Doctorow’s entire career has been entrenched in and around technology. He got his start as a CD-ROM programmer and is now a successful blogger and author. He is currently the co-editor of the BoingBoing blog on which this article was posted. One of his main points in this article comes from Doctorow’s passionate advocacy of free digital media sharing. He argues that the iPad is just another way for established technology companies to control our technological freedom and creativity . In “ Why I Won’t Buy an iPad (and Think You Shouldn’t, Either) ” published on Boing Boing in April of 2010, Cory Doctorow successfully uses his experience with technology, facts about the company Apple, and appeals to consumer needs to convince potential iPad buyers that Apple and its products, specifically the iPad, limit the digital rights of those who use them by controlling and mainstreaming the content that can be used and created on the device . 

Doing the Rhetorical Analysis

The main part of your analysis is the Body , where you dissect the text in detail. Explain what methods the author uses to inform, entertain, and/or persuade the audience. Use Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle and the other key concepts we introduced above. Use quotations from the essay to demonstrate what you mean. Work out why the writer used a certain approach and evaluate (and again, demonstrate using the text itself) how successful they were. Evaluate the effect of each rhetorical technique you identify on the audience and judge whether the effect is in line with the author’s intentions.

To make it easy for the reader to follow your thought process, divide this part of your essay into paragraphs that each focus on one strategy or one concept , and make sure they are all necessary and contribute to the development of your argument(s).

One paragraph of this section of your essay could, for example, look like this:

One example of Doctorow’s position is his comparison of Apple’s iStore to Wal-Mart. This is an appeal to the consumer’s logic—or an appeal to logos. Doctorow wants the reader to take his comparison and consider how an all-powerful corporation like the iStore will affect them. An iPad will only allow for apps and programs purchased through the iStore to be run on it; therefore, a customer must not only purchase an iPad but also any programs he or she wishes to use. Customers cannot create their own programs or modify the hardware in any way. 

As you can see, the author of this sample essay identifies and then explains to the reader how Doctorow uses the concept of Logos to appeal to his readers – not just by pointing out that he does it but by dissecting how it is done.

Rhetorical Analysis Conclusion

The conclusion section of your analysis should restate your main arguments and emphasize once more whether you think the author achieved their goal. Note that this is not the place to introduce new information—only rely on the points you have discussed in the body of your essay. End with a statement that sums up the impact the text has on its audience and maybe society as a whole:

Overall, Doctorow makes a good argument about why there are potentially many better things to drop a great deal of money on instead of the iPad. He gives some valuable information and facts that consumers should take into consideration before going out to purchase the new device. He clearly uses rhetorical tools to help make his case, and, overall, he is effective as a writer, even if, ultimately, he was ineffective in convincing the world not to buy an iPad . 

Frequently Asked Questions about Rhetorical Analysis Essays 

What is a rhetorical analysis essay.

A rhetorical analysis dissects a text or another piece of communication to work out and explain how it impacts its audience, how successfully it achieves its aims, and what rhetorical devices it uses to do that. 

While argumentative essays usually take a stance on a certain topic and argue for it, a rhetorical analysis identifies how someone else constructs their arguments and supports their claims.

What is the correct rhetorical analysis essay format?

Like most other essays, a rhetorical analysis contains an Introduction that presents the thesis statement, a Body that analyzes the piece of communication, explains how arguments have been constructed, and illustrates how each part persuades, informs, or entertains the reader, and a Conclusion section that summarizes the results of the analysis. 

What is the “rhetorical triangle”?

The rhetorical triangle was introduced by Aristotle as the main ways in which language can be used to persuade an audience: Logos appeals to the audience’s reason, Ethos to the writer’s status or authority, and Pathos to the reader’s emotions. Logos, Ethos, and Pathos can all be combined to create the intended effect, and your job as the one analyzing a text is to break the writer’s arguments down and identify what specific concepts each is based on.

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