Rhetorical Analysis

• Got an opinion? Good! How do you prove it?

• Using the textual evidence to prove a statement or belief about the work.

• Create a strong thesis first to guide your analysis.

Thesis Statement

• Declares what you believe & what you intend to prove

• Is SPECIFIC & FOCUSED• Avoids first & second person

o NO “I” “we” “you”

Thesis Statement Steps 1-5

• 1. Topic (text + author)• 2. Direction (at least 3 strategies +

adjectives for diction and syntax)• 3. Claim (verb + direct object)• 4. Qualifier (proving that, illustrating,

resulting, showing…) • 5.Universal idea (abstract noun)

Thesis Statement Steps 1-5

1. Author, in “title,”2. through the use of adj. strategy,

adj. strategy, adj. strategy, 3. contrasts/compares/shifts

(something from the story)4. in order to … (purpose/u.i.) 5.

Part 1 of Thesis: Topic

• 1. Topic = the author of the work & the title.

• That’s it!o In “The Chase,” Annie Dillard…o Jonathan Edwards, in “Sinners in the Hands of

an Angry God…”

Part 2 of Thesis: Direction

• 2. Direction = rhetorical strategies that contribute to your analysis

(adj) _______ & (adj) ________ & (adj) ____• Blanks = specific strategies or elements of style • You MUST have adjective for DICTION

AND SYNTAX• Adjectives descriptive, focus on effect

Part 3 of Thesis: Claim• 3. Verb• What does the author DO in the story in

order to help the audience understand the purpose? What does he contrast, compare, reveal, etc?o CONTRASTS…, COMPARES…,

• Use present tense when talking about literature “slang diction reveals”

Part 4 of Thesis: Qualifier

• 4. Qualifier• Transition between what the author does

(claim) and why he does it (universal idea)o In order to show, in order to illustrate that, in

order to reveal…

Part 5 of Thesis: Universal idea

• 5. Universal idea = what the “direction” points too What the author is trying to reveal about life

through the work (PURPOSE!)• Based on an abstract noun (something you

can’t touch)o Love…freedom…independence…

individuality….heritage…violence…education…

Thesis-Making• With a partner, create a thesis for this prompt:

o Create a thesis for a paper in which you would analyze the methods Tan uses to reveal the significance of the Christmas dinner she experienced as an adolescent

o 1. Topico 2. Direction o 3. Claim (verb)o 4. Qualifier (so that…, in order to…)o 5. Universal idea

Thesis Making

• Underline the topic• Draw triangles around each direction• Box the claim• Circle the universal idea• Squiggle the qualifier