Readings: Donohue, “Regional Confluences” (279) OR Boateng, “Licence to Colonise” (299)
As we discussed (and practiced) in class, a rhetorical analysis examines how an author uses rhetorical
techniques to persuade or influence readers. A rhetorical analysis “dissects” the essay: what are its parts?
how does it work? Your job in a rhetorical analysis is to identify the author’s main ideas, audience, and
rhetorical tools and techniques, and to evaluate how well they are working to achieve the author’s goals.
Use our class discussion to help you analyze the rhetoric of ONE of these two essays:
either Donohue, “Regional Confluences” (279) OR Boateng, “Licence to Colonise” (299).
The following steps will help you organize and write your rhetorical analysis. You should spend about a
paragraph on each step. The assignment will likely be at least 2 pages long.
STEP 1: Goal/thesis. Introduce the subject of your analysis. In your own words, identify the author’s
goal in writing the essay. In your own words, explain the author’s thesis/argument. Then, find a place in
the essay where you think the author is explicitly stating his goal and his thesis. If you can’t find an
explicit statement, explain why not.
STEP 2: Appeal. Explain which appeal(s) your author is using: ethos, pathos, or logos. The author may
use more than one appeal in different parts of the essay. Provide two or three examples from the text
where you see the author using these appeals.
STEP 3: Tools & Techniques. Explain what other rhetorical tools or techniques the author is using.
Consider the techniques we discussed in class, including repetition, addressing objections,
compare/contrast, or organization. Provide two or three examples from the text where you see the author
using these tools.
STEP 4: Style. Describe the style(s) of writing the author uses. Style can include tone and language. It
can also include the type of examples or details the author provides (or doesn’t provide). Provide at least
two examples of the author’s style. This is connected to Step 5.
STEP 5: Audience and Occasion. Explain what audience the author is speaking to (be specific), and
explain how you know. Next, explain the text’s “occasion.” Why and when was it written? Was it written
for a certain event? Was it written for a blog, for a college graduation speech, or for an academic journal?
STEP 6: Evaluation of goal. Conclude your analysis by asking of the author’s various techniques were
successful in accomplishing her goals (back in Step 1). If so, how? If not, why not?
What NOT to do: A rhetorical analysis does not “respond” to the author or the essay’s contents.
You are not saying any of the following: if you agree with the author, if you liked the essay, what was
interesting, if the author is a good/bad researcher, whether the essay is “good” or not—that’s something
we’ll do later! A rhetorical analysis is also not a summary of the article’s main ideas. We will come back
to this topic in WA #4, so it is in your best interest to be thorough in this assignment.