Download Intro to Rhetorical Criticism

Intro to Rhetorical
Criticism
Analyzing Historical Context
& Rhetorical Text
Historical Context
Who? – Speaker and audience
Why? – Purpose
When? – Timing of speech
Where? – Placement of speech
How? – Production and deliver of speech; who
wrote it? How was it delivered? How might
the medium have shaped the creation and
delivery of the text?
Analysis of the
Rhetorical Text
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Characters
Place
Time
Argumentation
Structure
Style
Delivery
Evaluation of the
Rhetorical Text
 Effect – How successful was the speech at
securing its goals?
 Artistry – Evaluating the quality of the
strategies used
 Ethics – What are the long-term implications
for the social welfare of society?
Characters
 Roles or personas used in
the speech; may include
the speaker or the
audience
Place
 In what places are the
characters situated in the
speech?
Time
 How is time used to
communicate the
message?
 Past, present and future
references
Argumentation
 A claim backed by one or
more justifications
Variety of supports, critical
Clear sense of logic
Structure
 How does the text unfold?
 Historical, chronological?
 Topical?
 Logical/Pragmatic?
 Historical, Chronological
 The topic is best understood in
terms of how it unfolds in time.
Sequence is important.
 Topical
 Claims that certain elements are
critical to understanding the issue
 Logical/Pragmatic
 Problem/Solution, Cause/Effect
 Ideas or situations stand in
necessary relation to one another
Style
 What is distinctive about the
language of this rhetorical
text?
Grammar, sentence length,
syntax, figures of speech, etc.
Delivery
 The “voice” of the
style/language