Analyzing a Text Rhetorically

Definition of a “Text” A set of symbols that communicates or means something. A text can be read and interpreted. From the Latin root, texere, meaning “to weave”

The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens.

Significant Texts in our Lives – Can be Analyzed Religious texts Political texts Legal texts News articles Advertisements Songs Poetry Photography Personal experiences Dreams Student papers Academic articles Memories Speeches Films Books Video games Performances Bodies Clothes

What does the term “analysis” mean to you? Textual Analysis What does the term “analysis” mean to you?

Analysis Breaking something down into its essential parts to understand how and why those parts work together to accomplish something (what + how and why) Versus “summary” (what) Importance of structure Looking at the relationship between the parts – can only understand one part or term in relation to another (binaries, not opposites)

Step 1: Breaking down into essential parts

Step 2: Determining how parts work together

Step 3: Determining what is accomplished when parts work together

Analysis Involves Interpretation Analyze: To break something down into its essential parts to determine how those parts work together to accomplish something. We can all see the same parts of the same text working together in the same way, yet we each see it accomplishing something different. Or perhaps we all see a text accomplishing the same thing, but see it doing so in different ways.

There are no “wrong” or “right” interpretations of a text. It’s a duck! It’s a bunny! But there are supported and unsupported interpretations of a text (importance of quotes). It’s a tractor!

Rhetoric What does the term “rhetoric” mean to you?

Defining “Rhetoric” The language – both written and visual – that speakers and writers use to communicate or persuade The study of that language, human interaction, and communication

Analyzing a Text Rhetorically Breaking down a text into its essential parts to understand how those parts work together to accomplish something Rhetorical analysis involves looking at the context, or the rhetorical situation, in which the communication takes place.

Parts of a Rhetorical Situation

Reading Rhetorically Reading like a writer – reading the text as a series of choices Understanding how the author(s) constructed the text and why the author(s) made certain choices about the text Analyzing both the context and the content

Questions for Rhetorical Analysis Who is the author/speaker? What is the purpose of writing? What is the occasion that gives rise to the writing? Who is the intended audience? What is the main argument? What does the nature of the communication reveal about the culture(s) that produced it? What constructs are involved in this text? How are certain ideas or concepts being constructed within the text?

Different “Schools of Thought” or Theories Formalists (symbols) Gender theorists (gender, sexuality) Marxist theorists (social class) Race-based theorists (race) Post-colonial theorists (nationality, empire) Psychoanalytical theorists (unconscious) Disability theorists (disability) Happiness theorists (happiness) Rhetoricians (rhetorical situations, language)

Different “Schools of Thought” or Theories Using and explaining quotations Ex. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” (Declaration).