Rhetorical Situation
Critical thinking toolbox
Rhetorical Situation In order to fully understand the content of a text, we need to think about who wrote it and why.
Rhetorical Situation Rhetoric: The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively. Rhetorical analysis: The examination of texts to determine how the author shapes the content to achieve a purpose for a given audience. In other words, finding what the writer wants the reader to understand by analyzing his or her language usage, literary and rhetorical techniques.
Subject Occasion Audience Purpose Speaker Tone Rhetorical Situation SOAPSTone Subject Occasion Audience Purpose Speaker Tone
Rhetorical Situation Subject Specifically, what is the text about? More generally, what topics are touched upon?
Rhetorical Situation Occasion: The time, place, context, or current situation of the piece. What form is this text? An essay? An op-ed? A novel? the “genesis” of the writing, or what possibly got it started. Why did the author sit down and write about this?
Rhetorical Situation Audience: The group of readers to whom this text is directed. To whom is this not directed? The audience may be one person, a small group, or a large group; it may be a certain person or a certain people. Try to be as specific as possible in your description. Authors do not just write and hope someone will read; they write for a specific audience and hope for a possible broader audience then intended. Imagine the author having a conversation. Who is s/he sitting across from?
Rhetorical Situation Purpose: The reason behind the text. This is especially important for examining rhetoric. You cannot examine the logic or argument of a piece until you know the reason for the piece, or what the author is trying to tell you. What does the author want the audience to take away?
Rhetorical Situation Speaker Who is making the argument—both who is the voice telling the story and who is behind the voice. The author and the speaker are not necessarily the same—is the author using a deliberately sarcastic or naïve voice?
Rhetorical Situation Tone How does the diction, imagery, and use of figurative language help create the message? “Sleeping on a Seely is like sleeping on a cloud.” Vs. “Seely mattresses are comfortable”
Rhetorical Situation Tone How formal is the diction and syntax? Is the message meant to appeal to a specific audience? “I saw Get Out last night. There are a number of fascinating aspects in the film—such as the depiction of race and inter-generational strife—that will reward critical attention.” Vs. “I saw Get Out last night! Man, that movie really pushes the envelope about all kinds of crazy stuff!
Rhetorical Analysis Analysis: Now put together all the information you generated using SOAPS and considering the style and rhetorical strategies to help you judge the effectiveness of the text.
Using soapstone http://www.cc.com/video-clips/s9j4ux/the-colbert-report-stephest-colbchella--013---special-guest-stephen-colbert-
Did Colbert achieve his purpose with this segment? Why or why not?