Intro to Rhetorical Criticism Analyzing Historical Context & Rhetorical Text

Historical Context Who? – Speaker and audience Why? – Purpose When? – Timing of text Where? – Placement of text How? – Production and delivery of text; who wrote it? How was it delivered? How might the medium have shaped the creation and delivery of the text? (This really engages the Rhetorical Situation.)

Analysis of the Rhetorical Text Characters Place Time Argumentation Structure Style Delivery

Characters Roles or personas used in the text; may include the speaker or the audience (May serve as intrinsic proof of pathos or ethos; perhaps represents an ideology or commonplace)

Place In what places are the characters situated in the text? (How might this function as an intrinsic proof? Does is help to establish a commonplace?)

Time How is time used to communicate the message? Past, present and future references (How might this function as logos or pathos? Is there an urgency expressed that might indicate exigence?)

Argumentation A claim backed by one or more justifications Variety of supports, critical Clear sense of logic (Logos and extrinsic proofs? Topoi? Is the argument rooted in a particular Ideology?)

Structure How does the text unfold? Historical, chronological? Topical? Logical/Pragmatic? (The Canon of Arrangement; why did the author approach the text’s argument in this way?)

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. Consider, also, music, image choices, lighting, focus. (The Canon of Style; how do stylistic choices function as intrinsic proofs? Particularly logos and pathos? What does language presume about Ideology? What commonplaces are used?)

Delivery The “voice” of the style/language (The Canon of Delivery; how can this affect audience attention, emotion, and understanding? How can this affect ethos?)

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?