1. RHETORICAL READING
Paying attention to the author's purposes for writing and the methods used in the writing

2. What is Rhetoric?
Rhetoric is the way an author (writer) or speaker communicates
What you say and how you say it
makes your writing effective or ineffective
Consider:
What is your purpose?
Who are you writing to? Who is your audience?

3. Who Needs Rhetoric?
Rhetoric is the tool we use, as writers, to say what we want to say; the way we want it to be heard by the reader
We can choose to reflect, inquire, inform, explain, analyze, or interpret in an essay, simply by changing the focus and topics we highlight in our papers.
The way we learn, as readers, what the author is trying to do, is by analyzing the text.

4. How We Use Rhetoric
By using language as a means to persuade the reader using three basic techniques: (logos, pathos, and ethos)
As a course of study, rhetoric trains students to speak and/or write effectively, emphasizing the study of principles and rules of composition as a way to analyze and discuss any topic required.

5. How to Analyze a Text Rhetorically
Use of Rhetorical Appeals?
Audience – who is the author addressing?
Purpose – what is the author trying to do?

6. Rhetorical Appeals
What is the writer’s intent? Are they telling a reflective story related to the topic, trying to make you feel they are trustworthy, believable, knowledgeable about the subject, this is Ethos
Is the speaker telling you that new information indicates 4 out of 5 dentists use this toothpaste and that’s why you should use it too? This is an appeal to logic: Logos
Is the writer attempting to create common ground, by relating to your feelings or concerns about issues, conditions, or situations that interest you? This is the appeal of Pathos

7. Rhetorical Analysis of Text
Structure: what type of essay is it?
Expository - reflective, observational, explanatory
Argumentative? evaluative, position, proposal

8. In Summary
These are the basic approaches we must recognize in the texts we read.
The ability to recognize these persuasive strategies is a powerful tool that will help us understand what the text is saying
When we understand what the author is saying and how it is being said, (the rhetorical approach) we can, in turn write, more effectively.