1. RHETORICAL ANALYSIS VARIOUS LEVELS OF SCRUTINY

2. MACRO VS. MICRO ANALYSIS Macro Analysis How the text “feels” as a whole The sense that lingers when you walk away Arrangement (organization) Style (how the text “dresses”) Tone (author’s attitude towards topic) Micro Analysis Tiny details within sentences and paragraphs Artistic flair Devices (the literary elements of the informational world) - Diction (word choice) - Syntax (sentence types) *Verbs (this is more about your analysis than the text itself)

3. ARRANGEMENT How the whole text is organized Phrases to describe arrangement: - Cause and effect - Compare and Contrast - Spatial Organization (organized around “where”) - Time Organization (organized around “when”) - Order of importance - Narrative Structure - Simple to Complex/Complex to Simple - Familiar to Unfamiliar/Unfamiliar to Familiar

4. STYLE The overall presentation of a text Similar to the clothes you wear The commentary about the arrangement and devices Examples: - Clear- Concise- Obscure- Embellished - Plain - Elegant- Inelegant- Feeble- Conventional- Unconventional

5. TONE The attitude an author has about a subject, based on the way they write about it The end result of how an author uses all other devices If you don’t understand the tone, you don’t understand the text Tone = Surface feelings, what is directly said Undertone = The feelings underneath, the suspected opinion Be on the look out for SHIFTS in tone!!

6. DICTION Word choice Closely tied to style and tone If you’re going to use it for analysis, it is imperative that you show a “pattern” in the text - Do not simply point out 1-2 words - Present a word choice pattern throughout much, if not all, of the text

7. SYNTAX (SENTENCE TYPES) Can’t stand alone in an analysis Must describe how it contributes to: - Purpose - Message- Effect Sentence length Beginnings & endings Arrangement of ideas Sentence classifications Word order Rhetorical questions *typically a sign of weak writing

8. VERBS* *This is about your writing in your analysis The difference between a summary and an analysis Please stop: “The author says…” Commit to memory a dozen or so verbs from the Power Verbs handout