Although popular usage of the term rhetoric may imply empty speech, “hot air,” or “spin,” from a historical perspective, rhetoric is “the art of persuasion”; per Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, it’s knowing in any given situation “the available means of persuasion.” Rhetoric can also be thought of as a means of organizing discourse with regard to social and cultural contexts. Language-makers must consider who their audience consists of, how to arrange their ideas and what tone to present ideas in to best communicate with that audience, and how their credibility might affect the audience’s reception of their work.
In your Literacy Narrative, you used rhetoric to analyze your personal experience as a reader/writer. Now, you’ll turn that rhetorical lens to a deeper analysis of a specific “text.” So doing, you’ll not only develop a better understanding of the complexity involved in composing effective texts, but you’ll also likely encounter strategies that you can later apply in your own persuasive writing.

As you analyze your text, consider how the author uses these rhetorical concepts:
Audience: Who is the intended audience? How are members of this audience like and unlike you? What does the author want the audience to think or do? Did the author think the audience would be interested? How much does this audience know about the topic? Are there any audiences that might care but who aren’t addressed by the author?

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