English I: Rhetorical Analysis Essay - Mr. Cahill & Mrs. Heile

Aristotle's definition of rhetoric:  "the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion."

"The art of using language effectively so as to persuade or influence others, esp. the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques to this end; the study of principles and rules to be followed by a speaker or writer striving for eloquence, esp. as formulated by ancient Greek and Roman writers."  Source:  Oxford English Dictionary

Interested in reading more?
Aristotle "Rhetoric" 350 BC
The Internet Classics Archive, MIT

Rhetorical Figures in Sound

"For each rhetorical device, definitions and examples (text, audio, video) are provided. Audio and video examples are taken from public speeches and sermons, movies, songs, lectures, oral interpretations of literature, and other media events." per website

EXCELLENT examples make it easy to understand and apply concepts.

AmericanRhetoric.com is maintained by Professor Michael E. Eidenmuller of the University of Texas at Tyler,

SOUND DEVICES

LITERARY DEVICES

Credit:  "Silva Rhetoricae"  Gideon Burton, Brigham Young University
The devices above were used with permission under Creative Commons license.  
 

• Go to americanrhetoric.com and find a political speech that interests you. 
  Top 100 Speeches
  Online Speech Bank
• Using the handout from the day we analyzed Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, consider the rhetorical appeals or the three most important rhetorical devices in the speech you researched that make it so memorable.  
• Outline your ideas.

• Compose a five-paragraph essay to present your ideas.  The first paragraph will be the introductory paragraph that establishes both the historical context of the speech and the direction of the essay.  The body paragraphs will be standard CDA paragraphs that discuss your three main ideas using quotes.  The final paragraph will be the concluding paragraph applying ideas from the essay into modern day.

Objectives:

1. To create an introduction using historical background.
   (Set up the context of the speech.)
2. To create a thesis statement at the end of the intro paragraph
3. To create body paragraphs using the CDA arrangement
4. To incorporate quotes into one’s proof ( at least two for this assignment)
   Don’t forget to introduce and explain the quotes.
   Consider presenting quotes chronologically.
5. To conclude meaningfully; perhaps, considering the short and long term impacts of the speech.

Reminders:

1. Thesis and topic sentences must be assertions. 
   (Example: MLK uses allusion to emphasize the significance of the event.) 
2. The Six Writing Traits:
   Content-unified, specific, insightful
   Organization-clear (intro, body, conclusion); cohesive (connect title, attention getter, conclusion?)
   Voice-avoid “you” or “I” in this assignment
   Word Choice-avoid general language (ex, “thing,” “stuff”)
   Fluency-transition from one point to the next; watch sentence beginnings
   Mechanics-write in the literary present

Note:  Your speech must be chosen from AmericanRhetoric.com, listed above in the assignment description.

The additional sites below are provided in case there is a problem with a recording or transcription on that site.  In some cases, these site provide useful background information.

Use NOODLETOOLS to create citations.  

Select MLA format when you first set up your project. Select Advanced citation level.

NoodleTools will format a citation for your speech, which should be included in your references.  Instructions:

• Click "Create New Citation"
• Under the "Where Is It?" section, click "Website," since the source of your speech will be AmericanRhetoric.com
• Under the "What Is It?" section, click the "Lecture, Speech or Reading" option in the green middle column
• A source form will open.  Type of presentation:  speech. 
• At the top is a yellow field - "Citing a transcript of the presentation in a book, anthology, website or database? Citing a transcript of the presentation in a book, anthology, website or database? A presentation broadcast on television/radio or archived as an online video or online audio recording?"  Click website if you are using a transcript; click online video if you are working from a video; click online audio recording if you are listening to an audio.
• A new form will will open
• Provide the URL and the date you accessed the website.
• Role:  presenter.  Type in the name of the person who delivered the speech
• Title of the presentation (speech)
• Date the speech was given.  (American Rhetoric provides the necessary information).

You can also cite database and website articles using Noodletools.  Instructions for sources found in databases:

• Under the "Where Is It?" section, click "Databases"
• Under the "What Is It?" section, click Book, Magazine, Newspaper, etc.

If you are required to submit a separate Works Cited page:

• NoodleTools will automatically format and alphabetize all your citations
• Once you have all your citations entered, NoodleTools will create a Works Cited page for you.  
  Click the Print/Export tab in the top toolbar.  Select the Print/Export to Word option in the drop-down.
  
• Depending on your browser, Word will either automatically open in a new window, or you will need to click Word in the tray to open.
  Click Enable Editing.  Now save your file, print and submit it.

Have more questions about Works Cited?

The Purdue University Writing Lab
Superb Citation Tutorials!

Context:
Historical background 
What was the occasion for the speech?
What issues did the speech address?  
What was the purpose of the speech? the speaker's objectives?

Significance:
What was the immediate impact on the contemporary audience and society?  
Was there a lasting influence on our culture?

Search for background information / historical overview on the speech you've selected using GVRL and other databases.

Access Gale Virtual Reference Library's 
3000+ full-text eBooks, many multi-volumed.
The ultimate research collection!

Click on the cover above.
Search within the specific publication.
Type the title of the speech or the person giving the speech into the search field.
Example:  "I Have a Dream"

This 3 volume collection features 3 centuries of great American rhetoric, but it is by no means comprehensive.  For example, it does not have MLK's seminal "I Have a Dream" speech!   Astonishing.   

DO NOT GIVE UP!!!
GVRL has many other options.
Click Advanced Search.
Enter the author and title of the speech you have selected under keywords.  Example:

This search yields dozens of returns, 2 focusing specifically on the "I Have a Dream" speech.  Click blue View Text icon to access the record.

Include historical context on the speech in your introductory paragraph.  Access these databases to research that required background information:

Great American Speeches:
80 Years of Political Oratory Series
6 part PBS series on CVOD

Features speeches by the most eloquent orators of the 20th century.  FDR, Huey Long, Generals MacArthur and Patton, and JFK share the podium with Barbara Jordan, Ronald Reagan, Mario Cuomo, Jesse Jackson, and others. Rare archival footage combined with insightful commentary from host Jody Powell puts each speech into historical perspective.

OTHER VIDEO TITLES:

Our subscription databases are linked directly on campus; you will not need a password - they are validated by IP address.
Off campus, our databases are linked through a proxy server.

The screen will look like this:


You will be prompted for a user name and password. Your login is the same as your textbook credentials:

User Name 
is your network/email login.
Example:  DonahueJ12345

Password:
Look at the number below the barcode of your StX photo ID

 5 digit ID# + stx
This sample student's password is:
12345stx