AP Language and Composition 2017-18
Ms. Leaphart
Tips for Revising the Between the World and Me Rhetorical Analysis Essay
1)Use the Recipe for Rhetorical Analysis (saving the examples for later in the paragraph) to write topic AND concluding sentences that both introduce/wrap up the way a rhetorical strategy is used and tie that strategy to the author’s purpose.
2)Avoid generic/vague statements about rhetoric. Don’t define rhetorical terms of talk generally about what imagery or metaphors or details do for a piece of writing (don’t say “his use of anaphora really emphasizes his point.”) Instead, delve into a specific image or metaphor or detail (etc.) and explain what it does for the specific piece you’re analyzing. Tie it directly to the author’s purpose.
3)Avoid 1st person (I, me), 1st person plural (We, us), and 2nd person (you). The focus of the essay should be on the text you’re analyzing so it should stay entirely in the 3rd person.
4)Provide thorough context for your examples/textual evidence so that readers can understand what the author is talking about when you quote him. Also be sure to quote enough text that the reader can see the language you’re referring to in action.
5)Write about the book in present tense.
6)Make it clear in your first paragraph that you’re analyzing only a section of the book & clarify which section that is. Then focus as much as possible on that section throughout your essay. If you use a quote from elsewhere, make that clear.
7)Be careful not to slip into summary of what Coates is saying. Also refrain from adding in outside research/facts/knowledge on the subject. In rhetorical analysis, you must examine not only WHAT the author means, but HOW they use language to say it.
8)Steer clear of your own ideas or opinions. Also refrain from adding in outside research/facts/knowledge on the subject. Stay focused on what Coates is saying and how he’s saying it.
9)Dig deeper into your analysis of individual examples of Coates’ language. Think hard about the effect each choice has on readers and why Coates wants this effect. Then think about how his choices tie directly to his purpose.
10)Spell out exactly where in a quotation you see the author using a particular device. If you notice a metaphor, don’t just put the passage in quotation marks and leave it there; explain what the author is comparing to what and then attempt to explain WHY. If you notice an image, talk about which senses the author is appealing to using which language and discuss the effect. If you see a detail, point out the specific name, event, date etc. and analyze how dropping that detail into the text helps him achieve his purpose.
11)Organize each paragraph clearly around one topic. Choose one of the organizational strategies I offered in my “3 Ways to Structure a Rhetorical Analysis Essay” on my teacher site. Make sure each paragraph either centers around ONE rhetorical strategy, or ONE section of the text you’re analyzing, or ONE way in which an author uses a dominant strategy.