AP English Language & CompositionAP Preparation

Freeman

Tips for Success on the Rhetorical Analysis Essay

  1. Remember: you are reading an argument—an essay with an audience, a purpose, and a plan. This plan is the author’s way of getting the audience to think, feel, do something with or about the subject—and your job as the analyst is to discuss how the author accomplishes this task.
  2. Deconstruct the prompt
  3. Know your task
  4. Know what to look for
  5. How does the author use language to create meaning? Authors have a myriad of techniques at their disposal, but here is a list of some to memorize and keep your eyes peeled for:
  6. Metaphor—comparing two different things without using “like” or “as”
  7. Simile—comparing two different things using “like” or “as”
  8. Organization—how the essay is structured could be connected to the purpose/prompt
  9. Tone—the author’s feeling about the subject
  10. Diction—the word choice the author’s uses to create the tone
  11. Examples—actual illustrations of the author’s point
  12. Data—statistics, graphs, numerical feedback from surveys, etc.
  13. Empirical evidence—real-life evidence a person knows from experience
  14. Imagery—creating a mental picture in the readers mind to illuminate the point
  15. Compare/contrast—showing similarities and differences in subjects
  16. Allegory—using symbols or places to represent real people or other realities
  17. Satire—ridicule for the purpose of pointing out a needed change for the better. Can be humorous, but not necessarily
  18. Allusions—references to secondary or tertiary connections
  19. Anecdotes—very brief stories used to emphasizethe point
  20. Archetypes—symbols that represent an original idea or prototype
  21. Personification—giving inanimate objects human characteristics or abilities
  22. Description—details to enhance the reader’s understanding
  23. Euphemism—soft language used intentionally to take the sting out of a message. Also known as political correctness.
  24. Juxtaposition—coupling, or placing side by side, two separate ideas, people, situations, etc. in order to compare/contrast them
  25. Theme—an author’s controlling idea in the piece of writing
  26. Onomatopoeia—sound device used to bring life to a topic
  27. Syntax—sentence structure can be used as a technique of speed, rhythm, flow
  1. Identify a few techniques/strategies used by the author
  2. Connect them to the author’s purpose
  3. Answer the “What?” and “So What?” questions
  4. Always, always, always discuss how a technique/strategy serves the author’s purpose
  5. It’s all about the author’s purpose
  6. If your essay scores low, it’s probably because you forgot this part
  7. Begin your essay with a précis which ends with a controlling idea sentence (kind of like a thesis)
  8. This controlling idea sentence should be an answer/response to the prompt that you will prove throughout your essay
  9. Organization is up to you
  10. Follow the prompt
  11. Paragraph by paragraph
  12. Technique by technique
  13. Thematically
  14. Whatever you do, organize cohesively—your essay can’t be random or jumbled
  15. Always relate technique to purpose—if it’s a low scoring essay, it’s probably because you forgot this part
  16. Once you are finished answering the prompt, you’re done—no need for a concluding paragraph
  17. Never, never, never summarize—never!
  18. Rather, discuss how techniques serves the author’s purpose
  19. Use academic diction—speak the language of the subject
  20. It’s not a story but an essay
  21. It’s not mental pictures but imagery
  22. Don’t patronize the author, rather analyze the author’s technique
  23. Discuss how techniques connect to the purpose by using synonyms for “shows”
  24. See handout