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Rhetorical Analysis. Various Levels of scrutiny. Macro Vs. Micro Analysis. Macro Analysis. Micro Analysis. Tiny details within sentences and paragraphs Artistic flair Devices (the literary elements of the informational world) - Diction (word choice) - Syntax (sentence types)
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Rhetorical Analysis Various Levels of scrutiny
Macro Vs. Micro Analysis Macro Analysis 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) • 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)
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
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
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!!
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
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
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