Rhetorical Analysis Essays: Overview

Simply defined, rhetoric is the art of communicating effectively to an audience—so when we conduct a rhetorical analysis, our purpose is to understand how a communicator has used elements of rhetoric to shape their message for an audience.

The ancient Greeks, namely Aristotle, developed rhetoric into a form of art. In fact, much of the terminology we still use today to talk about rhetoric comes from the ancient Greek. Perhaps the three most important rhetorical terms are ethos, logos, and pathos, which combine together to form the Rhetorical Triangle.

The Rhetorical Triangle: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

Ethos: the ethical appeal

Literally translated, ethos means “character.” When a communicator uses ethos to appeal to an audience, they are trying to establish credibility and trustworthiness.

Ethos Examples

• A company paying a celebrity or influencer to endorse one the company’s products on social media
• An academic author referring to their extensive previous research about a subject in a scholarly article
• Florida SouthWestern State College’s webpage “Celebrating 60 Years” to demonstrate the college’s longevity

Logos: the logical appeal

Literally translated, logos means “word,” but in most cases we should think of logos as referring to any information a communicator uses to appeal to an audience’s sense of logic and reason.

Logos Examples

• A hand soap claiming to kill 99.9% of germs
• A politician using labor statistics to make a point during a speech about unemployment
• Florida SouthWestern State College’s webpage spotlighting the exact number of students who have earned degrees or certificates since the college opened

Pathos: the emotional appeal

Literally translated, pathos means “suffering,” but in most cases we should think of pathos as referring to any attempt a communicator makes to appeal to an audience’s emotions. 

Pathos Examples

• Tony the Tiger’s smiling face on a box of Frosted Flakes
• A local newspaper article that features a citizen’s harrowing account of living through a recent hurricane
• Florida SouthWestern State College’s marketing department using photos of overjoyed students receiving their degrees

As readers, watchers, and listeners, we must be able to recognize how communicators rely upon the Rhetorical Triangle to connect with and persuade audiences. As communicators ourselves, we benefit from understanding how others rely upon ethos, pathos, and logos. When we see others use rhetoric effectively, we learn how we might communicate more effectively. On the other hand, when we see rhetoric used ineffectively, we learn what types of rhetoric might not work as well in certain rhetorical situations.

When we think rhetorically, we also must think about Kairos, the Greek word commonly used to refer to context. A communicator might successfully use certain rhetorical appeals in one context, but in another context those same appeals might utterly fail. Because of this, no rhetorical analysis can be complete without careful consideration of Kairos.

Rhetorical analysis can help us evaluate and analyze any type of communicator’s effectiveness, whether that be a speaker, an artist, an advertiser, or a writer. In fact, everything we hear and see on a daily basis can be understood through rhetoric, and we can use rhetoric to shape and refine our own efforts to communicate. Rhetoric is all around us all the time, so rhetorical analysis allows us to better understand the world we share.

Obviously, a successful rhetorical analysis requires a thorough understanding, and no matter what kind of communication you’re analyzing, the methods covered in the the Reading Critically chapter can help.

Key Features

Careful Attention to the Rhetorical Situation

The way a communicator uses ethos, logos, pathos, and Kairos will be shaped by their genre, audience, and purpose. These three elements are the foundation of the Rhetorical Situation.

Genre. Genre, in broad terms, refers to types of communication. There are many genres, but some common genres include essays, newspaper articles, podcasts, songs, movies, TV shows, advertisements, and so on. Keep in mind that there are also many sub-genres: personal essays, sports podcasts, hip-hop songs, fantasy movies, and many more. Each sub-genre has its own set of key features that audiences expect. For example, someone listening to a basketball podcast generally expects to hear people talk about basketball; if the podcasters begins talking at length about movies, the audience’s expectations are not being met.

Audience. Any type of communication is intended for, or aimed at, at least one specific audience. Along with genre, communicators must think carefully about audience to decide which types of rhetoric to use. Certain rhetorical appeals might be effective for some genres and audiences, but not at all effective for others. For example, logos might work well in a fact-based news article about global financial challenges intended for an audience of economists. If the topic stayed the same—global financial challenges—but the intended audience was changed to middle-class listeners of a radio show, then the radio hosts might choose to rely more on pathos by including soundbites from people explaining how these challenges have impacted their lives.

Purpose. What is a communicator trying to accomplish? The answer to that question is their purpose, and purpose connects directly with genre and audience. A filmmaker directing a big-budget action movie might primarily want to entertain their audience, a TikToker might want to inform their audience about a new fashion trend, and a documentary filmmaker might try to persuade their audience to care about an overlooked social issue. In each case, the communicator must decide how to use rhetoric to best accomplish their purpose for their intended audience and through their chosen genre.

The Interconnected Nature of the Rhetorical Situation. Each element of the rhetorical situation directly impacts every other element. Audience shapes purpose and genre. Some genres make sense for certain purposes and not for other purposes. And purpose helps a communicator pick the right genre and determine how to use rhetoric for an intended audience. These elements also affect how a communicator will use ethos, logos, pathos, and Kairos as well as tone, stance, attitude, visual design, and other rhetorical elements. If rhetoric is being used effectively, all these elements work harmoniously together; if rhetoric is being used ineffectively, then some elements of the rhetorical situation are not working well with other elements. 

Concise Description of the Communication Being Analyzed

You may write a rhetorical analysis about any kind of communication: a newspaper article, an advertisement, a speech, a product’s packaging, a website’s homepage, a YouTube video, a song, a Twitter thread, and so on. The options for what we can rhetorically analyze are nearly limitless. Whatever piece of communication we do analyze, we need to describe its essential elements and details. If we don’t effectively describe the piece of communication, then our readers won’t fully appreciate our analysis. What you include in your description, and how you write it, will depend on the piece of communication you’re analyzing. But a general rule is to focus your description on the elements you plan to analyze. Your reader doesn’t need to know every single little detail about the piece of communication, but they do need to know about the elements that are key to your analysis.

Clear Claims Supported By Evidence

When writing a rhetorical analysis, our main goal is to determine whether the elements in a piece of communication work together or not. Your rhetorical analysis should make clear claims about the piece of communication’s overall effectiveness, and these claims should be built around evidence. In many cases, the evidence will be your own observations of the ways rhetoric is being used. Your analysis will likely have one main claim, similar to a thesis, and then several related sub-claims that are developed throughout your analysis. 

Drafting Checklists

These questions should help guide you through the stages of drafting your rhetorical analysis essay.