Review: Writing a Rhetorical Analysis

Combine situation, appeals, devices, and evaluation into a complete rhetorical analysis.

Analyze this original passage from a speech by a volunteer firefighter to a town meeting about funding a new fire station: 'I have served this town for nineteen years. I have carried your neighbors out of smoke. And I am telling you plainly: our station is too far from the east side. Last year, our average response time there was eleven minutes, nearly double the national standard. Some of you worry about the cost, and you should. But ask yourselves: what is eleven minutes worth when it is your house? ' A full analysis moves through four steps.

Situation: a credible local speaker addresses taxpayers who are concerned about cost. Appeals: ethos through service, logos through the response-time statistic, pathos through the final question. Devices: anaphora in 'I have,' concession ('and you should'), rebuttal, and a closing rhetorical question. Evaluation: the speech is likely effective, because it respects the cost concern before reframing it personally, though citing the actual cost would strengthen its logos.

• 1Start with the rhetorical situation.
• 2Identify appeals and devices with their functions.
• 3Evaluate effectiveness and suggest improvements.