AP LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
RHETORICAL ANALYSIS: THE BASICS
Skills needed to help you accurately analyze a text:
1. Understand SOAPStone.
2. Learn and Apply Rhetorical Strategies.
a. Classical Appeals (ethos, logos, pathos)
b. Style (diction, syntax, imagery, tone, etc.)
3. Ask yourself these questions:
a. WHAT is the author’s purpose and/or thesis?
b. HOW do the rhetorical strategies help the author achieve his/her purpose?
c. WHY did the author choose those strategies for that particular audience and
for that particular occasion?
I. What is it?
Rhetoric: This is a fancy word for language. It is an exploration of how an author uses language and
language devices to engage in the art of persuasion.
Analysis: Examining the parts of the whole; “breaking down” into elements. Analysis is the close and
careful inspection of literature or an event. It challenges you to move beyond the initial appearances of an
issue and to investigate it in detail – to encourage you to see it from a different perspective that generates
creative insights and understandings that were not at first apparent.
II.
How do I begin
START with an idea, an insight, a hunch, a theory, a shot in the dark … about the meaning of the work
as a whole – the author’s purpose.
CONTINUE with a statement about meaning – develop a thesis statement.
THEN, try to figure out how the author uses literary devices (i.e. metaphor) and other elements (diction
and syntax) to lead you to that interpretation and why the author chose to use them in that manner.
Anticipate the reader’s rude question: “So what?” ANSWER IT!
III.
How do I figure out how and why the author uses literary devices?
When reading text closely, consider what it “says” and what it “does.”
When you do this, you are thinking about how language functions, a dimension distinct from what
language says.
● “Says” statements (content) summarizes the content of the text.
● “Does” statements (form) describes construction, organization, and form with as little
reference to content as possible.
Ask yourself – What is the author’s thesis and what is he/she doing to get it across to his/her audience?
IV.
How do I improve my analysis?
Texts must always be interpreted within a context – being unfamiliar with the appropriate contextual or
background information will usually lead to misinterpretation and misunderstanding. You may be able to
improve your analysis by making use of one or more of the following techniques:
A. Pre-read or preview the text. “Flip through it” to get an initial sense of what it’s about: its
topic, purpose, main ideas, and the attitude/position of its author. Afterwards, read it more
thoroughly.
B. Skip past sections you don’t understand. If you encounter a sentence or paragraph you
don’t understand, try “bouncing over” the problematic section and continue reading. You
may find that a later part of the text clarifies the part you don’t understand; if not, return to
the puzzling section and see if you can figure it out.
C. Read purposefully and actively. You are more likely to understand a text if you engage it
actively rather than passively. Annotated the text; write in the margins; highlight important
points that you can use in your argument and/or essay.
D. Take concise notes of main points and key information. Try to record brief notes on
everything you read – collect these notes in a centralized form so that you may review them
from time to time (not just the night before an exam). This strategy will not only refresh your
memory but will also help you develop the kind o f conceptual background or context that
will make you a better reader.
SOAPSTONE
This is an acronym comfortably used by the Collegeboard. It is just a tool to help remember some basic elements
of analysis that you can use to begin any analytical task.
1. SPEAKER: Is someone identified as the speaker? Can you make some assumptions about this person?
Their class? Political party? Gender? NOTE: Does the speaker evoke God? a Nation? Liberty?
History? Hell? Does the speaker allude to classical themes? Why is the speaker using this type of
language?
2. OCCASION: What prompted the author to write this piece? What event led to its publication or
development?
3. AUDIENCE: Does the speaker identify an audience? What assumptions can you make about the
audience? Mixed racial/gender group? Social class? Political party?
4. PURPOSE: What is the speaker’s purpose and how does he/she convey this message? How would you
perceive the speaker giving this speech? What is the document saying? What is the emotional state of
the speaker? How is the speaker trying to spark a reaction in the audience? What words or phrases show
the speaker’s tone? How is the document supposed to make the reader feel?
5. SUBJECT: What is the subject of the piece? How do you know this? How has the subject been
selected and presented by the author?
6. TONE: What is the author’s attitude toward the subject? What emotional sense do you take from the
piece?
ADDITIONAL RHETORICAL DEVICES
There is often much deliberation in the writing choices authors make.
…Parallel structure will do nicely here to show the relationship between these ideas…ironic humor here
may be particularly effective...I need to use some repetition here to really get my point across…I think a
metaphor might most effectively make this clear to the reader…
I know, I know…nobody really sounds like that; however, the deliberation does actually happen.
As we work our way through the year, we will explore some of these devices and discovery, not only how other
writers use them, but how we can use them as well.