Rhetorical Elements: Analysis Strategies

1. Rhetorical Elements:Analysis Strategies Exigence, Persona, SOAPStone and DIDLS

2. Exigence • Why did the author write this? What was “getting under his/her skin”? What was he/she thinking about? What emotional reaction was the author having? • Shakespeare and Macbeth: New Scottish/English king who believed in the supernatural as elements of the devil. In addition, this king also happened to be the patron of Shakespeare’s acting company.

3. Exigence continued: • Martin Luther King and “I Have a Dream”: He wanted to inspire the people in the civil rights movement; he also wanted to present the idea of a country without prejudice to the US as a whole • Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: He had a successful “boys’ book” in Tom Sawyer; as the writing of the book continued, he became disgusted with certain aspects of society, including violence, gullibility, and greed. Later part of the book reflects this.

4. Persona • The role the author chooses to play. Not the same as the author. • Similar to point of view in fiction • To Kill a Mockingbird: Scout’s role • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Huck’s role • A Modest Proposal: Swift is playing the role of a well educated, thoughtful Irish politician who believes he has a practical solution to poverty in Ireland. • The author can “be” him/her self yet still play a role. Parents can “play” dumb, tough, etc. Politicians can “play” family person, hero, villain, common person,etc.

5. SOAPStone—an overview • S—Speaker • O—Occasion • A---Audience • P---Purpose • S---Subject • T----tone

6. S--Speaker • The individual or collective voice of the text: • Is it the author’s own voice? • Is it a certain persona the author chooses? • Is it reflecting a group? • Is it reflecting a governmental body? (“We the people……”) • Most likely it is a combination of all or some of these

7. O--Occasion • The event or catalyst causing the writing of the text to occur • “The Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson • “Second Inaugural Address” by Abraham Lincoln • “The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln • “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. • “We Have Nothing to Fear….” by Franklin Delano Roosevelt

8. A---Audience • The specific group of readers to whom the text is directed • Marc Antony and Brutus: Roman citizens • Macbeth’s letter: Lady Macbeth • Atticus’s closing argument: the jury –but a specific jury • Thomas Paine, “The Crisis”—Revolutionary War Soldiers • Patrick Henry, “Speech to the Virginia Convention”—a colony largely opposed to war

9. P--Purpose • The reason behind the text • What the author wants us to do with the exigence placed before us • A certain verb….. • To free the prisoners • To find the defendant not guilty • To kill Duncan • To mutiny against Brutus, Cassius, and the other conspirators

10. S--Subject • The general topic and/or main idea: • Today’s campaign messages: our candidate and why he/she is the best choice • NFL Sunday Football: Football is cool, great, exciting, fun, etc. • Gary Larson Cartoons: Life’s more interesting through a unique perspective • Brutus and Antony: Caesar is dead; what are we going to do about it?

11. T--Tone • The attitude of the author/persona toward his or her subject: • Lincoln: somber—Gettysburg Address • P. Henry: urgent---Speech to the Virginia Convention • Lady Macbeth: disgusted—her husband is a coward if he doesn’t kill Duncan • Marc Antony: hesitant at first; then strong • Atticus: practical—it makes sense to believe Tom’s version of things

12. DIDLS—an overview • D—Diction • I----Images • D-----Details • L----Language • S----Sentence Structure

13. Diction • What words does the author use? • “The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.” • “The question before the house is one of awful moment to this country.” • “Yesterday, December 7, 1941: a day that will live in infamy.”

14. Images • What images does the author create? • Visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, gustatory, kinesthetic • How do these images imbue (permeate) the piece with sensory images? • “I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.”

15. Details • Which details does the author include and omit? • Lady Macbeth mentions he had made a promise (which he had not)…. • Atticus points out Tom can only use his right hand, while Mr. Ewell writes left handed • Lincoln mentions “four score and seven years ago”

16. Language • What type of language does the author use? • “All right, then, I’ll go to Hell.” • “Ask Not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country….” • “We are apt to listen to that siren till she turns us into beasts…..” • “You are not wood, you are not stones, but men…….”

17. Sentence Structure • Simple, compound, complex, compound-complex • Use of phrases • Sentence variety • Vivid verbs, etc. • Active or passive voice

18. Additional element: Design • Dictionary definitions: • verb (used with object) to prepare the preliminary sketch or the plans for (a work to be executed), especially to plan the form and structure of: to design a new bridge. • noun the combination of details or features of a picture, building, etc.; the pattern or motif of artistic work: the design on a bracelet.

19. Design: as it applies to media • The overall look, feel, and sound of the piece: • Color? • Camera angles? • Use of pausing? • Music and/or sound effects? (soundtrack) • Special effects? • Key question: what design choices did the director make to convey certain ideas? • Example: Shindler’s List—the girl in the red dress

20. Design • Example: Schindler’s List—the girl in the red dress