“Rhetorical Devices Analysis” Discussion
1- write a 2 page Rhetorical Analysis Essay after reading https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/maryfisher1992rnc.html article
2-look at the Rhetorical Devices Chart for Speech Analysis and write your thesis. The thesis is gonna be about the: purpose, pathos, logos of the article.
(An example of the thesis is ” In Nelson Mandela’s “Poverty Speech,” Mandela created an effective speech through repeating the word “poverty,” speaking to a global audience, and using emotional appeals to convince his listeners that poverty needs to end. “)
3-One body paragraph covers purpose, the other covers pathos, and the other one covers logos.
4- Write a conclusion.
Rhetorical Devices and Speech Analysis
Goals:
to analyze the effectiveness of a speech based on the Rhetorical devices used by a speaker
create a sentence outline analyzing 3 Rhetorical devices
write a 5 paragraph essay analyzing the Rhetorical devices
Analyzing a Speech
A speech can be made more effective if the speaker considers using several literary devices.
To help you understand how to write an Analytical Essay about a speech, this presentation will consider a speech given by Nelson Mandela in London as part of the campaign to end poverty in the developing world.
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Rhetorical Devices
Audience
Purpose
Repetition
Imagery
Ethos
Logos
Pathos
Rhetorical Device – Audience
Who you are writing for
Helps you make decisions about what information to use, your tone and your language
Example 1: Mandela addresses a global audience. He makes a call to action to the world leaders to focus on poverty at their July meeting in Scotland. “I say to all those leaders: do not look the other way; do not hesitate.”
Example 2: Mandela calls people of the world to take action against poverty because it would “be a crime against humanity, against which I ask all humanity now to rise up.”
Rhetorical Device – Purpose
Why the author wrote
Goal is to Persuade, Inform and Explain
Example 1: Mandela states that he was invited to speak by The Campaign to Make Poverty History and that it represents “such a noble cause.”
Example 2: Mandela’s purpose is to persuade the audience to take action to end poverty. He states that “as long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”
Rhetorical Device – Repetition
Repeat a few words or phrases a few times
Make an idea clearer
Emphasize significance of the phrase
Example: At the end of his speech, Mandela repeats two sentences that are very similar to reinforce his point about ending poverty. He says, “Make poverty History in 2005. Make History in 2005.” The repeated pattern of these similar sentences reminds the listener the main point of his speech and reinforces his persuasive message about ending poverty.
Rhetorical Device – Imagery
Author’s use of words and phrases to create “mental images” for the reader
Helps the reader to visualize more realistically the author’s writings
Uses figures of speech like simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia
Example: Mandela compares poverty to prison. “Millions of people in the world’s poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved, in chains. They are trapped in the prison of poverty.” These sentences help the listener visualize the harshness of poverty.
Rhetorical Device – Ethos
Credibility/trustworthiness
Example: Mandela establishes credibility with the audience by referring to a shared past experience. He reminds the audience how a similar crowd “stood in solidarity with us, just a few yards from this spot” during the movement against apartheid.
Rhetorical Device – Logos
Logic/reasoning
Example: Mandela suggests several steps for developing nations to take to help end poverty. “The first is ensuring trade justice.” He continues to list two other steps that will be needed for ending poverty.
Rhetorical Device – Pathos
Emotional appeal
Example: Mandela ends his speech with an appeal to the audience’s sense of pride in taking a stand against poverty. He states, “Then we can all stand with our heads held high.”
Complete the Rhetorical Devices Chart
| Device | Mandela Speech | Speech by |
| Audience | global audience “I say to all those leaders: do not look the other way; do not hesitate.” |
Now you are ready to view/read the speech by Mandela.
In the assignment directions, you will find a file called the Rhetorical Devices Chart
As you watch/read, fill in the Mandela Speech column with examples for each rhetorical device. Include at least one quote for your examples.
Below is an example of the chart with the first device “audience” completed.
The far right column called “Speech by” will be used in a future assignment.