The Essay of Analysis

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The Essay of Analysis

• AP English Composition and Language

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What is analysis (for the AP exam)?

• Take apart a particular passage
• Divide it into its basic components
• Examine how the writer develops his or her
  subject
• For the AP Language exam the different types of
  analysis include
• Analysis of structure
• Analysis of purpose
• Analysis of style

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What is rhetoric?

• An umbrella term for all of the strategies, modes
  and devices a writer can employ in discourse to
  allow the reader to easily accept and understand
  his or her point of view
• Modes of Discourse prose can be divided into
  four primary categories
• Exposition illustrates a point
• Narration tells a story
• Description creates a sensory image
• Argumentation takes a position on an issue and
  defends it

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What are rhetorical strategies?

• The basic approaches a writer uses to create a
  successful mode of discourse
• Contrast/comparison
• Example
• Definition
• Connotation
• Antithesis
• Oxymoron
• And about 200 more

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What is the analysis of rhetorical structure?

• Your job is to
• Carefully read the passage
• Recognize and identify strategies used in the
  passage
• Determine how these strategies are utilized in
  the development of the authors purpose

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Rhetorical Strategyexample

• Definition Example is a specific event, person,
  or detail of an idea cited and/or developed to
  support or illustrate a thesis or topic.

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The excerpt from Jane Jacobs A good
Neighborhood uses examples. Read it carefully
and then well analyze it.

1. Underline the thesis statement.
2. The topic/subject of the passage is
3. The purpose of the passage is to __inform
   __persuade __entertain
4. Does the passage contain an extended example?
5. The passage contains how many examples?
6. Briefly list the examples.
7. The organization is __chronological ___spatial
   ___least to most important ___most to least
   important

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Rhetorical StrategyContrast/Comparison

• Definition A method of presenting similarities
  and differences between or among at least two
  persons, places, things, ideas, etc. The
  contrast/comparison essay may be organized in
  several ways including
• 1. Subject by subject
• 2. Point by point
• 3. combination

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The excerpt from W.H.Audens Work, Labor, Play
uses contrast/comparison. Read it carefully and
then well analyze it.

1. The topic/subject of the passage is___
2. Underline the thesis statement.
3. The purpose of the passage is to __inform
   __persuade __entertain
4. The items being compared/contrasted are______
5. One example of a comparison in the passage is
   _____
6. One example of contrast in the passage is ___
7. The pattern of development is __opposing
   __alternating
8. The organization is __subject to subject __point
   by point __combination

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Rhetorical StrategyCause and Effect

• Definition Establishes a relationship B is the
  result of A. The cause-and-effect essay can
  emphasize the cause, or the effect, or can treat
  both equally. It can detail a single cause with
  many effects, or several causes with a single
  effect, or any combination.
• Strategies facts, statistics, authorities,
  anecdotes, cases, real or imagined scenarios

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Thomas Hobbess Of the Natural Condition of
Mankind (1651). Read it carefully and then well
analyze it.

1. Underline the thesis statement.
2. The topic/subject of the passage is ___.
3. The purpose of the passage is to __inform
   __persuade __entertain
4. List the causes ____________________
5. List the effects _____________________
6. The emphasis is on __cause __effect __causes
   __effects
7. The passage makes use of __statistics __facts
   __authorities __anecdotes __cases
   __real/imaginary scenarios

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Rhetorical StrategyClassification

• Definition Separates items into major categories
  and details the characteristics of each group and
  why each member of that group is placed within
  the category. It is possible to divide the
  categories into subgroups.
• The principle of classification should be made
  clear to the reader. (This is the umbrella term
  under which everything fits.)

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Jane Howards All Happy Clans Are Alike. Read
it carefully and then well analyze it.

1. The topic/subject of the passage is ___.
2. Underline the thesis statement.
3. The purpose of the passage is to __inform
   __persuade __entertain
4. Identify the principle of division/classification
   ____________________
5. List the main subgroups __________________
6. Cite the major characteristic(s) of each
   subgroup __________________

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Rhetorical StrategyProcess

• Definition how to do something or how
  something is done. Process can have one of two
  purposes. It can either give instructions or
  inform the reader about how something is done.
• A clear process presentation must be in
  chronological orderstep-by-step format.
• It will define necessary terms and cite any
  precautions, if needed.

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L. Rust Hillss How to Care for and About
Ashtrays. Read it carefully and then well
analyze it.

1. Underline the thesis statement.
2. The topic/subject of the passage is ___.
3. The purpose of the passage is to __give
   specific directions __be informative
4. List major steps given in the selection___
5. Is it in chronological order? __yes __no
6. List any words that are defined _____
7. Were there any other words that should have been
   defined? ________
8. List any precautions given ______
9. The process presented is __clear __unclear
   __complete __incomplete

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Rhetorical StrategyDefinition

• Definition Identifies the class to which a
  specific term belongs and those characteristics
  which make it different from all other items in
  that class.
• There are several types of definition physical,
  historical, emotional, psychological, and
  relationship(s) to others
• An essay of definition can be developed using any
  rhetorical strategy and the writer must decide to
  be serious or humorous.

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Bugdust. Read it carefully and then well analyze
it.

1. Underline the thesis statement.
2. The topic/subject of the passage is ___.
3. The purpose of the passage is to __inform
   __persuade __entertain
4. The attitude of the writer is __serious
   __humorous
5. To what class does the word being defined belong?
   ___
6. List the major rhetorical strategies used__
7. The definition is __historical __physical
   __emotional __psychological __relationship(s) to
   others
8. Do you, as a reader, have an understanding of the
   definition presented? _____
9. Briefly state your understanding of the term
   ______

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Rhetorical StrategyNarration

• Definition Storytelling. There is a beginning, a
  middle, and an end.
• Theres a point to ita reason for recounting the
  story that becomes clear to the reader.
• There is a focus to the story as well. Your point
  might be that lying gets you into trouble. To
  illustrate this, you focus on an anecdote about
  the repercussions of a specific lie you told.
• Narration requires a specific point of view 1st
  person, 3rd person omniscient, 3rd person
  objective, stream of consciousness

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Louisa May Alcott Death of a Soldier. Read it
carefully and then well analyze it.

1. The topic/subject of the passage is ___.
2. The purpose of the passage is to __inform
   __persuade __entertain
3. The focus is _________________
4. The point of view is __1st person __3rd person
   objective __3rd person omniscient __streat of
   consciousness
5. The setting is ________________
6. The main character(s) is/are ______________
7. The gist of the plot is __________________
8. List the sequence of the major events (beginning,
   middle, end)

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Rhetorical StrategyDescription

• Definition Writing that appeals to the senses
• It can be objective, which is scientific or
  clinical
• It can be impressionistic, which tries to involve
  the readers emotions or feelings
• It can be direct or indirect
• The organization can be chronological, spatial,
  emphasizing the most important detail, or
  emphasizing the most noticeable detail

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Rhetorical StrategyDescription Page 2

• To create his or her description, the writer can
  employ any or all of the following literary
  devices
• Analogy
• Concrete, specific words
• Appeal to the senses
• Personification
• Hyperbole
• Contrast and Comparison
• Onomatopoeia
• Other figurative language (scads of these)

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Charles Dickens, excerpt from Bleak House. Read
it carefully and then well analyze it.

1. Underline the thesis.
2. The topic/subject of the passage is ____
3. The description is __objective __impressionistic
4. The passage contains examples of
5. Analogy, ex. ___
6. Concrete words, ex. ___
7. Imagery, ex. __
8. Contrast/comparison, ex. ___ (Differences/Alike)
9. Personification, ex. ___
10. Onomatopoeia, ex. ___
11. Other figurative language, ex. ___
12. The intended effect is to __inform __persuade
    __entertain

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What is style?

• What is the difference between the comedy on The
  Simpsons and Family Guy?
• Subject matter
• Language (diction)
• Pacing
• Selection of detail
• Presentationbody of language
• Attitude toward material
• Attitude toward audience

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Those elements are what is called style. Given
two literary passages, you could probably tell
which was written by Hawthorne and which by
Twain. How would you know?You would use the same
principles you considered with the two television
shows.

1. Subject matter
2. Selection of detail
3. Point of view
4. Diction
5. Figurative language/imagery

6. Attitude 7. Tone 8. Pacing/syntax 9.
Organization
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How do you write about style?

• Understand and refer to some basic writing terms
  and devices
• Subject matter
• Selection of detail
• Organization
• Point of view
• Diction
• Syntax
• Language
• Attitude
• Tone

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A brief review of those terms

• Subject Matter and Selection of Detail
• Each author CHOOSES consciously about the
  topic/subject she or he will write.
• Sometimes writers become associated with a
  particular type of subject matter. (Stephen
  King-horror and suspense, Mario Puzo-organized
  crime)
• Example If two students, one a vegan and one a
  meat-eater, were assigned to write about
  hamburgers each one would choose a different
  group of details to do the job.

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A brief review of those terms

• Organization
• The way in which a writer presents her or his
  ideas to the reader
• Example Think about your locker. How are your
  books, jacket, lunch and other things arranged in
  it? If someone else were to open it, what
  conclusion would that person draw about you?
• Some options for writers are chronological,
  spatial, specific to general, general to
  specific, least to most important, most important
  to least, flashback or fast-forward,
  contrast/comparison, cause/effect

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A brief review of those terms

• Point of View
• The method an author utilizes to tell the story.
• first person
• third person objective
• third person omniscient
• stream of consciousness
• chorus, stage manager, interior monologue

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A brief review of those terms

• Diction
• Can also be called word choice
• The conscious selection of words to further the
  authors purpose.
• Example How would you describe a date you went
  on last weekend to your parents? To your peers?
  To your self?
• A writer searches for the most appropriate,
  evocative or precise word or phrase to convey
  intent and meaning

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A brief review of those terms

• Figurative Language and Imagery
• The written creation of sensory experience
  achieved through the use of figurative language
• Analogy
• Sensory description
• Poetic devices, including metaphor, simile,
  hyperbole, onomatopoeia, personification,
  oxymoron, alliteration, assonance, consonance,
  etc
• Look at Melvilles Nantucket Find several
  different examples of figurative language used in
  the paragraph.

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A brief review of those terms

• Syntax
• Grammarthe function of words and their uses and
  relationship in a sentence
• Syntax is the grammatical structure of sentences.
  Without it, there is no clear communication.
• Not grammatical correctness, but rather the
  deliberate sentence structure the author chooses
  to make her or his point.
• Phrases, clauses, basic sentence types
  (declarative, interrogative, imperative,
  exclamatory), simple sentences, compound
  sentences, complex sentences, compound-complex
  sentences

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A brief review of those terms

• Tone and Attitude
• Both terms refer to the authors perception and
  presentation of the material and the audience.
• Tone reinforces the mood of a piece.
• An authors attitude is not just the creation of
  a mood. It represents the stance or relationship
  the author has toward his or her subject.
• You may have to read between the line to
  identify attitude.