Step 3: Examine the rhetorical strategies used


In this case, sophistication isn’t about how many fancy vocabulary words or how many semicolons you use. According to , one point can be awarded to AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis essays that “demonstrate sophistication of thought and/or a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation” in any of these three ways:


This rubric category is graded on a scale of 0-4 where 4 is the highest grade. Per the AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis rubric, to get a 4, you’ll want to:

A typical rhetorical paper, similar to a , consists of five paragraphs divided into three main parts: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. While learning how to write a rhetorical analysis essay step by step, remember to break down the work into its parts, describe how those parts work together, and consider the author's desired effect—whether it's to inform, entertain, or persuade. Follow the below steps, and you'll be well on your way to crafting a compelling essay.

A rhetorical analysis essay should consist of the following:

Start your conclusion by summarizing the main points of your analysis. This doesn't mean simply listing your points again, but rather synthesizing them to show how they come together to support your thesis.

There’s nothing nebulous when it comes to grading AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay thesis. You either have one or you don’t. Including a thesis gets you one point closer to a high score and leaving it out means you miss out on one crucial point. So, what makes a thesis that counts?

The AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Essay is graded on just 3 rubric categories: Thesis, Evidence and Commentary, and Sophistication. At a glance, the rubric categories may seem vague, but are actually looking for very particular things in each category. We’ll break it down with dos and don’ts for each rubric category:

A great way to organize your body paragraphs in a rhetorical analysis essay is to section them by technique. Have one paragraph about ethos, one on pathos, and one on logos. You can also include another paragraph about any other rhetorical techniques if you think the author has used them prominently. As you argue your points, be sure to use quotations and paraphrasing from the text to add examples.


If so, it may be a rhetorical analysis.

Sometimes, the best way to learn how to write a good argument is to start by analyzing other arguments. When you do this, you get to see what works, what doesn’t, what strategies another author uses, what structures seem to work well and why, and more.

Those memorable moments are likely rhetorical devices or appeals.

In the paragraphs that follow, you will learn about analyzing arguments for both content and rhetorical strategies. The content analysis may come a little easier for you, but the rhetorical analysis is extremely important. To become a good writer, we must develop the language of writing and learn how to use that language to talk about the “moves” other writers make.

The rhetorical analysis essay outline:

A Rhetorical analysis begins with the examination of the content and the style of the author. A rhetorical analysis is an examination of the topic, purpose, audience, and context of a piece of text. A text can be written, spoken, or conveyed in some other manner.

A thesis statement for rhetorical analysis has three main objectives:

Now, when we talk about the parts of rhetoric, we're really diving into the nuts and bolts of persuasion. There are three main elements of a rhetorical analysis essay: ethos, pathos, and logos.

You want to be a better writer, but analyzing rhetoric is hard.

“In a rhetorical analysis , the author analyses the text rhetorically. A rhetorical analysis essay exploits figures of speech to have a compelling or persuasive effect on the audience.”

A rhetorical essay is based on the following information.

So, what exactly does a rhetorical analysis essay definition entail? Simply put, it's an exploration of how messages are crafted and conveyed in different forms of media. The purpose? Well, it's twofold. One, it helps you understand the techniques used by creators to get their message across. Two, it teaches you to think critically about the media you consume.