WRITING A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY
WRITING A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY The Scarlet Letter Passage 1 The Rhetorical Analysis All essays are questions answer them. There are two essential questions that must be answered on the rhetorical analysis essay. THE QUESTIONS There are two questions that need to be answered Question 1: tone/purpose/theme (TPT) Question 2: Prompt Question (attitude) In The Scarlet Letter Prompt the following passage from The Scarlet Letter, the narrator introduces the reader to the Puritan community of the novel. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay analyzing how the narrator’s description of the Puritans and their community suggests his attitude toward them. Big Question On top of prompt write T/P/T: Tone: Read the passage-at the top write T and provide five tone words Purpose: After reading passage-what was his purpose for writing this-to expose, indict, critique, judge (verb) Theme-tie it to an abstract noun-is it to expose the Puritans for the hypocrites they are and thereby reveal human nature? Analysis of TONE Tone is the emotional voice of the author Tone is expressed through specific and strong adjectives List four specific adjectives that speak to Hawthorne’s tone of voice towards the Puritans. Analysis of AUTHOR’S PURPOSE Author’s purpose is the goal or intent of the writer’s written work Author’s purpose is always expressed through a specific and strong verb Look at your tone words find verbs (doing words) that reflect the meaning of your adjectives What does a critical voice do? Analysis of THEME STATEMENT Theme is a universal statement about the human condition Theme is expressed with a strong verb and an abstract noun Think about Hawthorne’s message about the Puritans and their life choices. Big Question Write your TPT statement. Circle your TPT statement. Highlight all adjectives. Initial TPT statement Hawthorne’s narrator in The Scarlet Letter indicts an intolerant Puritan community. Revising your TPT statement Count how many words you have until your first adjective That’s your first answer How strong are your adjectives The Big Question: Revising your TPT statement Block your first verb. That’s your second answer TPT statement format The format you have to use: adj. and adj., author+title, verb+abstract noun Accusatory and critical, Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter indicts the Puritans for their intolerance. Other format: Author, adj. and adj., title verb+statement Hawthorne, accusatory and critical, in The Scarlet Letter indicts the Puritans for their intolerance. TPT Statement addresses the BIG Question Circle your theme/main idea/big idea statement. Has to have an abstract noun Does your answer to the Big Question look like this? Rewrite first sentence so it addresses TPT Using this recipe: Adjective and Adjective+, +title author+, +verb+theme statement Or Author+, adjective and adjective, + title+ verb + theme statement Little Question: what the prompt is asking for Where do you address narrator’s attitude towards the Puritans? (a good start is an adjective) Little Question Use the word voice and answer the question what is Hawthorne’s attitude towards the Puritans? Little Question Always address the question(s) listed in the prompt. What is the narrator’s attitude toward the Puritan community? Attitude Look up synonyms for attitude Attitude is not TONE Tone is the emotional position of the author Attitude is the author’s perspective, point of view ,opinion toward the subject (characterization) Rewrite Sentence 1 an appositive or absolute Adjective clause Sentence A 2 strong answer to the prompt question about attitude Introductory paragraph: answers Big and Little Question Accusatory and critical, Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter indicts the Puritans for their intolerance. The narrator’s scathing voice augments the caustic irony which operates to critique Puritan zealotry. TALLY ASSESSMENT Trade papers Write tally at the top of the paper and sign your name at the bottom Circle the first sentence Circle the first sentence Highlight the twin adjectives Examine for correctness Assign one tally or write no tone adjectives Circle the Verb Examine the strength of the verb Expose, criticize, judge, evaluate, highlight, augments Assign a tally or write lacks verb Underline the THEME/BIG IDEA Make sure there is an abstract noun (is there a negative abstract noun) Intolerance, oppression, control, mean-spiritedness Assign one tally or write lacks theme Second Sentence Highlight an adjective Assign a tally or write no detail/specificity Second Sentence Circle the word attitude or synonym (you must have a stem of the question) Assign tally or write no stem Second Sentence Underline the answer to the question-What is Hawthorne’s attitude towards the Puritans? Assign tally or write no answer. Scoring 6=A 4=C 2-1=F 5=B 3=D Tally for Introduction Sentence 1 or TPT=adjective phrase or appositive (1 point), strong verb (1 point) and an abstract noun addressing Big Question (I point)=3 points Sentence 2=Thesis it addresses the prompt Adjective (voice)(1 point) Stem of the question (voice, attitude, outlook, perspective, position)( 1 point) Tie it to rhetoric or big idea (1 point)=3 points Supporting Paragraph Essays are idea driven not evidence driven You did not create the evidence, so you will not be assessed on it. Circle your supporting paragraph Underline your first many sentence answers did you Highlight only your have? ideas in one color Minimum of 5 or 1 Highlight evidence in per sentence. another Adjectives You only assess Strong verbs by the (descriptive not linking commentary verbs) Abstract noun How Sentence 1 Highlight the Initial sentence 1: sentence The irony evident in Circle the adjective paragraph one sets Underline verb the tone for the rest Circle abstract noun of the passage. Make a note of what *missing adjective, you are missing. verb could be stronger, where is my abstract noun? Revised: The sardonic diction evident from paragraph one sets the damning judgment of the intransigence of the Puritan community. Accusatory and critical, Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter indicts the Puritans for their intolerance. The narrator’s scathing voice augments the caustic irony which operates to critique a fanatical society. The sardonic diction evident from paragraph one sets the damning judgment of the intransigent Puritan community. One sees the town’s “good people” gathered; one anticipates some execution for some awful crime, perhaps a homicide. However, the narrator lets us know that “early severity” of the Puritans could be triggered by something as trivial as a sluggish bond-servant or an undutiful child, hardly the insidious crimes one expects from their stern, rigid physiognomies. It is clear that the narrator arraigns the Puritans for their intolerance. As a result, he makes us question whether these people are “good people” indeed. Their rigidity makes them an extension of a harsh penal code which they should reject but instead embrace. Here are a people who have crossed an ocean, severed ties with all they know in order to achieve religious freedom, but instead have become a medium of oppression-where humanity is intolerable and the “mildest and severest acts of public discipline are alike.” Hawthorne chides the Puritans for their narrow-mindedness because he knows that it will bring about their own demise. Body How dense is your body? Highlight the evidence and underline commentary (your ideas) How many circles do you have? Commentary should have a minimum of three (they should follow each of your evidence) Your commentary is the only thing you are being assessed on. Last Sentence Circle your last sentence Highlight the adjective Circle the verb Underline abstract noun Make a note of what you are missing Was your last sentence evidence rich or commentary rich? There should be no evidence in your last sentence. REVISE Using this Structure First sentence-adjective, verb, big idea about rhetorical device Body-evidence and commentary (the effect or what is being built by the rhetorical device) Ending sentence-adjective, verb, big idea about rhetorical device Conclusion Paragraph 1st sentence-restatement of thesis (Little Question)-You have to paraphrase it. Frame TPT-restructure Ender-insight Or Frame TPT-where you address part of it Thesis –restate Ender-bring back to big idea Sample Intro. and Conc. Introduction Conclusion
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