Thesis Statements for the Rhetorical Analysis Essay
A rhetorical analysis essay has certain features like every other essay but is however unique in many ways. The general idea of a rhetorical analysis is to evaluate an author’s original piece (writing or text) to see if the theme, setting, language, achieve a goal.
Rhetorical Analysis Thesis Statement
To complete your rhetorical analysis essay, it is important to construct a rhetorical analysis thesis statement. Your thesis statement plays an important role in your essay as it introduces and summarizes your write-up. Your essay would be incomplete without a well-structured thesis statement.
Steps to Writing a Rhetorical Analysis Thesis Statement
Here are a few steps to follow as you write the perfect thesis statement for your rhetorical analysis essay:
- Read through the text that you wish to analyze
The text you wish to analyze should be thoroughly read and understood before you begin an analysis. Remember that the work is not originally yours and you may need to read through it a few times before you grasp the context. It is important however that you choose a text that you’ll be confident enough to work with.
- Pinpoint the area of concentration
Once you’ve read through the work, you should decide on the area you want to deal with. This could be a theme, character, writing style, or language used. Trying to analyze the full text may result in writing something too bulky. Your area of focus will make up your thesis statement and would form the basis for your analysis.
- Decide the pattern of analysis
There are many ways to go about rhetorical analysis. Your choice pattern will determine how your thesis statement will turn out. You may decide to use a cause and effect or comparative pattern of analysis.
- Write your thesis
The last and final stage is writing your thesis statement. You must put the following tips into consideration as you write your thesis statement.
You are analyzing an original work and not your work
It only makes sense for you to rhetorically analyze another person’s work or text. It is hence important that you do not use words like “I” but rather let people see your opinion from a neutral point of view.
You should refer to the author
While writing your thesis, you should mention the author and the title of the work you are analyzing if necessary.
Focus on a goal
Never forget your purpose in writing. Your analyses should be summarized into a concluding note that you’d like your readers to see.
Rhetorical Analysis Thesis Template
The composition of a rhetorical analysis thesis statement is often a summary of how you see a specific area of a writer’s work. The templates here use different patterns to write a rhetorical analysis thesis. A rhetorical analysis thesis example should look like one of these:
- (Author) in (text) addresses (issue or area of analysis) (your point of view about the text)
A good example of this rhetorical analysis thesis outline would be:
Dan Brown in his book, the lost symbol utilizes the use of Leonardo da Vinci’s artworks to explain the phenomenon of the church but fails to convince the readers of their interrelatedness.
- (Author) (your point of view about the text) (issue or area of analysis) in (text or book)
The outcome would be:
Lucy McCarthy’s attempt to explain the process of human evolution has ineffectively hit the jackpot because of her use of unrealistic languages and unrelated metaphors to express her ideas.
- (Issue or area of analysis) of (author) in (text or book) (your point of view about the text)
Hence you may write:
The political language and style of writing of Ken King in his article about the American presidential elections are oddly more satisfying and understandable to read than that of other reporters.
- Although/even/while (author) (issue or area of analysis) in (book or text) (your point of view about the text)
The result should be:
While Clinton uses criticism to address the problem of Covid19 vaccination in his article, his opinions about the dangers of vaccination lack concrete evidence and are not entirely foolproof.
Conclusion
A rhetorical analysis thesis statement is easily one of the most interesting thesis statements to write. This is because the subject of discussion is more often than not, already addressed by an author. To write the best rhetorical analysis thesis, follow the rhetoric analysis outline here.