“I Am Writing a Blog Post:” A Rhetorical Analysis Demonstration

I am writing a blog post. I am writing a blog post about rhetorical analysis. I am writing a blog post about rhetorical analysis for WRIT 101 students. I am writing a blog post about rhetorical analysis for WRIT 101 students so they can understand the features of rhetorical analysis as a genre. I am writing a blog post about rhetorical analysis for WRIT 101 students so they can understand the features of rhetorical analysis so they’re not totally lost when they have to write their own.

The context of this post is that every semester, new WRIT 101 students will have to write a rhetorical analysis, likely without ever having written one before. If all the WRIT 101 students were in a room together, and I asked them to raise their hands if they’ve heard of rhetorical analysis before, I’d be surprised to see even one person’s hand in the air.

Therefore, it makes sense that my primary audience is made up of students in WRIT 101, so I have to figure out a way to use writing to address this group directly. I can do this by frequently referencing the WRIT 101 class and the specific assignment they’ll have to complete. I could write this post in the second person, using the pronoun “you;” however, that would mean I’m assuming that every reader is a WRIT 101 student. If they’re not a WRIT 101 student, this choice might feel alienating. They might feel like, at the very least, this document is not very relevant to them, or at most, like they’re not even supposed to be here.  

I think I’ll take that risk, because a person who sees the title of this blog and still wants to read is probably someone who is going to write a rhetorical analysis sometime in the near future.

Because I want my audience to understand rhetorical analysis, the purpose of this document is to inform them about this genre, what its goals are, and what discussions a successful rhetorical analysis contains. I could do this by citing an expert (which I will soon) to convince the audience that I’m right and that they should listen to me (I am, and they should).

Finally, this text takes the form of a blog post, something that will be accessible to every WRIT 101 student regardless of what section they’re in. This blog lets the Writing Center carry out its mission of demystifying the writing process even if the reader doesn’t physically come to the Writing Center. It’s also an appropriate genre for informal writing. I should try and keep it light–if the audience is looking for help outside the classroom, they probably don’t want me to sound exactly like their professor. Maybe I can insert a few jokes. Maybe I’ll empathize with them, and I’ll talk about when I had to write a rhetorical analysis in WRIT 101 nearly a decade ago. As an electronic genre, blogs also let me use the hot memes that are so popular with the youth.

So I’ve just laid out my process for approaching this blog post to show you this: An author’s choices about how something is written are just as important as what the author is writing.

All writers, including yourselves (yes, you are writers, get used to it), make conscious decisions about writing depending on the purpose, audience, context, and text.  According to Professor Terese Thonus, UB’s Writing Program Administrator, these are the four main subjects that should be considered in a rhetorical analysis. The main thing to remember is that you’re not analyzing the content of a source—you’re analyzing the way that it’s written.

It was not a genre, or form, of writing that I encountered before I took WRIT 101 myself way back in 2010, and it’s one of the most common assignments that students bring to the Writing Center for help. So if you looked at the rhetorical analysis assignment on your syllabus and thought “what dimension is this from,” just know you’re not alone.

But what’s your purpose for writing a rhetorical analysis? Sure, maybe your immediate concern is getting a passing grade, but it’s a skill you can apply outside of the classroom too. It will help you understand and imitate the style of writing you encounter in the workplace, for instance, and give you a professional edge. Use it in future assignments to figure out whether a source you want to cite in a paper is reliable or scholarly. It can also be used with popular culture and mass media—the books you read, the news you consume, even memes have rhetorical situations that can be identified through analysis and evidence. You can use it to identify dog whistles in discourse, bond with other fans over a beloved movie or book, or figure out if you’re being subtweeted.

There are a ton of resources available to help you with both your first draft and your revision for this assignment. You can make an appointment at the Writing Center by going to the ALC Appointment Tool in your MyUB portal. You can use the Online Writing Lab, also in the portal, and send your paper to us electronically. And if you need clarification, you can always email your professor or set up a meeting time during their office hours. Your professor wants you to succeed, so don’t be shy.

Now I have to write a conclusion, which in typical academic writing consists of me telling the reader why my writing and my ideas are important, so I’ll sum up by leaving you with these points to remember as you start rhetorically analyzing: write about the writing and not the content; remember purpose, audience, context, and text; and get help at the Writing Center if you need it!

Kerrin Smith is an MFA candidate in the Creative Writing and Publishing Arts program at UB. She has been a Writing Consultant at the UB Writing Center since 2016.