Sample Rhetorical Analysis

Here is a sample rhetorical analysis for the passage on pages 63-64 of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

Glossing Sheets

If you lose your glossing sheets, here are extra copies:  

Glossing Sheets

Practice Questions: Reading Analysis

These questions will help you prepare for the reading and rhetorical analysis next week.  They apply to the last paragraph on pg. 63/first paragraph on 64 in FD.

On the bottom of pg. 63, what does Douglass compares himself to
a. a den of hungry lions
b. an unarmed mariner
c. a pirate
d. a friendly man-of-war

The primary feeling in this passage is one of
a. isolation
b. anger
c. contempt
d. ebullience

In the middle of the passage, when Douglass uses the motto, "Trust no man!", he is making use of which rhetorical device?
a. antithesis
b. chiasmus
c. aphorism
d. anaphora

Identify an example of antithesis in this passage.  Explain its impact.



Identify an example of anaphora.  Explain its impact.



Identify one example of a simile or a metaphor and explain the purpose/impact of the comparison.



Identify a choice Douglass makes regarding punctuation and explain its impact.



Explain how Douglass uses one of the following in this passage: ethos, logos, pathos.

Read the following passage, and then explain which rhetorical device is primarily being used. How do you know that that particular rhetorical device is being used? (choose ONE device only)

“My mistress was, as I have said, a kind and tender-hearted woman; and in the simplicity of her soul she commenced, when I first went to live with her, to treat me as she supposed one human being ought to treat another… Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. Under its influence, the tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness.

How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis

Use the following link for detailed instructions on how to write a rhetorical analysis.

Claim/Evidence Rubric

Here is the rubric I used to evaluate your Into the Wild Claim/Evidence pieces.

Sentences of the Week

Here is the grammar document.

Today's Videos on Rhetoric

Here are the two videos we watched in class today:

Video 1 - Introduction to rhetorical analysis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s0LqAdqkV0

Video 2 - Ethos, logos, and pathos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4tTugqBkJU

Rhetorical Devices

Click here for a comprehensive list of rhetorical devices.