Rhetorical Analysis Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler
Objective After reading/listening to Churchill s First Speech as Prime Minister: Be Ye Men of Valor, (May 19 th, 1940) and Hitler s I Will Again Put on My Uniform, students will demonstrate understanding of rhetoric by analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness of one of the speeches.
Essay Prompt: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of one of the speeches we read in class. Support your answer using details from the speech (summary, paraphrase, and quotations) and the vocabulary of Rhetoric. Logos, ethos, pathos, etc
Rhetorical Analysis Outline I. Introduction A. "Attention Grabber" B. Introduce speaker 1. Full name, position, place in history, etc. C. TAG and Thesis Statement II. The Speech A. Occasion (event, locale, medium, etc.) B. Audience C. Purpose D. Subject (main points) E. Tone
2: The Speech Occasion: Global warming/melting ice caps Audience: General population (Academy-Award winning full-feature film) Purpose: Persuade the audience to take action against global warming causing activities Subject: Energy use/life choices effect the environment Tone: concerned, alarmed, fatherly, scientific
What is the author s attitude toward the subject? You will need more than 2 examples. There are only 2 here for simplicity. III. Diction (word choice etc.) IV. Flow of ideas V.-VI. Rhetoric (identified as ) A. Logos/Ethos/Pathos (choose 2) 1. Specific example/how it's used a. purpose/impact 2. Specific example/how it's used a. purpose/impact B. Dominant/most effective element 1. Specific example/how it's used a. purpose/impact 2. Specific example/how it's used a. purpose/impact These could be combined
3: Diction Diction: What about the specific word choice clues the reader in? Figures of speech, imagery, analogies, allusions that contribute to positive, negative, angry, melancholy, activist feelings in the audience? Parallelism falls under this category.
3: Diction (example) Gore uses words and images that imply a filthy industrial world with no regard for environmental impact. [Which words?] He specifically uses the words moral, unethical, and faith to discuss the argument he makes. [How do the words impact the argument?]
4: Syntax Syntax means sentence structure. Are the speaker s sentences long or short? choppy, flowing, etc Rhetorical Questions
4: Syntax As he discusses the temperature records and ocean temperatures over the past several decades, Gore uses simple, but not short, sentences. He simply provides the facts. They build to the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. His sentences then get longer and more complex as he addresses the complex questions these facts seem to beg. He asks the rhetorical question, how could that happen here? to imply that despite the warnings the facts issued, that people in power ignored them. His syntax rarely is choppy, and he thus avoids the scolding, angry tone.
V- VI: Rhetoric What kinds of rhetoric does the author employ? ethos, pathos, logos etc How were they used? For what purpose? What was the impact?
5-6: Rhetoric: 5: The 2 weaker elements: Gore establishes the ethos of his sources by linking them to the respected institutions they represent. [Add examples here ] He also appeals to logos by presenting fact after fact in a string of logic. [For example ] 6: The dominant, most effective element: Gore s greatest appeals are emotional. He shares personal tragedy [which was?] that causes him to ask of himself, How should I spend time on this earth? He shows examples of diminishing natural beauty and associates it with guilt. [Specific examples go here] He calls on his audience to work through political avenues to enact laws that will have positive impacts on climate change. [Specifically, he says ]
The Conclusion VII. Conclusion A. Significance of person/speech B. Restated Thesis C. Evaluative/Closing Statement Oh poo. There s no example I guess you ll have to write this all on your own! :-P
Brainstorming Start by identifying the 1. Speaker: 2. Occasion: 3. Audience: 4. Purpose: 5. Subject: 6. Tone: DO THIS FIRST!!! Identify words/phrases and passages that contain loaded language (parts that make you feel feelings ) for 3 Diction. Select specific instances of,, and to discuss in your essay