Analysis of Non-Fiction

Analysis of non-fiction

Rhetoric: The art of communicating convincingly

Who is the sender?

- Personal life and background

- Education and qualifications

- Professional career (other publications)

- Political interests – spokesperson for an organisation

Genre:

- What type of non-fiction text is dealt with?

A. Article

The most frequent type of non-fiction

B. Speech:

Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners.

The purpose of a speech can range from simply transmitting information, to motivating people to act or to simply telling a story. Good speakers cannot only present information, but affect the emotions of the listeners.

Message:

What message is being sent?

- What seems to be the most important message and how does the sender introduce the message?

- Is there a hidden message in the text?

- What is the purpose of the text? – to inform?, manipulate?, incite action?

To whom:

To whom is the text addressed?

Time and Context:

When was the message sent? Did some important event take place before the message was sent?

Channel:

What channel has the sender chosen?

Economic interests? Political interests? Type of media?

Tools of rhetoric

How does the speaker appeal to the audience?

Aristotle’s three appeals: Ethos, Logos, Pathos

Ethos: Is speaker/ writer trustworthy? Does he/she seem reliable? Is he/she competent and experienced? Famous? An expert? An authority?

Pathos: Does he/ she create or appeal to feelings among the audience? Compassion, concern, indignation, anger, patriotism. How are these feelings evoked? By using specific examples e.g. of heroic action? By drawing up images of the enemy?

Logos: How does he convince the receivers that the information given can be relied on?

- By referring to statistics and similar documentation?

- By referring to similar incidents in history?

- By using professional vocabulary?

Examples:

- (…) This can be presented as an ethos-argument in which he wants to create/ establish credibility for himself and the case he addresses.

- He uses the pathos-argument when referring to America being ”the land of opportunities”

- He appeals to the patriotic feelings of the audience when stating that …

Rhetorical style:

Besides these three basic ways to persuade others, language itself can be used in a number of ways, because you want your audience to remember what you say:

- Anaphora: the repetition of the same word or phrase in the beginning of sentences. Often used in speeches because they create good rhythm e.g. “I have a dream”, “Yes we can!

- Alliteration: the repetition of consonants, e.g. “stormy sea shore”

- Antithesis/ Contrasts: Peace vs. war,