Tools of rhetorical analysis to discover a focus-Invention
In our reading this unit from Easy Writer, Andrea Lunsford showed us how rhetorical analysis can help us read actively and think critically about the persuasive techniques of a text, whether written or visual. Likewise, DiYanni, in the introduction to 50 Great Essays, revealed how reading is can become of a form of active analysis and interpretation if we keep rhetorical principles in mind. To develop ideas for the essay due at the end of this unit, we can usefully apply the tools of rhetorical analysis to discover a focus and develop ideas to support that focus.
DiYanni explains that “Inferences [statements based on what you observe in a text] drive the interpretive process. They push readers beyond making observations and toward explaining their significance” (27-28). An essay that offers an interpretation (like the one you will write this unit) moves beyond summary to assert a position about a text. This position is called a focus, or thesis statement, and it previews what the body of the essay will discuss.
In this thread, draft a sample thesis statement for your essay #1. Your thesis should clearly convey an interpretation/judgment/evaluation of the selected essay, not simply restate what the essay is about. It need not be just one sentence; many thesis statements are two or three sentences.
When responding to your peers’ thesis statements, consider to what extent a clear interpretation has been communicated and whether or not the thesis helps you anticipate what the essay will argue
