Rhetorical Analysis Evidence and Commentary
Select short evidence, embed quotations, and write commentary that explains how rhetorical choices serve the speaker purpose.
A lesson of AP English Language and Composition, in Rhetorical Analysis Essay, about 10 minutes.
Evidence and Commentary in Rhetorical Analysis
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to select and deploy textual evidence precisely, write analytical commentary that explains rhetorical effect, and avoid the "identification trap" that limits most student RA essays.
The Identification Trap
The most common rhetorical analysis failure is what teachers call the "identification trap":
"King uses anaphora in his speech. He also uses pathos. The metaphors in his speech are vivid. These devices help him persuade the audience."
The student has:
- Identified devices ✓
- Named a general effect ("persuade") ✓
- Analyzed HOW the devices create this effect? ✗
- Explained WHY these choices (rather than different choices) serve the purpose? ✗
The identification trap: Stopping at device-naming instead of explaining mechanism and effect.
What Rhetorical Commentary Actually Looks Like
Identification alone: "King uses anaphora."
Identification + effect: "King uses anaphora to create emotional intensity."
Full analysis: "King's anaphora — 'I have a dream that one day...' — repeats not just a grammatical structure but a verb of vision: 'have a dream.' Each iteration enacts the act of imagining a future that doesn't yet exist. The repetition itself becomes a demonstration of the speech's claim: King doesn't argue that a better future is possible; by speaking as if it already exists in his vision, he makes it imaginatively present for his audience in the act of listening. Dreaming, repeated, becomes less a private act than a collective one."
Notice: the full analysis explains the mechanism (why repetition of "dream" specifically, not just any repetition), the cognitive effect on the audience (they enter the dream), and the relationship to the speech's purpose (the form enacts the argument).
Selecting Evidence: What to Quote
Quote specifically and selectively. The most powerful quotations are short — a phrase, a word, a sentence — precisely because you'll analyze them closely.
Avoid:
- Long block quotations that take up space without analysis
- Paraphrase when the exact words matter