Descriptive analysis:

Assessing the rhetorical situation:

Identify the problems and resources arising from the following:

 

1. Subject

a. Is the subject complex?

b. What is the subject's cultural history?

2. purpose

a. What is the cost for the audience of participation in the speech and in the requested action?

b. Does the audience have control over the outcome?

3. Audience

a. Is the target audience reachable?

b. Are misinterpretations likely?

c. Is the subject salient?

d. Does the audience believe it can take action?

4. Speaker

a. What is the speaker's reputation prior to the speech?

b. Is the speaker able to demonstrate ethos in the speech?

c. What is the speaker's relationship to the audience?

 

Elements of descriptive analysis:

Identify the following elements of the speech.

1. Purpose

a. Thesis

b. Narrowing and/or framing of the subject

c. Response desired

2. Audience

a. intended

b. unintended

c. actual

d. idealized

e. targeted

3. Persona: the role or roles played by the rhetor

4. Tone

a. Attitude toward subject

b. Attitude toward audience

5. Structure

6. Supporting materials

7. Strategies

a. Language choice

b. Moral appeals

c. Collapse of genres

d. genre

 

Adapted from:

Campbell, Karlyn Kohrs and Susan Schultz Huxman. The Rhetorical Act, 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2003.