Rhetorical analysis is more than understanding a text, acing an assignment, or passing an exam. It empowers you with critical skills that help you make sense of the world around you. Was that politician trying to trick your mind into believing something? What was that movie you saw the other day really about? English courses are designed to help you read between the lines and understand how meaning is produced, and that’s one skill you really want in life.

Here are a few worksheets and writing guides that may help you hone that crucial skill. Some are taken from the Writing Center, where you can schedule free one-on-one appointments (both online and in person) and find more of these guides. Please make use of these resources! There will never be a time like college where so much help is made readily available to you.

No method is better than another one; there are as many methods as there are minds. Different methods suit different genres of texts to analyze, but you can get creative and apply whatever method speaks to you to the text in front of you.

If you have questions about using any of these methods, please let me know! I am happy to help you practice with them.