Blog 1 – “What is your experience with rhetorical analysis?”

If someone had asked me this question a week ago they would have received a blank stare from a person who has not been in school for over 8 years and therefore had no idea what rhetorical analysis was. Thankfully after reading the chapters for the week I feel much better about answering this question. While I had originally thought that I was unfamiliar with the concept of rhetorical analysis, it is actually something that I could see myself doing every day.

My understanding of rhetorical analysis is taking something and breaking it down to its base components in order to examine what it does. I would not do this in an academic sense on a daily basis and instead think that I would do this frequently in an informal way. Every day as we interact with those around us we are practicing rhetorical analysis by taking the things they say and analyzing what we think they mean. The simple phrase “Can I help you?” can have multiple meanings depending on the situation, the body language of the person saying it, and the tone of their voice.

For instance, a few days ago I went out with a friend to see “The Hangover” at the movies and noticed that she had cut her hair. We have a playful relationship and constantly tease each other. So when I said “Nice Hair” she got mad. While the comment was meant with good intent, she thought I was making fun of her hair. Our type of relationship and possibly my tone and body language contributed small parts to the overall reception of the comment.