Writing · Writing: Essays and Literary AnalysisPersuasive Writing and Rhetorical Analysis: Appeals, Devices and Ethics
2.1 2.2 2.3About 75 minutes
Learning goals- I can explain how persuasive writing differs from argumentative writing and choose the right form for a task.
- I can use rhetorical devices such as antithesis, anaphora, tricolon and rhetorical questions deliberately and ethically.
- I can write a rhetorical analysis that explains how a speaker's choices work on a specific audience.
- I can adjust my voice and diction to persuade a specific audience without manipulating it.
Words to know
rhetorical analysis
An essay that explains how a persuasive text works: the strategies a speaker uses and their effects on a particular audience.
antithesis
Placing contrasting ideas side by side in balanced phrases: I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
anaphora
Repeating the same word or phrase at the start of successive clauses or sentences.
tricolon
A series of three parallel words, phrases or clauses, often building to a climax.
apophasis
Drawing attention to something by claiming not to mention it, as when Antony stresses Caesar's will while insisting I must not read it. It is often paired with false modesty: claiming a weakness (I am no orator) while displaying the opposite.
verbal irony
Saying one thing while meaning another, often the opposite.
Persuasion and argument: same family, different emphasis
The argumentative essay (previous lesson) leads with evidence and reasoning and treats opposing views at length; its reader is an intelligent skeptic. Persuasive writing, such as an opinion column, a speech, a letter to council or a grant appeal, aims to move a particular audience to think, feel or act. It still needs reasons (logos), but it uses voice, emotion, timing and style more openly.
In Grade 11 you learned ethos, pathos, logos and kairos. Grade 12 adds two things: a larger toolkit of rhetorical devices, and the skill of rhetorical analysis, explaining how someone else's persuasion works.
Devices and their jobs
- Antithesis balances opposites to make a contrast memorable: I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
- Anaphora repeats an opening to build rhythm and insistence: We will ask... We will ask... We will ask...
- Tricolon groups three parallel items, often rising in force: for our students, our families and our town.
- Rhetorical question invites the audience to supply the answer you want: was this ambition?
- Apophasis (I must not read it, of Caesar's will) and false modesty (I am no orator) disarm suspicion while drawing attention.
- Concrete anecdote makes an abstract issue human: one family's story rather than a number alone.
- **Inclusive we** places speaker and audience on the same side.
Devices are not decoration. Each one should do a job for a particular audience. A tricolon in a council letter may sound confident; three in one paragraph will sound like a performance.
Rhetorical analysis: a model text
Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (first performed in 1599) contains one of the most studied persuasive speeches in English. Brutus and the other conspirators have killed Caesar, claiming he was too ambitious. Brutus allows Mark Antony, Caesar's friend, to speak at the funeral, on condition that he not blame the conspirators. Antony begins (Act 3, Scene 2; line numbers vary by edition):
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
He repeats, several times and in slightly different forms, that Brutus is an honourable man. He reminds the crowd:
You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Later he claims, I am no orator, as Brutus is. By the end of the scene, the crowd that cheered Brutus is ready to riot against the conspirators.
Rhetorical analysis: the key question
Always ask: What does this choice do to this audience, at this moment, for this purpose? Antony uses repetition is an observation. Antony's repetition lets the crowd discover the irony themselves, so their turn against Brutus feels like their own judgement is analysis.
Use the literary present tense and name the speaker's moves with precise verbs: disarms, flatters, insinuates, invites, reframes, concedes, provokes, undercuts.
Worked exampleLet's write a rhetorical analysis paragraph
Write a paragraph analysing how Antony uses verbal irony to turn the crowd against Brutus while obeying the condition that he not blame the conspirators.
- Rhetorical situation in one sentence: Antony speaks to a crowd that has just accepted Brutus's reasons, under a promise not to blame the conspirators.
- Claim: Antony keeps the letter of his promise while breaking its spirit: he never accuses Brutus, but he arranges the evidence so that the crowd accuses him instead.
- Evidence 1 (antithesis): He opens by disowning praise itself, "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him" (3.2), an antithesis that seems to accept the conspirators' terms.
- Evidence 2 (irony through repetition): His repeated assurance that "Brutus is an honourable man" first sounds like respect, but each repetition follows a reminder of Caesar's generosity or restraint.
- Evidence 3 (rhetorical question): When he recalls that Caesar "thrice refuse[d]" the crown and asks, "was this ambition?" (3.2), he lets the crowd supply the answer.
- Effect on audience: Because the crowd reaches the conclusion themselves, their anger feels like their own judgement rather than Antony's manipulation, which makes it far stronger.
- Ethical observation: The speech is brilliant persuasion, and the play shows its danger: the crowd that Antony moves is soon violent, so Shakespeare invites us to admire and fear the same rhetorical skill.
A paragraph that names the situation, makes a claim about strategy, analyses three devices with embedded quotations, explains the effect on this audience, and ends with an evaluative insight.
Persuading ethically
Persuasion becomes manipulation when it relies on deception, hides relevant facts, exploits fear or prejudice, or prevents the audience from thinking. Antony's speech is a classic study because it is both masterly and alarming. When you write persuasively:
- Use emotion that is proportionate and truthful (a real story, not an invented one).
- Present facts accurately and in context.
- Respect your audience's intelligence; give them reasons they can check.
- Adjust voice and diction (expectations 2.2 and 2.3) to the audience: a council meeting needs a calm, community-minded voice; a student assembly can be warmer and more energetic.
Hands-on activityAnalyse, then imitate
You need: a short persuasive text from real life (a charity letter, an ad, a school announcement, a political speech transcript or a public-service message), paper and two pens.
- Write the rhetorical situation: speaker, audience, purpose, moment.
- Find and label at least three devices or appeals. For each, write one sentence beginning For this audience, this...
- Judge: is the text persuasion or manipulation? Give one reason.
- Now write a 150-word persuasive paragraph to your municipal council asking for something modest and realistic (for example, longer library hours on winter weekends or a crosswalk near your school). Use exactly one antithesis, one tricolon and one rhetorical question.
- Read it aloud to someone at home. Ask: Did any device feel like too much? Revise.
What to look for: analysis that names effects on a specific audience; devices used with purpose and restraint; an honest, respectful voice.
Just for funMark Antony begins by asking the crowd to lend him their ears. Fortunately for everyone in the Roman Forum, this was a metaphor, and nobody had to hand anything over.
Your turn
1How does persuasive writing differ from argumentative writing?
Persuasive writing aims to move a specific audience to think, feel or act and uses voice, emotion, timing and style more openly; argumentative writing leads with evidence and reasoning and engages opposing views at length.
2Identify the device: I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
3Why is was this ambition? effective for Antony's purpose?
It is a rhetorical question that lets the crowd supply the answer (no), so their conclusion feels like their own judgement.
4What is the difference between an observation and analysis in a rhetorical analysis?
An observation names a device (he uses repetition); analysis explains what it does to this audience for this purpose.
5Write a tricolon for a letter asking council to keep an outdoor rink open longer in winter.
Sample: A longer season would give our children exercise, our seniors a reason to gather, and our neighbourhood a place to meet in the darkest months.
6When does persuasion become manipulation?
When it relies on deception, hides relevant facts, exploits fear or prejudice, or stops the audience from thinking for themselves.
More practice: warm-up
Repeating the same opening word or phrase in successive clauses or sentences.
2Which appeal relies on the speaker's character and credibility?
The right moment, place or occasion for an argument.
4Identify the device: I am no orator, as Brutus is.
False modesty, a disarming move often taught alongside apophasis: he claims a weakness while displaying great skill.
5In what year was Julius Caesar first performed?
More practice: on your own
1Explain how Antony keeps the letter of his promise to Brutus while breaking its spirit.
He never directly accuses the conspirators, but uses irony, evidence and rhetorical questions so the crowd reaches the accusation themselves.
2Rewrite this persuasive sentence to suit a municipal council rather than a student assembly: Guys, this crosswalk thing is literally so dangerous, you have to fix it!
Sample: We respectfully ask council to install a crosswalk at this intersection, where students cross a busy road twice each school day.
3Analyse the effect of inclusive we in a speech by a principal: We all want a school where everyone feels safe.
It places the principal on the same side as the audience, builds ethos and shared values, and makes disagreement feel like stepping outside the group.
4Write a thesis for a rhetorical analysis essay on a persuasive text you know.
Sample: In its fundraising letter, the food bank pairs one family's story with clear figures, so readers feel both the urgency of the need and confidence that their donation will help. (Look for a claim about strategy and effect on an audience.)
5Why should devices be used with restraint?
Too many make writing sound like a performance, which can damage ethos; each device should do a job for the audience.
Challenge
1Write a rhetorical analysis paragraph (6 to 8 sentences) on a persuasive advertisement or public-service message, including an evaluation of its ethics.
Look for: the rhetorical situation; a claim about strategy; at least two devices or appeals with specific evidence; effect on the target audience; an ethical judgement with a reason (for example, whether an emotional appeal is proportionate and truthful).
2Shakespeare shows Antony's speech leading to violence. Argue whether this makes the speech a model of persuasion or a warning, and what it teaches writers today.
Strong answers say it is both: technically masterly (irony, evidence, audience awareness) and ethically troubling (it inflames a crowd that turns violent). Lesson for writers: rhetorical skill carries responsibility; persuasion should give audiences reasons they can check, not only feelings.
3Write a 120 to 150 word persuasive paragraph for a specific Canadian audience (e.g., your school board) that uses antithesis, anaphora and an honest anecdote, then label each device.
Look for: a clear audience and modest, realistic request; each device used once and labelled; an anecdote that is plausible and presented honestly (not invented as fact if it is hypothetical, e.g. Imagine a Grade 9 student who...); a respectful voice.
Quiz
1. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him is an example of:
2. A rhetorical analysis essay mainly explains:
3. Antony's repeated Brutus is an honourable man becomes:
5. Persuasion becomes manipulation when it:
6. I am no orator, as Brutus is is an example of:
Big idea: This lesson covers expectation 2.1 (persuasive forms and rhetorical analysis), 2.2 (adjusting voice to audience) and 2.3 (precise, evocative language). Rhetorical analysis is a common first-year university assignment and a useful life skill for reading advertising, politics and social media.
How to help: watch an ad together and ask Who is it for? What does it want? What trick does it use? Ask whether it persuades or manipulates. If your teen writes to a real council or board, encourage a calm, respectful voice and accurate facts.
Common difficulties: listing devices without effects; forgetting the audience; overusing devices; treating any emotional appeal as manipulation (emotion can be honest and proportionate). Quotations from Julius Caesar follow common editions; spelling and line numbers vary slightly by edition.