Connor Byrne

Enc1101

Rhetorical Analysis Reflection

        This essay was an important piece in helping me learn rhetorical reading and analysis strategies. This essay enabled me to practice my own techniques of rhetorical analysis by analyzing the song “How to Save a Life” by The Fray. I learned how characteristics of a piece such as the rhetor and context help in the understanding of the piece. By utilizing these techniques I was able to find information I did not know before in my analysis of the song “How to Save a Life.”

        The rhetor or author of the piece is an important characteristic in a rhetorical analysis. Knowing more about the rhetor will help the reader have a better idea of the perception the piece is coming from. For example, the meaning of a holocaust incident written by a survivor will have differences as if it was written by someone who studies it. In my rhetorical analysis of the song, I learned about the rhetor, Isaac Slade and his position as a mentor at a camp for troubled teens.

        The context is also another important characteristic to look at when doing a rhetorical analysis of a piece. The context is the time period and situation in which the rhetorical piece was created. This can help in the understanding of the piece entirely because it lets the reader see the point of view of the piece in which the piece was created, affected by the time period. An example of this can be seen as the “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King. This speech was addressing the view that all people should be treated equally regardless of race. One would not understand the speech unless they were familiar with the context, which at that time there was very poor treatment of African Americans.

All in all this essay had a big impact in my learning of literacy. I was able to gain a better understanding of rhetorical analysis and the strategies used such as reviewing the rhetor as well as the context of the piece in order to better understand the piece. This essay enabled me to practice a rhetorical analysis of the song “How to Save a Life.” By reviewing the characteristics of the piece such as the rhetor and context I was able to discover a more defined meaning. For example, the rhetor, Isaac Slade was a mentor at a camp for troubled teens and was paired with a child who lost a friend which helps to portray the meaning of the song as the impact of the loss of a loved one.