Description
View the following Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5TNhrh_N8k
Step 3 Read the following handout.
Sample Rhetorical Précis
First, read through the Précis at least twice. Make note of the elements of the Rhetorical Précis as listed below. Identify
each element of the directions in the sample. Then explore the commentary by selecting the
comment marks . When you select a comment mark, make sure to make note of the context in the Précis it occurs in.
The Rhetorical Précis Format
a) In a single coherent sentence give the following:
-name of the author, title of the work, date in parenthesis;
-a rhetorically accurate verb (such as "assert," "argue," "deny," "refute," "prove,"
disprove," "explain," etc.);
-a that clause containing the major claim (thesis statement) of the work.
b) In a single coherent sentence give an explanation of how the author develops and
supports the major claim (thesis statement).
c) In a single coherent sentence give a statement of the author's purpose, followed by an
"in order" phrase.
d) In a single coherent sentence give a description of the intended audience and/or the
relationship the author establishes with the audience.
Example:
Charles S. Peirce's article, "The Fixation of Belief (1877), asserts that humans have
psychological and social mechanisms designed to protect and cement (or "fix") our beliefs.
Peirce backs this claim up with descriptions of four methods of fixing belief, pointing out the
effectiveness and potential weaknesses of each method. Peirce's purpose is to point out the ways
that people commonly establish their belief systems in order to jolt the awareness of the reader
into considering how their own belief system may the product of such methods and to consider
what Peirce calls "the method of science" as a progressive alternative to the other three. Given
the technical language used in the article, Peirce is writing to an well-educated audience with
some knowledge of philosophy and history and a willingness to other ways of thinking.
Explanation & Answer
View attached explanation and answer. Let me know if you have any questions.
View attached explanation and answer. Let me know if you have any questions.
1
A Rhetorical Precis
Student's Name
Course Number and Name
Institution Affiliation
Instructor's Name
Date
2
A Rhetorical Precis
Adler, M. J.'s piece, "How to Mark a Book" (1940), asserts that readers should appreciate
the book's work by reading and implementing between the lines to acquire more con...
