How to Write a Conclusion for a Rhetorical Analysis

The art of effective writing lies in the rhetoric. A persuasive essay uses figures of speech and pairs it impeccably with compositional techniques. Stitching together an impressive rhetorical analysis requires attention to detail, use of concise and persuasive language and an effective use of evidence to support the main idea or theme. When you break the process down and understand it, writing a convincing rhetorical analysis can be easier to accomplish.

While rhetoric is the study of how other writers deftly use words to sway an audience, rhetorical analysis dissects a piece of non-fiction into its basic parts to explain how they contribute to the whole. The process is for good reason. It offers a better understanding of how the piece affects the audience to persuade them of the author’s argument. It can be informative, entertaining or lean on philosophy to bolster its central theme. It should divulge the author’s goals in detail. A solid rhetorical analysis will explore the techniques that the author used to arrive at the conclusion and provide examples of the tools used. It will reveal the effectiveness of the techniques as well. In a successful rhetorical analysis, the writer is discussing how the author of the chosen piece being discussed makes their argument and whether that approach was effective in its entirety.

Break down the essay into its basic outline, which is the purpose of the piece, the appeals, evidence and techniques used. Next, break down the examples of appeals, evidence and techniques and finally offer an explanation of why they worked or did not in your opinion. Begin by writing a few ideas on index cards, which can assist in organization later as you delve deeper into the analysis. Once the prewriting and free-associating has run its course, it’s time to write a thesis. Focus on the techniques that you feel you can define in convincing detail. Assemble the introduction and body with the facts you’ve gathered. Each paragraph in the body requires its own topic sentence and several examples with detailed explanations to make your analysis cohesive.

More than a summary, a well-written conclusion gathers all the information you’ve painstakingly laid out and tidily presents a final, impactful point. A quality conclusion shows the significance of the techniques used in the piece that was critically examined as well as the author’s patterns. First summarize what the analyzed piece accomplished and how it went about achieving its intent. Highlight each topic sentence and points of evidence to assist in writing a concise conclusion.