9 Analytical Thesis Templates

1. Basic Rhetorical Analysis Thesis Template

In [text], [author/speaker] uses [rhetorical strategies] to [achieve purpose], ultimately [effect on audience].

• Example: In her speech, Malala Yousafzai uses emotional anecdotes and logical arguments to emphasize the importance of education for girls, ultimately inspiring her audience to support global educational reforms.

2. Rhetorical Appeals (Ethos, Pathos, Logos)

[Author] relies on [appeal(s): ethos, pathos, logos], such as [specific strategy], to persuade [audience] that [main point/argument], in order to [achieve purpose].

• Example: The author relies on ethos, by referencing scientific studies, and pathos, by sharing personal stories of loss, to persuade the audience that climate change requires immediate action to prevent further disaster.

3. Cause and Effect in Persuasion

By using [rhetorical strategies], [author] demonstrates how [issue/problem] leads to [outcome], persuading [audience] to [desired action/understanding].

• Example: By using statistical evidence and firsthand accounts, the journalist demonstrates how the lack of affordable housing leads to increased homelessness, persuading the audience to support new housing policies.

4. Analyzing a Specific Element

In [text], [author] uses [specific element: tone, imagery, word choice, etc.] to [explain purpose], ultimately helping to [achieve desired effect on the audience].

• Example: In his editorial, the author uses a hopeful and optimistic tone to encourage readers to embrace green technology, helping to shift the audience’s perception of environmental issues from burdensome to promising.

5. Comparison of Strategies

While [author 1] uses [strategy 1] to [achieve purpose], [author 2] relies on [strategy 2] to [achieve purpose], ultimately showing [comparison or contrast between strategies or their effects].

• Example: While Martin Luther King Jr. uses peaceful rhetoric to appeal to moral values in his “I Have a Dream” speech, Malcolm X uses militant imagery to provoke a sense of urgency in his “Ballot or the Bullet” speech, ultimately revealing two different approaches to civil rights advocacy.