220+ Rhetorical Analysis Topics to Write About

Rhetorical Analysis topics

Writing essays on rhetorical analysis topics requires learners to dedicate their time to this task and plan how to complete it. However, the primary challenge that most learners face is selecting the subjects for their papers. That’s because choosing the wrong topics leads to more struggles when writing the essay.

Consequently, the first and crucial step is selecting the right topic. Perhaps, understanding what writing a rhetorical paper entails first can help you with topic selection if your educator has assigned you this assignment. With this understanding, students can select topics they won’t struggle to handle.

What is a Rhetorical Analysis Paper?

A rhetorical analysis thesis is a paper in which the author defines a specific problem, analyzes it deeply, makes an argument related to their topic, and then presents strong supporting evidence. Essentially, it’s a type of academic writing about a specific piece of art, speech, or literature.

When writing a rhetorical paper, a student uses a rhetoric perspective to explore literary works. Consequently, the author analyzes the strategies that the author uses to persuade the audience. The goal of a writer is to read between the lines and then make a thorough analysis before drawing a summary. Thus, the student’s responsibility is to answer the “how” question rather than uncover the primary message that the author tries to convey in the text.

The purpose of this assignment is to test the analytical skills of the learner and their ability to pay attention to details. With that in mind, your task is to break the presented literary work into different parts and analyze the rhetorical devices that the author uses to appeal to the audience.

Rhetorical Analysis Paper Structure

Once you’ve known what this paper is all about, it’s probably a good time to understand its structure. This paper can take a typical five-paragraph design. That means your essay should have an introduction, 3-body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Here’s what each of these sections should include.

Introduction

Your rhetorical analysis introduction should be absorbing and catchy. That’s because it’s the first part that your audience will read. Therefore, make sure that the introduction compels the audience to soak up your entire piece. To achieve this, come up with a brief introduction that features an engaging hook. That way, you can capture the attention and interest of your readers to compel them to continue reading. For instance, you can start your paper by mentioning the writer or the speaker in the work you want to analyze rhetorically. Once you’ve done that, proceed to the subject of your analysis. Provide some background information.

Also, include a thesis statement that introduces your primary subject. Additionally, explain why you opted to analyze or discuss the text. Did the author or speaker excel at convincing their audience? Have they used rhetorical appeals exceptionally?

The Body

For most people, the body is the primary part of this paper. Here, the student presents results of their research. These can include voice tone, writing techniques, persuasive strategies, and literary devices. They can also include audience appeals and other rhetorical techniques the author or speaker has used in their work.

Among the best rhetorical analysis strategies you can use is to include quotes and examples that support your findings. However, present your arguments too. The body of this paper should have three paragraphs, with each addressing a single aspect while leading to another section.

Some of the things you can discuss in this section include logos, pathos, and ethos. Perhaps, a good approach is dedicating each body paragraph to a specific appeal. Alternatively, you can discuss each aspect in a single section while analyzing the argument parts and literary devices in the other two paragraphs.

Nevertheless, students can arrange their thoughts the way they desire. That means this organization should not limit or hinder your creativity. However, ensure that your work sticks to the structure of this paper or essay.

Conclusion 

Your rhetorical analysis conclusion should wrap up what you said in the entire paper while leaving a lasting impression on your readers. Thus, it should give your essay a strong ending. You can overview your key ideas while explaining how the work you’ve analyzed impacts your target audience. Also, restate the thesis statement you presented in your introduction while logically swaying your readers to your final thoughts. Perhaps, the best approach for writing the conclusion is to stimulate your reader’s intellectual nourishment by giving them something to ponder on.

How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Research Paper

To write a good rhetorical analysis paper, you need sufficient information to analyze. Thus, this academic task teaches the learner analysis skills while improving their thinking. That’s because it requires you to think critically while performing an objective analysis.

However, this task can be challenging for some students because it requires the original content’s purpose evaluation. What’s more, the writer must know how to evaluate the language of the author. Different analytical papers or essays differ in terms of their analysis objects. For instance, your educator can ask you to analyze a book, a movie, or a phenomenon. However, the structure remains the same while the context can differ.

Nevertheless, you must understand your target audience and the subject matter to write a good paper. This paper is not a reflective or narrative piece of writing, although your opinion matters.

How to Choose Right Rhetorical Analysis Topic

In terms of the overall quality of your paper, your topic selection can make all the difference. Perhaps, this should be your starting point when your educator assigns you this academic task. While you’ll come across many topics for rhetorical analysis online, not all of them may be ideal for you. Here are considerations for selecting your topics.

  • Look for freshness: Look for new topics that excite your interest and that of your target audience. Your educator has probably come across many rhetorical essays. Therefore, you need a unique subject to impress them to award you the topic grade.
  • Objectives: Why are you writing a rhetorical paper? Do you want to disapprove or approve somebody else’s work or build upon it? You might want to show your understanding of the techniques and tools that the communicate uses to influence or compel their readers? Also, you might need a topic that helps you prove to your educator that you have critical thinking abilities. You could even want to unearth some hidden messages.
  • Brainstorm ideas: Look for as many topic ideas as you can. The internet is awash with ideas for rhetorical topics. Therefore, listen to podcasts, speeches, and watch videos. Alternatively, talk to family and friends about your assignment. That way, you can get ideas to help you find a suitable topic for your paper.
  • Select several topics: Don’t settle on a single topic at once. Instead, select several issues based on your criteria. After that, eliminate ideas that seem irrelevant, too ordinary, challenging, or obscure. Assess the remaining few ones against specific criteria. That way, you will have the most appealing topic that you can comfortably write about in your list.
  • Find available research: Finding the relevant research is an essential step in selecting a topic for your rhetorical paper. That’s because you’ll need data to support the final subject that you will eventually settle on. At this topic, decide whether you’ve chosen a too narrow, too ordinary, or too broad matter. If you come across a problem at this stage, change your topic or approach.

Selecting a topic for your rhetorical paper isn’t different from picking what to write about in the other genres. That’s because you start from a general perspective and narrow it down to a topic that suits your criteria.

A Comprehensive Rhetorical Analysis Topics List for Students

Writing a rhetorical paper entails critically evaluating how a communicator or author conveys their points and the linguistic devices they use to achieve their goals. That means your topic should enable you to identify how the author or speaker manipulates works to bring about a specific effect. Consequently, your subject will influence the effectiveness of your rhetorical analysis.

Unfortunately, many learners have difficulties selecting or finding good topics to write a rhetorical analysis on when educators assign them this task. That’s why we’ve developed a comprehensive list of excellent topics that learners can write rhetorical papers about and impress their educators. These topics are fresh, focused, appealing to the audience, clear, and strong. What’s more, they are relevant to contemporary issues. This list aims to simplify this task for students that have difficulties selecting or finding topics for their rhetorical papers and essays.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Topics

When the educator assigns you a rhetorical analysis essay task, select an interesting topic to write about to make this task relatively more straightforward. Also, choose a topic for which you can find adequate information to include in the essay. Here are sample topics you can consider for your rhetorical essay.

  1. Are schools killing creativity?
  2. How every writer defines heroism
  3. How important is symbolism in novels?
  4. Prejudice and race- How substantial are these themes in modern stories?
  5. How Jane Austen uses literary devices in her work
  6. The Things They Carried- Describe symbolism in this work
  7. Which literary devices can make a new writer impactful?
  8. What do I am the Cheese book mean?
  9. How important is home as a theme in literature?
  10. Explain how Harry Potter uses symbolism
  11. Describe the feminism theme by Louisa May Alcott
  12. Explain how the author uses symbolism in Animal Farm
  13. Explain how your favorite ad campaign employs rhetoric
  14. What does the Mona Lisa’s smile mean?
  15. Describe some of the rhetorical devices that President Trump used in his speeches
  16. Explain the use of rhetorical devices by speechmakers
  17. Explain how the writer of your favorite song uses rhetorical devices
  18. How the orator, writer, or famous reader you consider impactful employs rhetorical devices
  19. Explain a speech or article that uses rhetorical devices better
  20. Discuss how your favorite move employs rhetorical devices

If looking for topics for your rhetorical essay, consider some of these ideas. However, you can tweak these topics to suit your assignment or objectives.

Good Rhetorical Analysis Topics

Perhaps, you’re looking for good topics you can analyze in your academic paper. In that case, this topic has some of the best topic ideas for you.

  1. Analyze the use of rhetoric devices in Tim Urban’s Inside the Mind of the Master Procrastinator
  2. The Ethics of Belief– Explain how Clifford uses rhetoric devices
  3. The Power of Introverts– Explain how Susan Cain uses rhetorical devices
  4. A rhetorical analysis of transgender speech by President Biden
  5. How Denzel Washington used rhetorical devices to make a unique commencement speech at Dillard University
  6. How feminine subjective is the Full Power of Women speech by Priyanka Chopra?
  7. Logo colors of the Coca-Cola company- Rhetoric analysis
  8. A rhetorical analysis of an impactful orator’s speech
  9. How males and females expression affect literary texts
  10. How an author can anticipate the audience’s reaction when employing rhetorical devices
  11. How to complement a text with a particular text’s organization
  12. The variation of rhetorical devices between Rogerian and classical texts
  13. How stereotyping can hinder rhetorical devices’ effective use
  14. Explain the patterns that come out from William Shakespeare’s diction
  15. How to use syntax to minimize data that detracts from an argument
  16. How authors use ideas, phrases, and keywords to communicate literary texts’ messages
  17. How informal and formal language affect speech delivery
  18. The essence of abstract or concrete images in literary texts
  19. How Nelson Mandela used logos, pathos, and ethos in I am prepared to die speech
  20. What impact does a subjective or objective approach by the author has on their work?

These are good topics for rhetorical analysis. However, students who opt to write about them should prepare to research extensively to develop brilliant papers.

Easy Rhetorical Analysis Topics

Do you want to work on an easy topic? If yes, this category features some of the best ideas for you.

  1. Discuss how ancient and modern use of stylistic devices vary
  2. Explain how The Hunger Games uses rhetorical strategies
  3. Rhetorical analysis of the devices used by Virginia Woolf in A Room of One’s Own
  4. Rhetorical analysis of the class representative’s speech on Memorial Day
  5. The Picture of Dorian Gray- Analysis of the stylistic devices
  6. Vivid changes description and symbols as used in literary works for visual impression
  7. How religious texts use rhetorical devices
  8. Curate language used by advertisers in poster and billboard advertising
  9. How Ted talks use rhetorical devices to attract listeners
  10. Pop-culture songs- A detailed rhetorical analysis
  11. A rhetorical analysis of Mona Lisa’s smile meaning
  12. How rhetorical devices caused controversy around Pablo Picasso’s work
  13. How different writers bring out the heroism theme in their literary works
  14. How authors handle race and prejudice issues in their work
  15. How Harry Potter implements rhetorical strategies
  16. Speech by Alexander the Great- The use of literary devices and symbols
  17. How Louisa May Alcott implements rhetorical procedures to advance feminism
  18. How relevant are love and hope themes in literary texts?
  19. How the national anthem uses rhetorical devices
  20. How the Fight Song by Rachel Platen marks both creativity and art

These topics are relatively easy to write about because you can easily find information to include in your text. However, you should prepare to invest time and energy in researching your chosen topic and writing about it.

Current Rhetorical Analysis Topics

Perhaps, you want to write a rhetorical paper on the most recent topics. In that case, here are some of the ideas to consider.

  1. What made The Great Gatsby movie successful?
  2. Analyzing The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope rhetorically
  3. Funeral messages- Evaluating the rhetorical devices the writers use
  4. A rhetorical analysis of motivational speeches by Jack Ma
  5. Discuss the rhetorical devices in Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club
  6. A comparison of messages from native speakers and others
  7. A rhetorical analysis of Twitter messages by President Trump
  8. A rhetorical analysis of the stylistic devices in the acceptance speech by Kamara Harris
  9. Analyzing rhetoric devices in Edgar Allen’s The Raven
  10. Analyze Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor speech rhetorically
  11. A rhetorical analysis of a sermon by Jonathan Edward
  12. See Both Sides of the Story– A rhetorical analysis of the billboard by the BBC
  13. A rhetorical analysis of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird novel
  14. Rhetorical devices that make Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales relevant
  15. Macbeth- What are the primary rhetorical devices in it?
  16. Analyzing the main themes in The Great Gatsby
  17. Analyzing the last speech by Donald Trump at the end of his administration
  18. Studying The Tempest by William Shakespeare
  19. Rhetorical analysis of the speech by President Trump after the US capital violence
  20. Analysis of Kamala Harris’ inaugural address as the first black American vice president

Pick any of these ideas and work with them or tweak them if you want to write a paper or essay on a recent topic.

Hot Topics in Rhetorical Analysis

Do you want a hot topic that will draw everybody to your rhetorical paper or essay? If yes, here are brilliant ideas to consider for your assignment.

  1. Do college athletes deserve payments?
  2. Should abortion be legal?
  3. Is the data that people disclose to Facebook private?
  4. Is sports segregation by gender necessary?
  5. Should self-driving vehicles be legal?
  6. Are there issues to worry about regarding people’s health and GMOs?
  7. Should clubs be allowed in learning institutions?
  8. How do social media facilitate globalization?
  9. Are the automated systems safe?
  10. How safe are coronavirus vaccines?
  11. Should religious organizations pay taxes?
  12. Are clergypersons supposed to marry?
  13. Should the government legalize assisted suicide?
  14. How necessary is college?
  15. How economical are monopolies?
  16. Should the government legalize gun ownership?
  17. Should sex work be legal?
  18. How effective is automatic voter registration?
  19. How legal is the death penalty?
  20. How essential are school uniforms?

Any of these ideas spark mixed reactions among the audience. However, prepare to research it extensively to develop a brilliant paper or essay.

Interesting Literature Rhetorical Analysis Topics

Looking for a topic that will put a smile on your educator’s face? If so, here are exciting topics to consider for your rhetorical essays or papers.

  1. Analyzing the ancient 19th-century writings
  2. The Odyssey- A detailed rhetorical analysis
  3. Analyzing rhetorical that portray romance and love in plays
  4. How theme and plot can turn a literary work into a masterpiece
  5. A rhetorical analysis of the inauguration day’s speech by President Joe Biden
  6. A rhetorical analysis of the public addresses that made Martin Luther famous
  7. Analyzing the rhetorical devices in the final speech by Melania Trump as the first lady
  8. Rhetorical analysis of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
  9. A comparison of the inauguration speeches by President Obama and President Trump
  10. How presenters use rhetorical devices and how they impact their audiences
  11. Rhetorical devices that make female speeches stand out from those of males
  12. What hinders monologues from attracting more audiences?
  13. Which rhetoric devices stand out in The Pearl Harbor Address by Franklin D. Roosevelt?
  14. How an author’s credibility affects how the audiences perceive their story
  15. Which rhetoric devices can draw the audiences’ attention to a writing style?
  16. How rhetorical devices affect the perception of a read on a non-fiction work
  17. A detailed Bible’s rhetorical analysis
  18. A detailed analysis of Britain and USA rhetoric devices
  19. How to identify any speech’s rhetoric richness
  20. How to determine whether a play uses the suitable rhetorical devices

Any of these topics can help you write an interesting paper and prompt the tutor to award you the top grade. Nevertheless, prepare to research your idea extensively before writing your essay.

Rhetorical Analysis Paper Topics on Movies

Do you love movies, and the educator has allowed you to choose a topic for your rhetorical paper? If that’s the case, this list has some ideas you can explore.

  1. A rhetorical analysis of Hamilton
  2. The Wizard of Oz– Rhetorical analysis
  3. Analyzing rhetoric devices in Star Wars
  4. A detailed analysis of rhetoric devices in The Godfather
  5. Rhetoric devices in Gone With The Wind
  6. Rhetorical analysis of To Kill a Mocking Bird
  7. China Town– A rhetorical analysis
  8. Analyzing Lawrence of Arabia
  9. A rhetorical analysis of the American Odyssey
  10. The Wretched– Rhetorical analysis
  11. Analyzing the Black Box
  12. Rhetoric devices in Bad Boys For Life
  13. The Titanic– A detailed rhetorical analysis
  14. A rhetorical analysis of the Apocalypse Now
  15. Discuss the rhetoric devices in Psycho
  16. How the movie writer uses rhetoric devices in Toy Story
  17. Analyzing The Matrix
  18. Saving Private Ryan– What rhetoric devices stand out in the movie?
  19. Analyzing The Alien
  20. Rhetoric devices in Black Panther

Analyze any of these movies, and your educator won’t have a reason to deny you the top grade.

Speech Rhetorical Analysis Topics

Do you want to analyze a speech in your rhetorical paper or essay? If so, consider these topics for your work.

  1. Rhetorical analysis of Huey Pierce Long’s speech Every man a King 
  2. Analyzing the Finding Forrester speech
  3. Studying The Great Dictator by Charlie Chaplin
  4. A rhetorical analysis of Remember the Titans Monologue
  5. A detailed analysis of A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
  6. A rhetorical analysis of a famous president’s farewell address
  7. The Surrender Speech by Chief Joseph- Rhetorical analysis
  8. What were the intentions of Queen Elizabeth in her 1588’s Spanish Armada speech?
  9. How Mahatma Gandhi persuaded the audience to Quit India
  10. A rhetorical analysis of the Banquet Speech
  11. Analyzing The Other America  by MLK
  12. A rhetorical analysis of Any Given Sunday
  13. Analyzing President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address
  14. A rhetorical analysis of We Shall Fight on the Beaches by Winston Churchill
  15. A rhetorical analysis of the Golden Globes by Oprah
  16. Inspire Women to be Their Best– Analyzing Rachel Hollis’ work
  17. Analyzing the Farewell Speech by President Obama
  18. Studying Sam Berns’ speech, My Philosophy for a Happy Life
  19. A rhetorical analysis of Donovan Lovington’s Harvard Graduation Speech
  20. Analyzing Sarah Kay’s speech, If I Should Have a Daughter

Analyze any of these speeches rhetorically to impress the educator to award you the top grade.

Fictional Rhetorical Analysis Topics for Essay

Do you love reading fictional books r watching fiction movies? In that case, you can write a rhetorical paper or essay on any of these topics.

  1. A rhetorical analysis of Dubliners by James Joyce
  2. What rhetorical strategies does Ayn Rand implement in The Fountainhead?
  3. The Phantom of the Opera– A detailed rhetorical analysis
  4. Which rhetorical devices stand out in The Evil Empire?
  5. Discuss the use of rhetoric features by Toni Morrison in Song of Solomon
  6. A rhetorical analysis of Wilson Rawls’ Where the Red Fern Grows
  7. Which rhetoric devices can make The Crucible by Arthur Miller stand out?
  8. Analyze Ulysses by Lord Tennyson rhetorically
  9. Analyze rhetoric devices in Mercy for Leopold and Loeb by Clarence Seward Darrow
  10. Analyzing Michael Punke’s The Revenant
  11. The Lottery– Discuss the primary themes
  12. Discuss the main rhetoric devices in Yes Please by Amy Poehler
  13. Discuss the use of rhetoric devices by Nathaniel Hawthorne in Young Goodman Brown 
  14. Discuss the primary themes in The White Heron vs. Death of a Salesman
  15. How applicable is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in the 21s-century?
  16. A rhetorical analysis of A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett
  17. Discuss the main rhetoric features in Sophocles’ Antigone 
  18. What makes Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own unique?
  19. Discuss the primary themes in Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
  20. Analyzing the Dead Poets Society’s Seize the Day

Analyze any of these works if you’re a fan of fiction.

Funny Rhetorical Analysis Paper Topics

Do you love exploring funny ideas when writing academic papers? If yes, here are humorous topics to consider for your essay.

  1. How important is a dress as part of a woman’s wardrobe
  2. How necessary are spots pants for men?
  3. How do bees make honey?
  4. How delicious are grapes?
  5. Does the moon support life?
  6. Why are children always laughing?
  7. How sources and ways of a plan are diverse
  8. Why facts are not in your hands
  9. Language as the society’s life
  10. What makes a dog the best housekeeper
  11. Flowers as nature’s eyes
  12. Why writing any work is a purely individual matter
  13. The cat starts fighting first
  14. How to care for the street puppy
  15. How the bears survive in the zoo
  16. Why the birds fly southward
  17. Why people love their families
  18. Do humans pay attention to animals?
  19. What makes trees our lives
  20. How rich vegetables are during summer

Be creative with any of these topics to develop a funny paper that will prompt your teacher or professor to award you the top grade in your class.

Visual Topics for Rhetorical Analysis Essay

A visual topic can make an essay memorable to the readers. If that’s your goal, here are topic ideas to consider for your assignment.

  1. Rhetorical analysis of culture and arts
  2. How creative ads use symbolism
  3. Analyzing visual arts in Game of Thrones
  4. Examining the effects of slow motion in movies
  5. How TV campaigns use texts
  6. How Hollywood movie producers use visual arts
  7. How food ads portray people
  8. Rhetoric features in magazine covers
  9. Social class and art
  10. What are the impacts of yellow journalism?
  11. The effects of soundtracks in film
  12. Jurassic Park– Discuss the visual features
  13. How The Blind Side uses symbolism
  14. Rhetorical analysis of museums’ visual presentations
  15. Emotional appeal and brand name

Pick your topic from this category if you love writing about visual ideas.

Non-Fictional Rhetorical Analysis Topics

Do you love analyzing non-fictional works? In that case, consider ideas in this category for your paper.

  1. A rhetorical analysis of sermons by Jonathan Edwards
  2. A rhetorical analysis of Success Strategies
  3. Analyzing Joseph Stiglitz’s The Price of Inequality
  4. A detailed rhetorical analysis of Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies
  5. Analyzing William Kingdon’s work, The Ethics of Belief
  6. A rhetorical analysis of Thomas H. Bender’s A Nation among Nations
  7. Evaluating Richard G. Wilkinson and Kate Picket’s work, The Spirit Level

Whether you need a prompt AP Lang for your essay or a selection of the best topics for a rhetorical analysis, you have a vast selection of ideas from which you can choose. Nevertheless, select a topic you’ll be comfortable researching and writing about.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How to choose a topic for a rhetorical analysis essay?
To choose a rhetorical analysis essay topic, consider a subject with a clear message or argument. Look for texts with vivid language, emotional appeals, or logical reasoning. Also, pick a topic that interests you and has ample rhetorical elements to analyze.
What makes an author's rhetoric effective?
An author's rhetoric is effective when they use persuasive language, credible sources, and logical arguments to influence their audience. Using rhetorical devices such as ethos, pathos, and logos can also contribute to the author's effectiveness. Good rhetoric can evoke emotion, change minds, and motivate action.