Common Mistakes in Rhetorical Analysis Essays (and How to Fix Them)

When scoring AP Lang rhetorical analysis essays, I typically see one common problem: students select good evidence, but they struggle to develop meaningful commentary.

Here are 3 tips I’ve used in my classroom to help my students take the “baby steps” they needed toward crafting stronger analysis.

1. Focus on Keywords Inside the Quote

When it comes to evidence and commentary, most of the time, the evidence isn’t the problem. Students select appropriate quotes, but they don’t “unpack” them.

According to the AP Lang rubric, essays earning a 3 in row B (evidence and commentary) “focus on the importance of specific words and details from the passage to build an argument.”

A few years ago, I realized many of my emerging writers selected appropriate evidence, but they didn’t examine the “keywords.” So, I added this step to our pre-writing process. Once they picked their quotes, I had them underline the “keywords.”

If your emerging writers are anything like mine, they often feel like they don’t know what more to say in their commentary. The “keywords” help. Encourage students to “zoom in” on individual words, analyzing their connotation, tone, or even the effect on the audience.

Let’s look at a quick example from Barack Obama’s eulogy for Ted Kennedy in which he refers to Kennedy as the “lion of the Senate.”

Students might quote this line, but many stop there. The real analysis happens when they examine the word “lion.”

A lion often symbolizes:

• Strength
• Courage
• Leadership
• Power
• Fearlessness
  
  

To help students who need more support, consider giving them a sentence frame. Here’s an example: By including the word “lion,” Obama characterizes Kennedy as ____ and ___.

Sentence frames are a great support to help students articulate their ideas and eventually develop their own academic writing voice.

Here’s what the sentence frame might look like once complete: By choosing this word, Obama characterizes Kennedy as a powerful and passionate leader who dominated the Senate through strength and conviction.

Encouraging students to pick “keywords” or “details” in their direct quotes helps students to focus on the significance of the word choice and offers them a starting point for their commentary.
As I tell my students, after every quote, ask yourself: Which specific word or phrase here carries the most meaning? What does it suggest?

2. Always Connect the Analysis to the Rhetorical Situation

Another common issue is when students identify a rhetorical choice but fail to connect it to the rhetorical situation.

Like many AP Lang teachers, I introduce my students to “SPACE” (speaker, purpose, audience, context, and exigence) pretty early in the school year.

In doing so, I’ve noticed that many emerging writers can correctly identify the components of the rhetorical situation, but they don’t integrate them into their essay meaningfully.

When this happens, students are missing a crucial step—and oftentimes are not fully addressing the prompt.

Rhetorical analysis prompts ask students to analyze how an author conveys a message, develops an argument, or achieves a purpose. That means students must go beyond identifying techniques and explain why the writer uses them in that situation.

Returning to Obama’s description of Kennedy as the “lion of the Senate,” students should ask:

What is Obama trying to accomplish in this speech?

A eulogy is meant to honor and memorialize someone’s life. By using powerful and positive imagery like “lion,” Obama reinforces Kennedy’s legacy as a courageous and influential public servant.

So, the analysis might look like this:

• The comparison portrays Kennedy as a strong and fearless leader.
• This characterization supports Obama’s purpose of honoring Kennedy’s legacy.
• It encourages the audience to remember Kennedy as a powerful figure in American politics.
  
  

In other words, students should tie rhetorical choices to the author’s goal.

Here are a couple sentence frames to help students connect their choice to the rhetorical situation:

• Given that he is speaking at Kennedy’s funeral, Obama includes the phrase “lion of the Senate” to…
• Considering his goal is to PURPOSE, Obama characterizes Kennedy as… in order to…
  
  

3. Move Beyond Labeling the Device

A third mistake is when students stop at naming the rhetorical device. Essays often include sentences like:

“The author uses diction.”
“The speaker uses a metaphor.”
“The writer appeals to pathos.”

But rhetorical analysis is not about spotting devices—it’s about explaining their effect.

Students should push their thinking further by answering questions like:

• What does this word or image suggest?
  
• How might it shape the audience’s perception?
  
• Why is this choice effective for this audience on this occasion?
  

The commentary might look like this:

By referring to Kennedy as the “lion of the Senate,” Obama conjures an image of strength and authority, encouraging those attending the funeral to remember Kennedy as a powerful political figure. Remembering Kennedy’s power and passion honors his legacy and serves as a reminder to fellow politicians (and even everyday citizens) to fight for what they believe in as Kennedy did.

Notice how this explanation moves through three layers:

1. The rhetorical choice (the comparison/metaphor “lion”)
2. The meaning or connotation (strength and leadership)
3. The connection to purpose (honoring Kennedy)
   
   

That third step is what many student essays are missing, but with these three tips and a little practice, students can transform their commentary and build their confidence.

If you like sentence frames, check out this video!