The Rhetorical Precis

In to concisely describe the argument an author is making in a text, academic writers sometimes use a format called the rhetorical prcis.  This form is a highly structured four-sentence paragraph that records the essential rhetorical elements in any text. The prcis includes the name of the speaker/writer(s), the context or situation in which the text is delivered, the major assertion, the mode of development for or support of the main idea, the stated and/or apparent purpose of the text, and the relationship between the writer(s) and the audience. In this assignment, you’ll construct a rhetorical prcis of the article “Famine, Affluence and Morality” by Peter Singer .

The following is a breakdown of the information you should include in each one of the four sentences:

SENTENCE 1 Include the following:
   Name of the author,
   a phrase describing the author)s credentials,
   the type and title of work, the date of the work (inserted in parentheses),
   a rhetorically accurate verb (such as assert, argue, suggest, imply, claim, question, etc.) that describes what the author is doing in the text, and
    a THAT clause in which you state the major assertion (thesis statement/claim) of the authors text.

EXAMPLE:
Toni Morrison, a well-known scholar in the humanities, in her essay Disturbing Nurses and the Kindness of Sharks, (00/00) implies THAT racism in the United States has affected the craft and process of American Novelists.

SENTENCE 2: An explanation of how the author develops and/or supports the thesis (for instance, comparing and contrasting, narrating, illustrating, defining, using humor or sarcasm, relating personal experience, depending on facts/statistics/opinion, etc.). Consider the authors organization, use of evidence, and/or strategies used to construct his/her argument. Your explanation is usually presented in the same chronological order that the items of support are presented in the work.

EXAMPLE:
Morrison supports her implication by describing how Ernest Hemingway writes about black characters and by illustrating his strategies for plot development seen within his novels and short stories.

SENTENCE 3: A statement of the authors apparent purpose, followed by and IN ORDER TO phrase in which you explain what the author wants the audience to do or feel as a result of reading the work.

EXAMPLE:
Her purpose is to make her readers aware of the cruel reality of racism underlying some of the greatest works of American Literature IN ORDER TO help them examine the far-reaching effects racism has, not only on those discriminated against but also on those who discriminate.

SENTENCE 4: A description of the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience.

EXAMPLE:
She establishes a formal and highly analytical tone with her audience of racially-mixed, theoretically-sophisticated readers and critical interpreters of American literature.

 
 Templates for the Rhetorical Prcis
Following are three templates you can refer to when using the rhetorical Prcis form. You should use these for guidance, but use your best judgment about how to form sentences appropriate to the text and/or author you write about.
Example 1:
1.     (Authors credentials), (authors first and last name), in his/her (type of text), (title of text), published in (publishing info), addresses the topic of (topic of text) and argues that (argument).
2.     S/he supports this claim by ______________, then ____________, and finally ___________.
3.     (Authors last name)s purpose is to (authors purpose in writing) in order to (change in reader/society the author wants to achieve).
4.     He/she adopts a(n) ____________ tone for his/her audience, the readers of (publication) and others interested in the topic of ________________.
 
Example 2:
1.     In the (type of text), (title of text) ((year)), author (authors first and last name), (authors credentials), asserts that (argument) and suggests (explanation of sub-claims or resolution).
2.     S/he backs up this claims by doing the following: first, s/he __________; next, s/he _____; last, s/he _____.
3.     (Authors last name) appears to write in hopes of (authors purpose in writing) in order to (change in reader/society the writer wants to achieve).
4.     Because of the authors _______tone, it seems as if s/he writes for a ______ and ______ audience.
 
Example 3:
1.     In his/her (type of text) (title of text) ((year)), (authors credentials) (authors first and last name) asserts that (argument) by addressing _______, _________, and ________.
2.     By supplying the reader with information about ___________ and ________, (authors last name) builds his/her claims about ______________.
3.     (Authors name) wishes to convey to readers the importance of (authors purpose in writing) in order to (change in reader/society the author wants to achieve).
4.     The authors audience likely consists of those interested in ________________ as is evident through his/her references to ___________ and __________; s/he addresses readers with a tone that is ____________ and ______________.