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Crafting an Effective Thesis for the Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Verified for the 2025 AP English Language examโขLast Updated on February 24, 2025
In the previous study guide, we broke down the rhetorical analysis essay and detailed the requirements. This guide will focus on the first crucial element of your essay: the thesis statement. The thesis statement in a rhetorical analysis essay does more than just state your topic - it establishes your analytical approach to the text. To earn the thesis point, you must make a defensible claim about how the writer's specific choices contribute to their purpose. A successful thesis identifies rhetorical strategies, explains their effects, and connects them to the writer's overall goals.
What Makes a Defensible Thesis? (1 Point)
According to the scoring rubric, a successful thesis:
- Analyzes the writer's rhetorical choices (not just content)
- Makes a defensible claim (can be supported with evidence)
- Responds directly to the prompt
- Goes beyond restating or summarizing
Example Prompt and Excerpt
"Read the following excerpt from Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford University commencement address carefully. Then write an essay analyzing the rhetorical choices Jobs makes to convey his message to the graduates."
"I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college."
Ineffective Theses (0 Points):
-
Summary instead of analysis
โ "In his Stanford commencement speech, Steve Jobs tells three stories about his life."
โWhy it fails: Only summarizes content, doesn't analyze rhetorical choices
-
Too vague
โ "Jobs uses various rhetorical strategies to connect with his audience."
โWhy it fails: Doesn't specify which strategies or their purpose
-
Just lists devices
โ "Jobs uses pathos, ethos, and logos throughout his speech."
โWhy it fails: Names devices without analyzing their effect
-
Personal reaction
โ "Jobs gives an inspiring and meaningful speech that resonates with graduates."
โWhy it fails: Focuses on impact rather than rhetorical choices
Effective Theses (1 Point):
-
Analyzes multiple choices
โ "Through his strategic use of casual diction, vulnerable personal narratives, and carefully structured storytelling, Jobs establishes himself as both an outsider and a mentor to cultivate graduates' trust in his unconventional wisdom."
-
Focuses on specific strategy
โ "Jobs employs strategic understatement and self-deprecating humor to transform his lack of formal education from a potential liability into a source of authority, allowing him to challenge graduates' preconceptions about success."
-
Examines pattern of choices
โ "By interweaving personal vulnerability with carefully placed moments of humor, Jobs creates a rhetorical balance that enables him to deliver serious life lessons while maintaining an intimate connection with his audience."
Why These Theses Work
Strong theses include:
- Specific rhetorical choices
- Clear connection to purpose
- Defensible claim about how/why choices work
- Recognition of audience and context
Building a Thesis Step by Step
-
Identify rhetorical choices in Jobs' opening:
- Casual tone ("Truth be told")
- Personal narrative structure
- Strategic vulnerability
- Humor in serious moments
- Simple, direct statements
-
Consider their purpose:
- Building credibility
- Creating connection
- Disarming skepticism
- Maintaining engagement
- Setting up larger message
-
Connect to context:
- Formal graduation setting
- Elite university audience
- Speaker's unique position
- Cultural moment
-
Craft your claim:
Start with this template: "Through his use of [rhetorical choice 1], [rhetorical choice 2], and [rhetorical choice 3], Jobs [explain how these choices achieve his purpose] in order to [explain the broader significance]."
Common Thesis Mistakes to Avoid
| Area | Ineffective Analysis | Effective Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| The Plot Summary | โ "Jobs explains how he dropped out of college and later founded Apple." | โ "Jobs structures his college dropout narrative to establish credibility through apparent paradox, using self-deprecating humor and specific details to transform his unconventional path into a source of wisdom." |
| The Device List | โ "Jobs uses metaphors, personal anecdotes, and emotional appeals." | โ "Jobs strategically employs metaphors and personal anecdotes to make his emotional appeals feel earned rather than manipulative, allowing him to deliver difficult truths about life and death to his young audience." |
| The Vague Approach | โ "Jobs effectively connects with his audience." | โ "Through his carefully balanced combination of professional achievements and personal failures, Jobs creates a persona that allows him to both inspire and caution his audience about the nature of success." |
Advanced Thesis Strategies
-
Acknowledge Complexity
- "While maintaining a conversational tone that puts graduates at ease, Jobs simultaneously weaves a complex narrative that challenges their assumptions about success and failure."
-
Consider Multiple Purposes
- "Jobs pairs self-deprecating admissions about his academic career with subtle reminders of his success, allowing him to both connect with students and maintain the authority needed to deliver his countercultural message."
-
Recognize Tensions
- "Through his strategic balancing of humor and gravity, Jobs transforms potentially uncomfortable topics into accessible wisdom, enabling him to deliver difficult truths while maintaining his audience's trust."
Looking Ahead
In our next guide, we'll focus on selecting and analyzing evidence to support your thesis, showing how Jobs' specific rhetorical choices achieve their intended effects.