Working with ChatGPT: Rhetorical Analysis Student Guide [Strategies]
10-15 minute read
Jonahs Kneitly
What You Will Learn in This Section
By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to utilize a specific formation of generative AI (GenAI)—the prominent Large Language Model (LLM) ChatGPT—as an aid within the rhetorical analysis writing process to
- identify rhetorical situations and strategies
- evaluate applied logic within a text
- locate bias and logical fallacies within a text
Additionally, you will be able to develop critical evaluation skills to avoid the possible pitfalls from using GenAI for performing rhetorical analysis.
What key terms should I know within artificial intelligence (AI) discourse?
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence, often referred to as AI, encompasses computational systems created to imitate human behaviors and cognitive processes. In essence, computer scientists strive to design AI that can augment or replicate specific human cognitive functions, such as problem solving, experiential learning, pattern recognition, and decision making.
Generative AI (GenAI)
Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence trained on vast datasets (text, images, audio, code, etc.) in order to generate contextually relevant outputs. ChatGPT is a well-known formation of GenAI designed to generate human-like language in response to a prompt; in fact, the “G” in ChatGPT stands for “generative” to reflect this nature. However, GenAI covers a great variety of generators, such as image generators like Midjourney and DALL-E 2, or voice generators like Eleven Labs. Amid these various formations, ChatGPT belongs to a specific subcategory of GenAI called Large Language Models.
Large Language Models (LLMs)
Large Language Models are a specific subset of GenAI designed to process and generate human language. These models, trained on extensive textual data, can understand, generate, and manipulate text in ways that resemble human communication. LLMs include popular chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing, Google’s Bard, and more.
What should I know about rhetorical analysis as a skill before I begin this tutorial?
A Brief Overview
Most academic writing demonstrates strong argumentation skills. However, texts can also entertain, instruct, or inform. One thing most texts have in common are attempts to persuade. Influencing your audience with a convincing argument is a major part of everyday writing and a key component of academic writing .
Writing a rhetorical analysis can be one of the most challenging assignments required within a composition and rhetoric classroom. A rhetorical analysis evaluates the success of an article’s argument and determines what rhetorical strategies and devices were used to persuade the audience. Composing a rhetorical analysis requires that readers go beyond simply trusting what they read. Readers must critically engage with the expressed truth, value, and appropriateness of a text’s content. In a rhetorical analysis, you are asked to determine what is happening in a text, why specific modes were used, whether the argument is successful, and how the information is focused toward a specific audience.
This tutorial demonstrates how ChatGPT, a Large Language Model (LLM), can help you recognize rhetorical situations and strategies, evaluate a text for effectiveness, and recognize bias and logical fallacies within a text. By harnessing the power of ChatGPT as a generative tool, you can gain insights and support in navigating the sometimes challenging task of recognizing and discussing a text’s structure and effectiveness.
For further information on rhetorical analysis as a general skill and the process of writing one, see table 1.
Table 1
Open-Access Resources Related to Rhetorical Analysis
- Writing Guide with Handbook
- Chapter 9, especially 9.3, “Rhetorical Analysis: Interpreting the Art of Rhetoric”
- Informed Arguments
- Section 3.3 What is Rhetorical Analysis?
- Oregon Writes Open Writing Text
This lesson mines the following article for examples:
Kellogg, Ronald T. “Professional Writing Expertise.” The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance, edited by K. Anders Ericsson, Neil Charness, Paul J. Fetovich,
and Robert R. Hoffman, Cambridge University Press, 2006, pp. 389-402.
What are three ways that ChatGPT can help with composing a rhetorical analysis?
Recognize Rhetorical Situations and Strategies
ChatGPT can be a valuable resource for looking at a text rhetorically. With effective prompting, ChatGPT can mine a text to help you identify patterns so you can judge the strength of a text’s arguments. ChatGPT can also help identify classical rhetoric within a text. Leveraging ChatGPT‘s capabilities allows you to refine your ideas about a text and the tools an author uses to persuade the reader.
Strategy in Action #1
View the following example prompt and response with ChatGPT focused on recognizing rhetorical situations and strategies.
If you’d like to interact directly with ChatGPT in the above conversation, access the original chat through this link and click the ‘Continue the conversation’ button in the opened dialogue window.
Check out table 2 for additional tips and suggestions on dividing text into compact portions that can easily be managed within ChatGPT.
Table 2
Tips and Suggestions: Working with Manageable Chunks
Dividing a text into smaller portions when engaging with GenAI tools, such as ChatGPT has benefits and deficits. You may find it easier to work with small texts and ChatGPT may compose faster when dealing with smaller amounts of data. However, dividing texts into smaller portions may offer limited insight into the overall article. If you are unable to divide the work effectively, ask ChatGPT to help. You might ask: “Can you suggest logical divisions within this article/book/text that I can work with separately?”
Begin by having ChatGPT summarize the text or text portion. Based on your reading of the summary, determine further questions you can ask about the text. Subsequent inquiry into the text portion utilizing evolving prompts may help further your understanding of the text.
NOTE: When working with ChatGPT and other LLMs, you should always include relevant author and text information in your prompt as a good attribution practice.
Evaluating Information within a Text through Analysis
Sometimes forming an opinion about a text for your rhetorical analysis can be difficult. Utilizing ChatGPT may help you develop a starting point for your research. By engaging in interactive discussions with ChatGPT, you can explore a text using different search terms and criteria. This collaborative exploration with ChatGPT helps you fine-tune your search strategies, broaden your information retrieval abilities, and achieve greater precision in your research outcomes.
Strategy in Action #2
View the following example prompt and response with ChatGPT focused on evaluating information within a text through analysis.
If you’d like to interact directly with ChatGPT in the above conversation, access the original chat through this link and click the ‘Continue the conversation’ button in the opened dialogue window.
Check out table 3 for additional tips and suggestions related to ensuring content validity.
Table 3
Tips and Suggestions: Ensuring Validity
Most importantly, you must read the article yourself so that you know what information is and is not presented. Do not rely on ChatGPT to do the reading for you as it may not be reliable. Critically engage with ChatGPT’s output to determine its validity and accuracy. You may completely disagree with ChatGPT’s output and arguing against this generated content may be a great place to start your rhetorical analysis.
Recognize Bias and Logical Fallacies within a Text
A rhetorical analysis may center around a text’s use of faulty logic or bias. Identifying and arguing against the author’s logic or stance on an issue can be a great focus. ChatGPT can help you identify bias and logical fallacies by defining and demonstrating different fallacies. Finding discrepancies in logic and biased thinking can help you gauge the effectiveness of a text. Identifying and arguing against the author’s logic or stance on an issue can be a powerful part of your analysis. Similarly, conceding that a text is logical and then invalidating the arguments with alternative facts and interpretations can be another way to focus your rhetorical analysis.
Strategy in Action #3
View the following example prompt and response with ChatGPT focused on recognizing bias and logical fallacies within a text.
If you’d like to interact directly with ChatGPT in the above conversation, access the original chat through this link and click the ‘Continue the conversation’ button in the opened dialogue window.
Check out table 4 for additional tips and suggestions related to determining bias and recognizing logical fallacies.
Table 4
Tips and Suggestions: Recognizing Bias and Logical Fallacies
Once you have received an LLM’s output, refine your prompt to explore specific examples that you can use in your rhetorical analysis. You might question if the author utilizes cherry-picking to bias the evidence or if any confirmation bias exists. For this content concerning bias within Kellogg’s work, you might ask: “Can you give me further information on ‘Age-Centric bias’ and an additional example of ‘Age-Centric bias’ that a college freshman might face?”
What are some possible pitfalls when collaborating with ChatGPT on a rhetorical analysis?
Produces Inaccuracies and Fabricated Information
ChatGPT and other LLMs may fabricate information to fulfill a prompt. This fabrication is a by-product of the way these tools mine available texts to build responses. These tools are designed to mimic human language in a convincing manner; however, they may not deliver valid or reliable information. While the information may sound credible, it may be easily recognized as false by others. For example, most of the information contained in this ChatGPT response concerning ‘back gaze’ is misleading as ‘back gaze’ is not a consideration of the past in relation to one’s life. Instead, it correctly refers to the male gaze that overtly sexualizes women.
Learning Outcomes for ENGL 1302: How does this tutorial apply to state standards?
This tutorial is designed to support your success in ENGL 1302 (Composition II) by aligning with the student learning outcomes established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. As highlighted in Table 5 below, this tutorial directly addresses three key standards. By aligning with these specific learning outcomes, this tutorial not only provides you with skills and knowledge that transfer across diverse learning environments but also gives your education value outside your institution.
See table 5 for applicable state learning outcomes.
Table 5
Applicable State Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative research processes: By working with ChatGPT in interactive discussions while writing a rhetorical analysis, you will be actively participating in collaborative research processes.
- Develop ideas and synthesize primary and secondary sources within focused academic arguments, including one or more research-based essays. By utilizing ChatGPT‘s assistance to recognize rhetorical strategies and situations in a text, you will be empowered to understand the strength of the text’s argument and, by extension, to develop a focused rhetorical analysis.
- Analyze, interpret, and evaluate a variety of texts for the ethical and logical uses of evidence. By using ChatGPT as an aid to recognize bias and logic fallacies in a text, you will be empowered to rhetorically analyze a text for ethical and logical uses of evidence.
Attribution:
Kneitly, Jonahs. “Working with ChatGPT: Rhetorical Analysis Student Guide” Strategies, Skills and Models for Student Success in Writing and Reading Comprehension. College Station: Texas A&M University, 2024. This work is licensed with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).