Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example on Carol Sorgen’s “7 Solutions That Can Save a Relationship”

The following text is an example of a rhetorical analysis essay which will be dedicated to the article written by Carol Sorgen Sorgen. The question how to write a rhetorical analysis essay example can be answered easily by the following definition: a rhetorical analysis essay is a form of a critical piece which uses the major principles of rhetoric to identify the connections between the author and the audience through the text. This type of analysis requires special attention to the textual components used in the text, including the methods to appeal to the readers. Thus, the main goal achieved in any sample of rhetorical analysis essay is to show how well the author has succeeded in addressing the audience. On a similar note, it is important to utilize the textual components in persuading the readers since the rhetorical analysis often deals with persuasive techniques similar to those used in the literature. This essay will evaluate the article from the perspective of three main modes – “ethos”, “pathos” and “logos” and thus will serve as a rhetorical analysis essay example.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example

Is there a couple that has never dealt with any hardships in the relationship? The author Carol Sorgen Sorgen believes that difficulties in marriage are a common thing. In her article “7 Solutions That Can Save a Relationship”, which was published in 2009 in the WebMD magazine, she names the possible reasons of the conflicts and problems and gives useful tips and solutions to resolve them. The author builds her credibility by addressing the opinions of professional psychologists and family therapists in the field. Carol Sorgen Sorgen states that even though each couple has its ups and downs, successful ones have learnt to solve their conflicts and make their love last long.

In her article, Carol Sorgen begins with listing the ways many couples are trying to keep their marriages working while contrasting the most typical approaches to alternative solutions that can make the couple happy. The article is well structured: each of the seven relationship problems is analyzed separately and is followed with the respective problem-solving strategies.

Carol Sorgen uses strong sources to build the sense of credibility of her article. The examples of such sources are the following: “The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC)”, “family therapist Mitch Temple, author of The Marriage Turnaround”, “Elaine Fantle Shimberg, author of Blending Families” and others. By citing these sources, the author proves that she has researched the problem and provided facts as well as opinions and strategies of the reliable professionals in the given field. In this regard, she utilizes ethos, i.e., “characters” to describe the ideology that she shares.

In addition to her ethos appeals, Carol Sorgen uses logos, which is primarily observed in the problem-solving strategies, where each step is explained by means of logical approach. The author does not just list the behavior strategy; she explains every action and helps the audience to understand not only what to do but why it has to be done. However, it is only in the last part of her article that she presents the strategies for establishing trust in the relationship. The author brings up a list of tips which do not require an extra explanation as they are quite obvious to the reader. In this way, the author keeps her article specific, useful and easy to read.

Along with appeals to ethos and logos, Carol Sorgen also uses pathos, though there is less of it in the text as compared to the two other rhetorical modes. Pathos is realized through rhetorical questions and examples of offensive phrases. They are rather emotionally charged, which helps to create a clear image of what is inappropriate in a healthy relationship.

Therefore, the Carol Sorgen Sorgen’s article gives the audience a great example of a helpful relationship problem-solving guide, and the credibility of her article is provided by citing professional sources, following the logical structure and user-friendly narration. Carol Sorgen has successfully proven that though there is no couple without problems, any issues can be resolved if partners are ready to work on their relationships.