Rhetorical Precis

The Rhetorical Précis Format
(from OSU’s InterQuest Philosophy 201)

A rhetorical précis is a highly specialized, specific type of summary. It differs from the more general summary in that emphasis is placed upon providing the rhetorical aspects of the work under consideration. Like the summary, the goal is to provide in clear, precise language, the main points of a piece. Essential information within the rhetorical précis includes the writer’s name, the genre and name of the piece, the way in which this information is delivered, the main point, how the point is developed, and the relationship between the writer and audience. This information is presented in four very specific sentences as outlined below.

1) In a single coherent sentence give the following:
-name of the author, title of the work, date in parenthesis;
-a rhetorically accurate verb (such as "assert," "argue," "deny," "refute," "prove,"
disprove," "explain," etc.);
-a that clause containing the major claim (thesis statement) of the work.

2) In a single coherent sentence give an explanation of how the author develops and supports the major claim (thesis statement).

3) In a single coherent sentence give a statement of the author's purpose, followed by an "in order to" phrase.

4) In a single coherent sentence give a description of the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience.

Charles S. Peirce's article, "The Fixation of Belief (1877), asserts that (1) humans have psychological and social mechanisms designed to protect and cement (or "fix") our beliefs (2). Peirce backs this claim up with descriptions of four methods of fixing belief, pointing out the effectiveness and potential weaknesses of each method (3). Peirce's purpose is to point out the ways that people commonly establish their belief systems (4) in order to (5) jolt the awareness of the reader into considering how their own belief system may the product of such methods and to consider what Peirce calls "the method of science" as a progressive alternative to the other three (6). Given the technical language used in the article, Peirce is writing to an well-educated audience with some knowledge of philosophy and history and a willingness to other ways of thinking (7).

(1) That
This common pronoun does a crucial job in the Précis. To remain grammtically sound, we must include the subject (the work and it's author), a predicate (your claim about that work). These must be linked by a rhetorically appropriate verb. Rhetorically appropriate here means that it expresses the action of the author in the work. The that phrase is formed as follows: ....verb that.... Without the that phrase and the associated subject and predicate, you cannot have a well-formed Précis.
subject (the work and it's author and date) verb that predicate (your claim about that work)
"Plato, in Book I of his dialogue The Republic (360 BCE), demonstrates that justice is better than force."
"Sissela Bok, in her book Lying (1979), argues that lies can be justified in some circumstances."
"Imannuel Kant, in his essay The Doctrine of Virtue (1797), asserts that lying is morally wrong under any circumstances."

(2) Thesis
The thesis, or major claim, of the work is statement of the overall and final point that it aims at. It is not easy to identify the thesis of a philosophical work (or novel, for that matter). Still, it is a basic part of philosophical reading to be able to say briefly what the main claim of the work is. Note that this claim may never be stated by the author as such. You may have to interpret and synthesize to draw out a thesis. This work is essential because it is the base of your reading. The thesis statement you attribute to a work is your consise summary of what you understood the author's point to be. You may find it frustrating to put the meaning of a long, complex work into a single sentence. If you simply draw a blank or cannot get the words to come out right, that is a sign that you need to read the work again with the intention of getting the major claim.

(3) Explanation
The task of this sentence is to explain how the thesis, presented in the last sentence, is devloped by the author. The author may give seevarl arguments for a single thesis. Or the author may give a chain of arguments leading up to the thesis. The author may define key concepts related to the thesis. Your job in reading intellectual literature is to identify how the main claim is produced by the work. We take it as a basic standard here that sophisticated literature does not merely make claims, it provides support for them.

(4) Purpose
A statement of the author's purpose in writing this work. What is the writer trying to accomplish here? This statement of purpose is connected to the audience effect by the in order to phrase.

(5) In Order To
This phrase is crucial to the Précis. It directly indicates the effect the author intends to have upon the audience. To produce this sentence, think about what change will occur in the reader if the author's purpose is successful. Authors may write with the purpose to persuade, to refute, to change, even to frighten, anger, or confuse. Determine what you think the author's purpose is and what that purpose is supposed to do to the reader. Note that the purpose may or may not be successful (i.e. it may not have the intended effect).
Author's purpose in order to effect on the reader.

(6) Effect
A statement of the author's intended effect on the reader. This statement of purpose is connected to the audience effect by the in order to phrase. Every author writes to have some effect on the audience (readrs). It may be to make the audience laugh, to cause the audience to question their own beliefs, to persuade them to a point of view, to challenge a belief they are likely to have, etc. This effect is not a report of how the work affects you, but of what you think the author's intended effect is.

(7) Audience
A statement of the author's intended audience and the relationship the author establishes with the audience. The language of a work selects a certain audience and excludes others. Examine the language and references of the work to judge what sort of pre-knowledge the author assumes of the reader.

Examples:

Sheridan Baker, in his essay "Attitudes" (1966), asserts that writers' attitudes toward their subjects, their audiences, and themselves determine to a large extent the quality of their prose. Baker supports this assertion by showing examples of how inappropriate attitudes can make writing unclear, pompous, or boring, concluding that a good writer "will be respectful toward his audience, considerate toward his readers, and somehow amiable toward human failings" (58). His purpose is to make his readers aware of the dangers of negative attitudes in order to help them become better writers. He establishes an informal relationship with his audience of college students who are interested in learning to write "with conviction" (55). From (English 8601 • Dr. William P. Banks)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., world-renowned civil rights activist and philanthropist, emphasizes in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech “The World House” (1967) that all people, regardless of skin color or ethnic background, are negatively affected by the plague of racism and the decline of spiritualism that results. Dr. King begins his speech with an allusion to a famous author that ends up being the theme for his whole speech; his pre-dominant use of examples of past actions are bolstered by several other testimonies from philosophers, historians, and writers as well as an allusion to a well known story. Dr. King is attempting to make people realize the need to correct their self-destructive behavior in order to force society to take up the morals they had lost as well as alleviate the social tensions of the time period. While Dr. King’s intended audience is obviously the black community as a whole, he also tries to get in touch with anyone prejudiced against, black or not; also included are those of the period that had the power to or wanted to stop the decline of society by ending the hatred cultivated by the differences between people of the world so that world would change to be a superior place. (From Preble’s Literature Lounge)