Rhetorical Precis

Sample Rhetorical Préces

Toni Morrison, in her essay, “Disturbing Nurses and the Kindness of Sharks” (1992), implies THAT racism in the United States has affected the craft and process of American novelists.  Morrison supports her implication by describing how Ernest Hemingway writes about black characters in his novels and short stories. 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 of racism, not only on those discriminated against but also on those who discriminate.  She establishes a formal and highly analytical tone with her audience of racially mixed (but probably mainly white), theoretically sophisticated readers and critical interpreters of American literature.

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