In my last post I talked about a really successful day in which I chose not to use the method of engaging with reading that has become my ‘go to’ - namely, the Rhetorical Precis.

It was this post from Raul Pacheco Vega that originally put me on to this tool and I have begun to use it as part of my workflow for reading and writing.

I really like the way that it forces me to think about the core argument that is being presented in an article (or chapter…) and to distill this into a single sentence. I adapted the approach slightly - coming up with a 3 sentence structure that worked (and, I think, still works) for me. Usually, I also pair this with verbatim quotes taken from the work, and my own notes and reflections.

  1. Name of the author, nature and type of work (date); rhetorically active verb; and a THAT clause containing the major assertion of the work.
  2. An explanation of how the author develops and supports the thesis.
  3. A statement of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an IN ORDER TO clause.

Example

In the article “Love and Gold”, Hochschild (2009) argues that globalisation has led to the global North plundering care resources from the global South. She supports her claim by exploring the nature and impact of the “global care chain”. Hochschild’s purpose is to illustrate the impact of migration on families and communities in originating countries in order to persuade the reader of an ethical responsibility to take account of the needs of Third World societies and children.

For many articles, taking some time to think about the purpose of the writing, why the writer is bothering to put pen to paper, is very helpful. It reminds us of the political nature of most writing and that we should be careful in assuming that words on paper are free of bias.

It is, however, a slow process - I write them by hand, and then try to find the time to transcribe them into a Tiddlywiki - which I will try to cover another time. I won’t be abandoning the Rhetorical Precis, but I will be more cautious about when to use it. Not every paper needs covering in quite this level of detail.