100 Rhetorical Analysis Essay Topics for Students

Most students struggle to choose rhetorical analysis topics to write about when given this assignment. That’s because a learner should choose a topic they can comfortably analyze with minimal research. A rhetorical analysis essay refers to an academic paper in which the student deeply analyzes an artistic work, a film, or literature, and then takes a position.

Some students find this academic task difficult because it requires them to evaluate the original content’s purpose and its delivery to the audience. Good rhetorical analysis essay topics enable learners to do this and determine whether the original message delivery was effective.

What is a Good Topic for a Rhetorical Analysis Essay?

This is a question that most learners ask. Well, a good topic should be interesting, not too narrow or too broad. What’s more, it should have adequate information for the student to use in writing the essay.

Choosing a topic is the first step in the process of writing this essay. This may sound simple to some people but deciding what to analyze and write about can be challenging. Even seasoned writers struggle to choose topics for rhetorical analysis essays sometimes. Essentially, writer’s block can affect anyone, especially when it comes to choosing a good topic.

If you’ve been assigned this academic task and you don’t know where to start, consider this rhetorical analysis topics list from our custom thesis writing service.

Top Rhetorical Analysis Topics

Some students want to write about something unique. As such, they choose unique topics for rhetorical analysis essays. If you’re such a student, pick a topic from this category.

1. Symbolism theme in The Things They Carried
2. Rhetorical analysis of symbolism in Harry Potter series
3. An effective new writer
4. Definition of heroism by different writers
5. Animal Farm
6. Importance of home as a literature theme
7. Literary devices employed by Jane Austen
8. Rhetorical strategies in your best novel
9. Role of symbolism in novels
10. Issues of prejudice and race in literature
11. Meaning in the I am the Cheese book
12. Louisa May Alcott and Feminism
13. The Lottery versus Hunger Games
14. Edgar Allan Poe rhetoric and one of his famous works
15. A rhetorical analysis of a TED talks speech
16. Rhetorical analysis of a speech is time-consuming
17. A rhetorical analysis of the speech by William Wallace
18. Rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King’s speech
19. Rhetorical analysis of I’m not a crook by Richard Nixon
20. Rhetorical analysis of King Lear by William Shakespeare

Any of these rhetorical analysis topics for the essay is worth exploring. Nevertheless, you should be ready to research your topic extensively to come up with a brilliant essay.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Topics on Fictional Works

Fiction is the expression of imagination. Just like any other literary work, people communicate messages through fiction. If looking for good rhetorical analysis essay topics on fiction, here are brilliant ideas to consider.

1. Rhetorical features in The Great Gatsby
2. Presentation of the war theme in Things They Carry
3. The Millenium Hall narrative form
4. Justice theme in The Heretic’s Daughter
5. The revelation of a teenager’s life in The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
6. With All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer, explain the simple language
7. Explain the creation of diverse characters by Erin Morgenstern in The Night Circus
8. Describe the mystery language in The Secret Life of Violet Grant
9. Describe the presentation of character development in The Alchemist
10. Author’s voice in The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
11. Crisis and love in Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West
12. Explore civilization versus savagery in the Lord of the Flies
13. Describe the delivery of the friendship theme in Code Name Verity
14. Describe the elitism theme in One Hundred Years of Solitude
15. Shame language in Han Kang’s The Vegetarian
16. Humanism reflections in Lincoln in the Bardo
17. Behavior as presented in Jesse Stuart’s The Slipover Sweater
18. Describe rhetorical devices in The Sense of an Ending
19. Explain the emphasis of dreams in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
20. Author’s voice in John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars

Pick any of these rhetorical analysis paper topics if you want to write about something fictional. Nevertheless, make sure that you have studied and understood the work carefully before you proceed to write your essay.

Non-Fiction Rhetorical Analysis example Topics

If you don’t want to write about fictional topics, consider the ideas in this category.

1. Rhetorical devices in A Brief History of Time
2. Rhetorical analysis of trauma in Hiroshima by John Hersey
3. Rhetorical features in Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
4. Exploration of fandom by Nick Horny in Fever Pitch
5. Sympathy and abuse in Cold Blood
6. Racism theme in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
7. Grief in H Is for Hawk
8. The function of the title in A Moveable Feast
9. Overcoming theme in Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton
10. Persuasion theme in Silent Spring

Pick any of these topics and then develop it through rhetorical analysis.

Rhetorical Analysis of Controversial Topics

If you find controversy interesting, this category has the best rhetorical analysis topic ideas for you. These are great topics for rhetorical analysis when it comes to writing academic papers and essays.

1. Rhetorical analysis of E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey
2. Analysis of J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye
3. Rhetorical analysis of Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson’s And Tango Makes Three
4. Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses rhetorical analysis
5. Rhetorical analysis of George Orwell’s 1984
6. Analysis of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code
7. Rhetorical Analysis of William Styron’s Sophie’s Choice
8. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling – Rhetorical Analysis
9. Analysis of Brett Easton Ellis’ American Psycho
10. Rhetorical Analysis of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar
11. Analysis of Heather Has Two Mommies by Laura Cornell and Leslea Newman
12. Analysis of Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War
13. Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita Rhetorical Analysis
14. Rhetorical Analysis of Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham
15. Analyze Henry Miller’s Topic of Cancer Rhetorically
16. Rhetorical Analysis of Anonymous’ Go Ask Alice
17. Analysis of William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies
18. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men: Rhetorical Analysis
19. Rhetorical Analysis: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World
20. Rhetorical analysis of James Joyce’s Ulysses

These are good rhetorical analysis topics to consider if you want to write about something controversial. Nevertheless, take your time to study the work and understand the controversy. That way, you will ensure that it comes out in your analysis.

Comparative Rhetorical Analysis Topics

Maybe you want to compare one literary work and another rhetorically. In that case, this category has good topics to write a rhetorical analysis on. Here are great ideas to explore.

1. The Lottery versus The Hunger Games
2. The Breakfast Club’s Ending Scenes versus The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Achichi
3. Pep Talk by Kid President versus Ellen’s People’s Choice Humanitarian Award Acceptance Speech
4. Nobel Peace Prize Speech by Malala Yousafzai versus I Am Prepared to Die by Nelson Mandela
5. 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech by Steve Jobs versus Donovan Livington’s Harvard Graduation Speech
6. Pep Talk to Students and Teachers by Kids President versus Shane Koyczan’s To This Day: For the Bullied and the Beautiful speech
7. Don’t Let Others Stop You from Living Your Own Truth versus Susan Cain’s The Power of Introverts
8. Abraham Lincoln’s The Gettysburg Address versus Remember the Titans’ Gettysburg Monologue
9. Emma Watson’s Power of Women speech versus Priyanka Chopra’s Full Power of Women
10. Warren Buffet’s Integrity versus Finding Forrester’s Speech

These are great topics for a rhetorical analysis paper when a student wants to compare one literary work to another. Nevertheless, careful research is necessary to understand both works.

Current Rhetorical Analysis Topics

If you want to explore what’s trending in your essay, consider the rhetorical analysis topic’s current issues. Here are good topics for rhetorical analysis in this category.

1. David Grann’s arguments in The Mark of a Masterpiece
2. People versus nature in Tim Zimmerman’s The Killer in the Pool
3. The double life of a thief in Art of the Steal by Joshua Bearman
4. Persuasive devices in John Buntin’s Mississippi’s Connections Reform
5. The emotional appeal of In the Name of the Law by William Finnegan
6. Wil S. Hylton’s narration in the Hope, Change, Reality
7. Politics in the Unrest in the Arab World by Kenneth Jost
8. Tom Bissell’s Video Games: The Addiction
9. Use of rhetorical devices by Zach Zorich in Should We Clone Neanderthals?
10. Connecting with the audience as depicted in William Deresiewicz’s Solitude and Leadership
11. Motherhood presentation in Inside India’s Rent-A-Womb Business by Scott Carney
12. The prejudice theme is He Who Casts the First Stone by Forrest Wilder
13. Credibility in James Medd’s The Little Pill That Could Cure Alcoholism
14. Acceptance in Karen Zucker and John Donvan’s Autism’s First Child
15. Home Theme in Nadya Labi’s Are You Sure You Want to Quit the World?
16. How Howard Jacobson persuades the reader in On Taking Comic Novels Seriously
17. Social media use by Jonah Weiner in Kanye West Has a Goblet
18. Humor in The Guiltless Pleasure by Rick Bragg
19. Success theme in Richard Morgan’s Seven Years as a Freelance Writer
20. Prominent Rhetorical devices in Beth Kowitt’s Inside the Secret World of Trader Joe

Pick any of these essay rhetorical analysis topics if you want to write about something current. But again, take your time to research the topic before writing about it.