Analysis

The rhetorical situation of the article “A feminist’s guide to raising boys” by Bibi van der Zee is that the sender is Bibi van der Zee, a political activist and journalist for The Guardian. Van der Zee particularly addresses parents of boys.

The composition of the article is a bit fragmented. Van der Zee structures her article into several parts, offering her own experiences as a feminist mother in no particular order.

The style of writing in lines 58-73 uses a mixture of formal and informal language. The reproduction of direct speech and thoughts gives the readers the impression that they are part of van der Zee’s everyday life with her sons, which keeps the audience engaged.

The article uses a variety of rhetorical devices to keep the audience engaged. Anecdotes are the most frequent, as van der Zee mentions many personal stories that show her experiences of being a feminist mother of boys.

In terms of forms of appeal, van der Zee uses mainly pathos and ethos. Her appeal to pathos through the use of self-irony is one of the elements that helps her keep her audience engaged.

 You can read a more detailed analysis in the following pages.

Further help

Do you want additional help with analysis of non-fiction? See our general guide to non-fiction analysis.