"This kind of thinking is abstract: We need to separate what is being said (content) from how it is being said (rhetorical analysis). I tell my students that we are not looking solely for what the piece is about; we are discovering how it is about what it is about. If the piece were an article of clothing, we'd be talking about the choice of fabric and how that particular kind of fabric falls and folds as it is worn. We'd be turning the garment inside out, examining its seams and stitching to see how it was put together so that it will stay put together. We'd be able to understand and explain why the eye is drawn to particular details or decorations on the garment. And, importantly, we'd be using the language of the tailoring craft to do this analysis, to have this conversation: We'd know the parts and processes that go into making a garment, and we'd have the technical language to speak to each other as professionals."
-Amy Benjamin
-Amy Benjamin