The Literary Seismograph*

* technique attributed to Kevin Howard

Technique for planning the Rhetorical Analysis

Problems addressed:
- Lack of student planning
- Unintegrated, list-y organization (E.g. “Here’s a
paragraph on ethos,” “here’s a paragraph on tone”)
- Unsophisticated “I spy” approach to identifying/discussing
rhetorical techniques (E.g. “The author uses diction”)
Benefits:

- Assists students in annotation process

- focuses on their genuine reactions to the text
- Allows students to construct a cohesive, sequentially
structured response which mirrors the structure of the text
- Reinforces the need for students to focus on:
- Identifying rhetorical techniques which are impactful
- Locating and integrating specific textual evidence
- Developing commentary
Students read and annotate the text, identifying 5-8 “peak” moments
and plotting them on a grid

5 5

2
Building a spike: text support

Along the “left leg” of the peak,

students write a quotation from
the text which caused them to
react (Each peak is plotted on
a grid from 1-5 in terms of
intensity)
Building a spike: technique

Inside the peak’s triangle,

students write the name of the
rhetorical device(s) evident in
the quotation
Building a spike: inferences
Along the right leg of the peak,
students write two inferences
which can be made based on
the quotation. This is where
students develop their
commentary on the author’s
techniques and address the
abstraction, the implicit,
and/or the universal
Assignment directions
Directions:

➢ Identify the text that you are to chart.

➢ You should read the text to find details that carry more weight than just advancing
the plot or central idea.
➢ For each one of the details determine the magnitude of importance to the passage
(1 is low; 5 is high).
➢ Order your details sequentially.
➢ Draw two sides of a triangle for each detail by starting at the bottom, going up to
the number, and then coming back to the bottom.
➢ On the left side of the spike, write the cause of the spike (textual example).
➢ On the right side of the spike, write two inferences that a reader can get from the
example.
➢ Stop when you have eight spikes.
Link to Grid and Assignment Directions Google Doc
https://docs.google.com/document/d/10LwqjTe5EyKc6jlpRvPLOXc34mL1WrprpzH
KIZOKkMc/edit?usp=sharing

After creating the seismograph, students use it as a plan from which they
will draft their rhetorical analysis essays.