Rhetorical Purpose — WHY Did the Author Write This?

"The primary purpose of the text is to..." or "The author includes the example in order to..."

Common purposes:

Argue/Persuade: Takes a position and defends it

Inform/Explain: Neutral presentation of facts or a process

Describe: Vivid depiction of a scene, event, or experience

Challenge: Questioning a commonly held belief or prior research

Compare: Examining similarities and differences

Strategy: Is the author trying to convince me, teach me, or show me something? The tone tells you everything.

Trap: Choosing what the passage is ABOUT instead of what the author is DOING. Topic does not equal purpose.

Reference:

Wikipedia: Rhetoric

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric