Understand What You Read with the Rhetorical Précis

The rhetorical précis is a useful tool for guiding your reading and making sure you understand what a text is saying and doing in context. In this video, I show you how to use it.

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0:00 Introduction
2:45 The Rhetorical Précis
7:06 So What?
11:10 Conclusion

[Christ_is_King]

Thank you so much for the effort you put into these videos! Your channel has become one of my most favorite

[SammyJ]

This was a struggle for me as well . Thank you so much, Professor Andrew !

[joshuajohnson]

I am not sure how but a crossover between yourself and Dr. Sledge from Esoterica, possibly for a Halloween episode, would be great! I noticed the titles of the books Kabu is set upon. Just a thought, thank you for soing what you di!

[darkblueturbo]

Having seen a video elsewhere that proposed using essay writing a for a similar purpose, to help you understand what you have just read, I was a bit overwhelmed — ok, reluctant — to do this in the reading I do for pleasure.
However, this sounds much more manageable: something I am realistically likely to do after reading an interesting non fiction, as opposed to feeling guilty for not bothering to write an essay for fun.

[paxtonanthonymurphy]

Getting the big picture of what the text is about is all well and good...until the Professor wants you to understand point by point how the writer of the text reached his conclusion. Then one finds oneself in the weeds trying to understand the development of the writers argument. For example when Professor Pearson asked us to learn the logical argument of a chapter in The Republic. I found myself slogging through the literary equivalent of a mud pit. Struggling and struggling and not making any progress...just stuck in the damn mud no matter how many times I read it! What is your response to my difficulties?

[karenmcpherson]

I wish I'd had this video when I first started reading Wright Morris. Would have saved a lot of frustration.

[lindaabraham]

Your theme song is the same as for "The Chap's Guide." Just saying.

[ElliotBrownJingles]

Thanks, Prof. Andrew, for another great lesson!

[Lickmuffin]

I seem to have been doing this all my life without knowing there was a formal name for it. But having worked in the deep end of various technology settling tanks (where the heavy chunks fall out of suspension first and collect on the bottom in an abominably aromatic but satisfyingly squishy sludge), my Four Questions tend towards cynicism: Who is this jackwagon and what are they after? How are they peddling this BS? What do they want from me? Cash? Obedience? Status? Who does this tosspot hold in contempt and is their contempt obvious or is it veiled in LinkedIn rah-rah-you're-all-so-great insincerity? Has served me pretty well. Although I do have to tell people that I'm retired and not just unemployed.

[ormulyce]

Thank you. Yes, focus on details often hides the global meaning. When you say précis in the middle of a sentence, it's a 100% French accent . 👏

[bmw]

Hey my friend, How are you doing? I have a question. I'm a Brazilian teacher and I would like to know How do you call in English a poem's voice? Poetic speaker, lyrical persona or is there other options?

[GNARGNARHEAD]

to the writing advice, I'd say 95%+ of the books I've ever read should have been a leaflet.. the writing of books seems purely a form of social posturing.. 😡!!

[cokesucker]

The real answer is to just read enough that you no longer have serious difficulty interpreting a sentence. The rest of what you’re saying is essentially the Feynman technique, where you try to condense the meaning of the text and gain a new appreciation of it as a result.