danah boyd, "Hacking the Attention Economy" Research important contextual information such as who the writer is, when and in what publication the text was first published, and what conversation the text responds to. If you use any information gained from this research in your paper, make sure to document it with in-text citations and on the Works Cited page. Conduct your analysis. A successful rhetorical analysis essay will do the following: Describe the rhetorical situation (purpose and original target audience) surrounding the text Accurately (but briefly) summarize the text's argument Include a clear and precise thesis statement (an analytical claim with reasons about how the text works or does not work), along with organizational cues and patterns to guide its readers Explain and analyze how the author's specific writing choices help fulfill the author's purpose and connect with (or fail to connect with) the target audience Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of how rhetorical appeals are working in the text Support its claims with quotations and/or paraphrases from the text