One of the most productive ways of analyzing a reading is to consider the

frame within which a piece is presented: who its intended audience is$,$ what it

seeks to persuade that audience about, and how a writer presents themselves

to appeal to that audience. It is a valuable analytical move to infer a writer's

assumptions about the audience.

An element of situating a reading rhetorically is locating what it seeks to

accomplish and what it is set against at a given moment. We address these

concerns in a reading strategy that we call The Pitch, The Complaint, and The

Moment:

The Pitch, what the piece wishes you to believe.

The Complaint, what the piece is reacting to or concerned about.

The Moment, the historical and cultural context within which the piece

is operating.

Here's a bit more on each.

The Pitch is the position the writer most wants readers to accept, even if

this position is not explicitly stated.

The Complaint is not simply something a writer wishes to argue against.

While it can be some perspective that a writer feels it necessary to challenge,

the complaint can also be something the writer wishes to reframe and rede$-$

fine. Looking for the complaint will help you to figure out whatever led the

writer to write the piece in the first place.