Text Message Analysis

What is the sender/message/receiver relationship?

How is this relationship impacted by stylistic decisions made by the sender?

Part 1: Vocabulary
Define the terms below.

Sender: The individual who is typing Style: The way of using language
and sending the message

Receiver: The person who receives the Analysis: Detailed examination of the
message elements of structure

Message: Verbal, written, or recorded Rhetoric: Art if effective or persuasive

communication left for someone speaking or writing through the use of
compositional elements

Part 2: Examples
Get out your phones and spend some time looking for messages that seem to have made
specific rhetorical choices: punctuation, unusual typing or spelling styles, abbreviations,
emojis, etc. Type them in the left column, describe the choice in the middle column, and
describe the effect on the receiver’s perception or on the meaning of the text.

Text Stylistic Choice Effect on perception/meaning

you are a monster no period out of the blue, bordering on
no caps serious and unserious
no emoji
Reminder: Submit the capitalize essay very long, monkey emoji makes it
masculinity Essay on monkey emoji seem like “oh no you probably
canvas before class exclamation point forgot”
and bring two printed
copies! (monkey
covering eyes emoji)

It’s a FURRY capitalize furry very dramatic, to the point

I'm literally so word-choice very full of themself, confident,

inconceivably lack of punctuation maybe a little bit too confident
attractive

AHH capitalized urgent, in danger but in a funny

LIBRARY separate text way
RUN messages
SAVE ME

(lots of emojis) - wanna emojis quirky, kind of not thinking about

eat babies wanna it, not serious
mosquitos love me period sort of done with things, sad but
more than anyone else hyperbole accepting
ever will.

Part 3: Altering Stylistic Choices

Rewrite three text messages from Part 2 and revise them to alter the intended or perceived
meaning. Explain the change you made and the desired effect on the receivers perception or
the meaning of the text.

Original Text Revised Text Changes you made and

I'm literally so
inconceivably attractive
the desired effect on
perception/meaning
I'm really hot more concise, less
arrogant and full of
themselves, less
sophisticated word choice,
less hyperbole (probably),
more sarcastic sounding

mosquitos love me more I'm being attacked by less hyperbole, less

than anyone else ever will. mosquitoes and no one dramatic, more direct, less
cares. inference needed to figure
out what the sender
means

you are a monster
Friend, you are just a little
bit scary, but it's ok
because I still love you :)
more friendly gets to the
point, less context needed,
maybe a little bit
passive-aggressive,
funnier (depending on who
sends it)

Part 4: Apply your learning

Analyze the text message below, following all instructions in the prompt.

Context: My friend asked if he could interview me for a paper he was writing but he
never responded about a day and time. I sent him a text asking if he still wanted to
interview me a few days later and this is what he sent back:
Write a paragraph in the box below in which you analyze the rhetorical choices made
by the “speaker” of this text message. Be sure to address what the speaker’s purpose is,
and consider how the audience (receiver) may interpret the message based on the
speaker’s choices. Be sure to have a topic sentence!

The speaker is acting all sad and depressed, which could be for a number of reasons
1) he is writing an essay and is just sad because he is writing an essay, 2) he is
looking for sympathy, which may or may not include getting an extension, or 3) he is
really really tired (or being awake or of life).