Rhetorical criticism is a systematic method for analyzing symbolic acts and artifacts to understand how they function rhetorically. It investigates how language, images, and other symbols create meaning, influence audiences, and shape perceptions within specific contexts. This academic field examines communication not merely for its content but for its strategic use of rhetorical appeals, structures, and forms, revealing the persuasive and constitutive power of symbols in shaping individual and collective understanding, social reality, and public discourse.