Questioning Exercise: Rhetorical Situation and Rhetorical Appeals

Folks, these are the notes developed by the different groups concerning the potential content of your reflection/analysis. Please remember that you are analyzing your own use of these techniques as they are applied in the letter you've written. I hope this helps!

Writer/Ethos:

• What authority do you possess in relation to the topic?
• What is your credibility?
• What is your personal experience?
• What is your motivation?
• Do you have statistics or facts? (This would demonstrate that you’re knowledgeable)
• Do you have credentials?
• How do you communicate these things?
• How will readers see you? Why?

Audience:

• Who is the reader?
• Who will read it?
• Who is it intended for?
• Who is the imaginary audience?
• How do you know your audience?
• What are the audience’s values?
• Is the audience sympathetic / neutral / resistant?
• How does your audience affect your use of ethos?

Purpose:

• What is your motivation?
• What do you plan to accomplish?
• What vocabulary will you use? (Ethos)
• What reaction do you solicit from your audience?
• Which audience do you hope to satisfy (resistant, neutral, sympathetic)?
• How do you consider unintended audiences?

Genre:

• What’s expected / appropriate?
• What type of format will be used?
• How did lack of space affect your arguments?
• What information was left out?
• What were the reasons for choosing to include some information and not other information?

Occasion:

• What is the emotion that you get from reading the article, and how is that carried into your own letter?
• What language or tone will you use to reflect the motivating impulse?
• What emotions do you want your audience to feel?
• Is there personal experience that motivates you to write this letter?
• Why did this particular article motivate you to read it and write about it?
• How motivated are you to get a good grade?
• How motivated are you about the article?
• Is it useful to tell your readers about the occasion?

Context:

• What current events are related to this issue?
• What public figures are related to this issue?
• What history has led up to the current state of this issue?
• Who was the original author trying to reach in his or her article?

Logos:

• Would the logic appeal to your specific audience?
• Do you use facts to support claims?
• Do you use statistics?
• Do you use rational thought?
• How is logos related to genre?

Pathos:

• What do you hope readers will feel after reading your letter?
• Do you use specific language to generate emotion in your readers?
• Do you use personal experience to generate emotion in your readers?
• Would the emotional appeal work, given your audience?