The Rhetorical Triangle When you read a text, start asking three questions: Who is the author of the text? What is revealed in the text by the writing about the author (background, biases, purpose, education, ethos or ethical believability) Who is the intended audience for the text? What does the writer s language, choice of detail, hook and purpose reveal about the author s intended audience?) What is the purpose of the text? This is the key in all rhetorical analysis. Why did the writer write? The rhetorical analysis is how the writer uses rhetorical tools to achieve his/her purpose. Writers inform, entertain, persuade, clarify, describe, cajole, inspire, argue, needle, satirize, criticize, subvert, declare, pontificate, cajole etc In most writing, the writer uses all the tools of rhetoric, their aim first is to get readers, so they can sell their books, and then they go to work. Author Logos Pathos Audience EthosLEthos Purpose Author: When you read a text, try to find out as much about the author as you possibly can: Who is the author?
What do you know about the author? Is he/she trustworthy? Why? What else has he/she written on the subject? When you write your own papers, you will need to convince your reader about your own trustworthiness and credibility the same way that you need to satisfy your own curiosity about the author of a text you read. Audience: There are many different types of audiences. When you read a text, it is important to know who the intended audience is. When you write a text, it is integral to know who your readers are. Identify the audience based on the following questions: Who is my audience? What do they mean to me? What is their interest in the subject? What do they know about the subject? How do they feel about the subject? How does the writer expect them to respond to their topic? Purpose: When writing, address your audience for a specific purpose and develop the necessary strategies to get what you want. When reading, identify what a writer wants from you. Writers can have numerous purposes which change from situation to situation and audience to audience. Ask yourself these questions: Does the writer propose something? Does the writer convey specific information? Does the writer convince you of something? Does the writer try to sell something? *Consider these questions when writing your own argument essay. When you read or write a text, think about the context in which reading and writing takes place. There are three primary contexts: Temporal: where you are at a given time. Spatial: encompasses the social, cultural and historical origins. Causal: grows out of the interactions of time and space. Ask the following questions to figure out the context in which a text is created: What is the context of the text?
What is the immediate context for my reading the text? What is the larger context of this reading? How and where do I fit into these contexts?
CHECKLIST FOR ANALYZING AN ARGUMENT LOGOS Claim Message 1.What is the thesis? 2. What claim is being asserted? 3. What assumptions are being made? (list at least three) An assumption is a shared understanding between the reader and writer and should be defined, often they are not (i.e. American high school fail to engage all students) o Are the assumptions acceptable? Why or why not paragraph o Are the important terms well defined? List them 4. What factual and reasonable support for the claim is offered? List at least five. o Are the examples relevant? Why/why not o Are the examples convincing? Why/why not o Are the statistics relevant, accurate and complete? o Do the examples, facts or statistics allow only the interpretation given? o Are the authorities cited credible ones? o Are the authorities too biased? o Is the logic valid? o Are the premises true? 5.Pathos Does the argument appeal to the emotion of the reader? Give two examples. o Will the reader be open to the message?
o What emotion is being induced (fear, anger, hope, inspiration)? o Is the emotion being used for an ultimately positive or negative purpose? o Is the tone of the emotion acceptable? o Is sarcasm or satire used to ridicule the other side? 6. Ethos Does the argument portray an image of high moral character in the writer? Give at least two examples. o Does the writer gain the trust and admiration of the reader? How if yes, why not if no. o Does the writer appear to have a good reputation? How can you find out? o Are counterarguments adequately and fairly considered with respect? If yes how, if no, why not and how does it affect the validity of the argument/ o Is there evidence of dishonesty? Where? o Is there evidence of fanaticism or skepticism? Important, we tend to dismiss fanatics as cranks or gadflies, they re not believed. 7. Logos: is the paper supported with facts and relevant examples? How has the writer structure his/her argument? Is it a logical organization? Does it begin with a anecdote, a n example, a traditional thesis or a hook? Do the ideas connect together and is the proof organized in such a way that you agree with writer? 8. Write a brief summary if you agree or not.