Brief Rhetorical Analysis

Effective arguments depend on . . .

Ethos – Establishing Credibility Logos – Using Logic Pathos – Connecting Emotionally

Your use of ethos conveys to your audience that

you are:

informed, intelligent, benevolent, honest

through the use of

Ethical Appeals (Appropriate/Fair Ethical

Behavior)

o Demonstrate knowledge of your subject ▪ Claim authority (credentials,

qualifications, past or present

experiences) ▪ Use evidence to support claims

o Demonstrate fairness to your audience ▪ Use language accurately and

respectfully ▪ Acknowledge the opposing point(s) of

view (anticipate possible objections) ▪ Concede any personal weaknesses /

admit limitations

o Establish common ground with your audience ▪ Acknowledge shared viewpoints ▪ Connect your argument to well-

established or widely respected core

values / principles

Your use of logos allows your audience to see

your argument logically (facts and reason) –

Claim + Supporting Evidence

through the use of

Logical Appeals (Appropriate/Fair Logical

Behavior)

o Hard Evidence ▪ Facts ▪ Statistics ▪ Surveys and Polls ▪ Testimonies, Narratives, Interviews

o Logical Structure ▪ Analogies (Comparison / Contrast) ▪ Precedent

o Strong Evidence & Sound Reasoning ▪ Inductive Reasoning: Drawing a

probable conclusion on the basis of a

number of specific examples

▪ Deductive Reasoning: Assuming a general, widely held principle (called a

premise) and then applying that

principle to a specific case

Your use of pathos allows the audience to

emotionally (anger, compassion, patriotism, etc.)

identify with the subject/argument

through the use of

Emotional Appeals (Appropriate/Fair

Evocations of Emotion)

o Language ▪ Vivid and concrete descriptive and

evocative language ▪ Figurative language

o Anecdotes ▪ Personal experience ▪ Experiences of others ▪ Narrative / story-telling

o Imagery ▪ A picture is worth . . .

Kairos – Showing Timeliness

o The writer demonstrates the temporal significance and relevance of the

argument and shows that this is the right

moment to make and support his or her

claim.