Using the Rhetorical Appeals in Your Writing
Use the following handout while you write and revise. Consider how you demonstrate ethos,pathos, and logos. How will your readers evaluate your use of the appeals?
Ethos (ethical appeal): establishes credibility and/or authority as a communicator
- Demonstrate knowledge of the topic by providing background information and informed opinion (appropriate vocabulary/terms, definitions, history etc.).You are a representation of your ideas as much as your ideas represent you.
- Show confidence and integrity by not contradicting previous claims you have made.
- Appear trustworthy by respecting your audience, citing outside sources, providing true/accurate and plausible information, and staying on topic.
- Give credit to past writers, thinkers, and researchers (through, for example, citations and works cited).
- Grammar and mechanical errors, when abundant, can undermine your professionalism and credibility.
- Offer claims so that you are adding yourvaluable insights to the conversation surrounding your topic.
- Use your own voice (with caution).
- Stick to the writing and citation style preferred by your audience.
Pathos (emotional appeal): evokes an emotional response in your audience
- Provide your audience with the information they need to understand your claims. Consider what knowledge your audience already possesses and the knowledge audience members don’t possess.
- Evoke emotions by using words, phrases or common experiences that call to mindconnotative meaning.
- Apathy is an emotion. Consider how you can keep your reader’s interest.
Logos (logical appeal): provides a logical argument within your text
- Provide a thesis statement that outlines your main point in one or two sentences.
- Offer claims that support the thesis statement (usually,the best claim is listed first).
- Present support for claims via your informed opinion, expert opinion(direct quotes, citedparaphrases or summaries), or objective facts andfigures.
- Make the argument stronger by considering the warrants you do and do not have incommon with your audience. You may need to explain your logic.
- Combine wordy sentences and cut words in order to convey concise ideas so you do not appearredundant.
- In order to provide a linear argument, each paragraph/section will usually contain one claim (althoughyou can break that paragraph/section into two sequential paragraphs/sections if it is longer than ½ page).If you begin talking about a new claim that’s where you start a new paragraph.
- Stay on topic and offer relevant information to support your claims.