Ethos & Audience
Identify one way an author establishes credibility (ethos) when writing about the history of Thanksgiving meals.
Examples: citing credentials, using first-person experience, referencing reputable sources.
Name a sensory detail (related to Thanksgiving food) that commonly appeals to pathos.
Example: "the smell of butter and sage" or "warm, cinnamon-spiced pie."
Give one example of factual evidence an author could use to support a claim about turkey consumption trends.
Example: USDA data on turkey sales per year.
Identify the figure of speech: "The cranberry sauce glistened like rubies."
Simile
Name one traditional Thanksgiving food that originated in North America.
Example: corn (maize), turkey, squash, cranberries.
Given an excerpt where a food historian cites archival letters and family recipes, explain how that supports ethos and name the likely audience.
Citing archival letters and family recipes shows research and firsthand/primary-source knowledge (ethos); audience likely: readers interested in history, food studies, or cultural heritage.
Explain how describing the smell of roasted turkey can influence audience emotion in a persuasive paragraph about family traditions.
Smell evokes memory and comfort, creating emotional connection that supports preserving tradition.
Explain why statistics about seasonal food sales strengthen an argument recommending local sourcing for Thanksgiving.
Statistics offer measurable support showing benefits and trends, making claims more convincing.
Define metaphor and give a Thanksgiving-food-related example.
Metaphor: a direct comparison without "like" or "as." Example: "Thanksgiving is a tapestry of family memories."
Explain briefly how Indigenous food practices contributed to the early Thanksgiving meals.
Indigenous practices contributed local crops (corn, beans, squash), preservation techniques, and seasonal food knowledge.
Analyze how a celebrity chef writing about Thanksgiving traditions might create ethos differently than an academic historian. Provide two specific techniques.
Celebrity chef builds ethos via celebrity status, testimonials, culinary expertise, and practical demonstrations; academic historian uses citations, archival evidence, formal tone, and institutional affiliation.
Given a short passage that emphasizes "empty chairs at the table" and "cold pie untouched," analyze the emotional appeal and identify which audience emotions are targeted.
Targets nostalgia, loneliness, empathy; creates pathos by highlighting absence and sensory emptiness.
A writer claims switching to plant-based sides reduces carbon emissions; list two types of logical evidence you would expect to see to support this logos claim.
Expect lifecycle analyses, comparative emission data, peer-reviewed studies, or government reports.
In the sentence "The feast was a symphony of flavors," name the figure of speech and explain its rhetorical effect on readers.
Figure: metaphor; effect: conveys complexity and harmony of flavors, elevating the meal and engaging reader imagination.
Analyze how mentioning a family's unique Thanksgiving dish can function as evidence of cultural identity in a rhetorical analysis.
A unique dish illustrates continuity, family memory, and cultural transmission; functions as anecdotal evidence showing lived tradition.
Read a short claim: "As a fourth-generation farmer, I know the true history of Thanksgiving crops." Evaluate the strength of this ethos statement and identify one potential limitation.
Strength: establishes personal connection and experience; limitation: may be anecdotal, not comprehensive or unbiased.
Compare how pathos is used differently in a school essay urging sustainable Thanksgiving meals versus an advertisement for a frozen turkey brand. Provide two contrasts.
School essay: uses empathetic, community-focused emotions and educates; advertisement: uses immediate desire and appetite, simpler appeals, and persuasive imagery. Contrasts: depth of context vs immediate call-to-buy; ethical framing vs consumer convenience.
Evaluate the following logical structure: Premise A — "Local farms reduce transport miles." Premise B — "Reduced transport miles lower emissions." Conclusion — "Therefore, buy local for Thanksgiving." Identify a potential hidden assumption and suggest one piece of data that could test it.
Hidden assumption: that transport miles are the dominant source of emissions; data to test: full lifecycle emissions per food item including production and refrigeration.
Find and analyze the figurative language in a short passage: "Gravy pooled like a quiet river over the mashed potatoes." Explain how this shapes tone.
"Pooled like a quiet river" is a simile; it creates a calm, flowing tone and sensory richness that makes the scene vivid.
Consider an author arguing to change Thanksgiving traditions to be more inclusive. List two rhetorical strategies they could use to persuade a skeptical audience.
Strategies: use inclusive pathos (personal stories), present logos (data showing diverse backgrounds), and ethos (voices from affected communities); anticipate counterarguments respectfully.
Construct a thesis-level explanation of how the speaker’s identity and stated qualifications can alter audience reception when arguing for changing a Thanksgiving menu for ethical reasons.
Strong answer explains how identity/qualifications increase trust for some audiences, may alienate others; discusses interplay of credibility, audience values, and perceived bias.
Write a concise analysis of a rhetorical passage that uses food imagery to evoke nostalgia, showing how metaphor and sensory detail combine to persuade readers about preserving tradition.
Strong answer notes how metaphor (e.g., "home on a plate") and sensory detail (taste, smell, touch) trigger memory paths and persuade by linking food to identity.
Craft a critical analysis of a flawed logical argument: "Everyone in my town serves stuffing with sausage; therefore it is the authentic Thanksgiving stuffing." Identify the logical fallacy and explain how empirical evidence could refute it.
Fallacy: hasty generalization or appeal to tradition/popular practice. Empirical evidence: regional cookbooks, historical records, or survey data showing diversity of stuffing recipes.
Compare the use of extended metaphor versus a single simile in a persuasive essay about Thanksgiving dinner. Which is more effective for sustaining an argument about cultural identity, and why? Provide textual strategies.
Extended metaphor sustains an argument and can deepen cultural meaning; simile is concise and vivid. Effective choice depends on rhetorical goal: sustained identity argument favors extended metaphor with consistent imagery and development.
Write a short evaluation (3–4 sentences) of a hypothetical op-ed that argues Thanksgiving should be reimagined; include assessment of rhetorical appeals, potential counterarguments, and the piece's overall persuasiveness.
Strong answers critique balance of appeals (ethos/pathos/logos), note effectiveness of acknowledging history and counterarguments, and judge persuasiveness based on evidence and tone.