Rhetorical Appeal Definitions
Define Ethos
What is: An appeal to credibility (or the credibility of the author)
Define thesis statement
What is: the central claim or argument of a text (what the text is talking about or trying to prove)
What is included in the Introduction
"As a doctor in the medical field, I advise everyone to wash their hands often."
Ethos
Define Pathos
Define topic sentence
What is: the first sentence of a paragraph that informs readers what the paragraph is about and what the paragraph will try to prove
Where is the "so what" usually found?
In the conclusion
"If you do that you'll be the laughing stock of the community!"
Pathos
Define Logos
What is: An appeal to logic (how the author uses logical reasoning or examples or statistics/ data in their text to persuade the audience)
Define genre
What is: the category a text can fall into. This tells the audience what to expect from that type of text
Where do you find topic sentences?
At the beginning of every body paragraph
"Research compiled by analysts from NASA, as well as organizations from five other nations with space programs, suggests that a moon colony is viable with international support."
Logos
Define rhetorical appeals
strategies an author uses to persuade their audience
Define context
What is: background info surrounding an article including period, place, and situation
Where do you find a thesis statement?
At the end of the introduction and at the beginning of the conclusion
"If you compare the data set from 2020 to the data set from 2024, you will find that there has been a decrease in school attendance after Covid."
Logos
Define analysis
What is: the process of examining the components of a text to understand the meaning or purpose (it goes beyond summary of evidence or the article)
Where do you find analysis in an essay?
"As a three-time Olympic gold medalist, I can assure you that this energy drink will improve your fitness and stamina."
Pathos