Clean Air Act
As you write a rhetorical analysis, you are not writing on a specific topic or argument,
you are writing on how well the author’s writing of the essay is. For this essay, you are focusing on the ethos, pathos, and logos of the writing (see notes over these chapters and examples done in class as it will help you with your essay).
Be sure to include the following with your essay:
a clearly identifiable, argumentative topic statement
the use of direct quotes from the essay to support your analysis
a Work Cited Page
proper MLA format throughout
Good organization with appropriate transitions
Clear, proofread, error-free writing
A final draft due by the deadline listed on our course schedule
All three appeals should be discussed in your essay, even if you believe one (or several) are done poorly. You must also use the correct terminology in your analysis (the words ethos, pathos, and logos should appear throughout). You should also incorporate at least one direct quote as support/as an example for each appeal.
STRUCTURE:
1. Introduction this section will contain information leading up to your body
paragraphs. For this, your introduction will need to introduce the three types of
appeals along with the writer’s (your) plan to analyze the author’s writing. Just
like any essay, your thesis statement will be the last sentence of your
introduction that will state what your essay is about.
2. Body Paragraphs— they will discuss the ethos, pathos, and logos of the writing,
whether it is used properly or missing. This is your chance to explain the writing
of the author.
3. Conclusion Revisit your essay; this paragraph will wrap up the entire essay
without new information being added.
Questions to Consider When Analyzing a Writer’s Rhetoric
In order to help you understand the format of your paper, here are some questions you
may want to consider when analyzing a writer’s rhetoric. These questions can be useful
when working on your rhetorical analysis of the essay you’ve chosen. DO NOT simply
answer each question in a paragraph about that appeal (i.e. don’t work through
questions 1-6 in your paragraph about the essay’s ethos). These questions are meant to
help you think about each appeal–they are not to be directly answered one-by-one in
your essay.
ETHOS: A Writer’s Appeal to His/her Own Good Character
1. How expert is the writer on the subject?
2. Does the writer back his/her credibility with the expertise of others?
3. How does the writer reveal his/her expertise?
4. Why should the audience respect and trust the writer?
5. What does the writer have in common with his/her audience?
6. How does the writer show his/her audience that s/he is honest?
PATHOS: A Writer’s Appeal to the Minds and Emotions of the Audience
1. (Again) What does the writer have in common with his/her audience?
2. Will the writer’s audience accept emotional appeals?
3. How much does the writer rely on emotional appeals?
4. What emotions does the writer appropriately appeal to (love, anger, fear,
patriotism, disillusionment, etc.)?
5. What physical needs does the writer appropriately appeal to (food,
shelter, sex, security, etc.)?
LOGOS: A Writer’s Appeal of Logical Reasoning
1. What examples, testimony, statistics, and/or historical evidence does the
writer use?
2. How does the writer check the accuracy of his/her facts?
3. What kind of evidence is most convincing for the audience?
4. How does the writer deal fairly with opposing views?
5. What other types of support does the writer use (supportable opinion,
acceptable beliefs, definitions)?
6. What unexpressed assumptions must the writer bring to the surface and
support? (e.g., “every public school should educate children about AIDS”
assumes that if children are educated about AIDS, they will be able to
avoid contracting the disease.)
7. What logical fallacies might be inherent in the writer’s argument?