Narration
storytelling; reviewing a sequence of events
More intent on representing what happened than explaining why it happened
Compare/Contrast
juxtaposition of two or more ideas/events/objects in hopes that by seeing one through the lens of the other, each may be explained or clarified, or alternatively one may prove better than the rest
Compare/Contrast can be used with description in a service setting to discuss two separate events
Process Analysis
the separation of an action or series of actions into progressive parts
may be directive (tells the reader how to do something) or informative (explaining how something works)
Analysis (division and classification)
can be applied to ideas, not just actions
occurs in two steps:
division: dividing the subject into parts
classification: classifies each into an existing category/categories of the writer’s invention
common to social sciences, often used to break up a social phenomenon
Cause and Effect
asking why; to analyze by dividing into reasons and results
might be used in a history paper, for example, to deepen understanding of a certain event by discussing its precipitating factors
Definition
to establish a boundary; to determine what something is and what it is not
one paper can include definitions of many terms or ideas, but extended definition occurs when the goal of the paper is to define a larger concept
Argument and Persuasion
to persuade by appealing to reason, emotion, or both
many other modes are useful tools in accomplishing the overall goal of argument
argumentative papers are common to nearly every discipline
Rhetorical situation
dynamic environment
Exigence
the thing/imperfection that causes a writer to respond
audience
intended recipient(s) of a text/performance
Author’s purpose
reason/intent for writing
Context
background info/circumstances forming setting
Tone
author’s feelings towards the topic
SOAPSTone
Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone
Author - “On Morality”
Joan Didion
Purpose - “On Morality”
Expository
Mode - “On Morality”
Definition
Author - “Black Men in Public Space”
Brent Staples
Purpose - “Black Men in Public Space”
Expository
Mode - “Black Men in Public Space”
Cause and effect
Author - “Fourth of July”
Audrey Lorde
Purpose - “Fourth of July”
Personal
Mode - “Fourth of July”
Narrative
Author - “Turkeys in the Kitchen”
Dave Barry
Purpose - “Turkeys in the Kitchen”
Personal
Mode - “Turkeys in the Kitchen”
Narrative
Author - “The Ugly Truth About Beauty”
Dave Barry
Purpose - “The Ugly Truth About Beauty”
Personal
Mode - “The Ugly Truth About Beauty”
Narrative
Author - “On Compassion”
Barbara Ascher
Purpose - “On Compassion”
Expository
Mode - “On Compassion”
Definition
Author - “Why Don’t We Complain”
William Buckley
Purpose - “Why Don’t We Complain”
Expository
Mode - “Why Don’t We Complain”
Cause and effect
Rhetorical Triangle - Speaker
What is the character/persona of the writer (poet, comedian, scholar, expert, etc.)?
Rhetorical Triangle - Audience
Who are they? What do they already know? What is their attitude about the subject?
Rhetorical Triangle - Purpose
Why are they writing?
Rhetorical appeal
way of making a message, appealing to the audience
*Not a rhetorical device
Ethos
Greek for character
Speaker’s expertise, experience, knowledge, sincerity, shared values, or a combination of these factors
provides the audience a reason to trust the person on this subject
Effective when the speaker demonstrates that he or she is trustworthy and credible on the topic
Logos
speakers appeal to “reason” by offering clear, rational ideas
clear main idea
specific details
examples
facts
statistics
expert testimony
Greek for “embodied thought”
Logic
creating a logical argument often involves defining the terms of the argument and identifying connections
one way to appeal to logos is to acknowledge a counterargument, rather to anticipate objections or opposing views
Pathos
appeal to emotions, values, desires, and hopes
appeal to fears/prejudices
although an argument that appeals exclusively to the emotions is weak, it is generally either propaganda or a persuasive rant
an effective speaker/writer understands the power of evoking an audience’s emotions