7 Modes of Development

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:

1. division: dividing the subject into parts

2. 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