Audience, Purpose, and Rhetorical Concepts

Vocabulary terms and key concepts regarding rhetoric, audience analysis, writing purpose, and lecture assignments.

Notability

An application where students can drop PDF documents to create handwritten notes digitally.

Rhetorical Situation

Everything surrounding a written piece, which is primarily analyzed through understanding the audience and purpose.

Audience

The intended individual or group that a writer is communicating to, who will read or hear the message.

Purpose

The reason or goal behind creating a communication, defining what the writer is attempting to accomplish.

Ethos

An Aristotelian rhetorical appeal based on proofs of credibility.

Logos

An Aristotelian rhetorical appeal based on proofs of logic.

Pathos

An Aristotelian rhetorical appeal based on proofs of emotion.

Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A psychological pyramid framework showcasing fundamental human needs—such as security, belonging, and self-esteem—that can be used to analyze audience needs.

Core Purposes of Communication

The primary motivational categories for writing, identified as to motivate, to educate, to inform, to persuade, and to entertain.

Letter Home

A course writing assignment where students share narratives about what brought them to CMU campus and their current student experiences.