Rhetorical Analysis Devices

Basic Questions

• What is the purpose of this piece of writing? 

• Who is the intended audience? 

• Who is the author? 

• Do the following three elements – audience, purpose, author – work together to produce effective communication?
  

Aristotle’s 3 Appeals

Logos

• Appealing to logic & reason

• Examples:

• Statistics, facts, cause-and-effect statements

Ethos

• Appealing to credibility & trust

• Examples:

  • Expert opinion

  • Trusted spokesperson/celebrity

  • Relevant credentials

Pathos

• Appeal to emotion

• Examples:

  • Testimonials

  • Visuals that elicit emotions

  • Emotive language
    

Layout & Composition

Image

• What is in the image?

• What is NOT in the image?

Layout

• How are the elements of the image arranged?

• What is the focal point?

Text

• What does it say?

• Does it address the audience directly?

• What kind of vocabulary is being used? (e.g. descriptive, factual, emotional, etc.)

Colour

• What’s the colour theme?

• Do the colours contribute to the persuasiveness of the image’s purpose?

• Do they take away from the ad’s purpose