What kind of credentials or experience does the writer have? Uses a sufficient number of relevant sources.Addresses any counter-arguments and successfully rebuts them.Does not come across as subversive or manipulativeĭoes the writer come across as authoritative and knowledgeable?.Has an even, objective tone (not malicious but also not sycophantic).Does not use hyperbolic (exaggerated) language.Viewpoint is logically consistent throughout the text.When evaluating a writer’s ethical appeal, ask the following questions: Finally, if that writer shows that he is knowledgeable about the subject by providing clear explanations of points and by presenting information in an honest and straightforward way that also helps to establish a writer’s credibility. If the article is about a scientific issue and the writer is a scientist or has certain academic or professional credentials that relate to the article’s subject, that also will lend credibility to the writer. If a writer fails to establish a sufficient ethical appeal, then the audience will not take the writer’s argument seriously.įor example, if someone writes an article that is published in an academic journal, in a reputable newspaper or magazine, or on a credible website, those places of publication already imply a certain level of credibility. The writer needs to establish credibility so that the audience will trust him and, thus, be more willing to engage with the argument. Literally translated, ethos means “character.” In this case, it refers to the character of the writer or speaker, or more specifically, his credibility. What are the basic elements of rhetorical analysis? 1. Some texts are more appropriate than others in a given situation, and a writer’s successful use of genre depends on how well they meet, and sometimes challenge, the genre conventions. The genre refers to the type of text the writer produces. The context refers to other direct and indirect social, cultural, geographic, political, and institutional factors that likely influence the writer, text, and audience in a particular situation. The subject refers to the issue at hand, the major topics the writer, text, and audience address. To think rhetorically about exigence is to think about what writers and texts respond to through writing. The exigence refers to the perceived need for the text, an urgent imperfection a writer identifies and then responds to through writing. These goals may originate from a personal place, but they are shared when writers engage audiences through writing. To think rhetorically about purpose is to think both about what motivated writers to write and what the goals of their texts are. The purpose is what the writer and the text aim to do. Audiences encounter and in some way use the text based on their own experiences, values, and needs that may or may not align with the writer’s. Most often there is an intended, or target, audience for the text. The audience includes the individuals the writer engages with the text. Their frame of reference is influenced by their experiences, values, and needs: race and ethnicity, gender and education, geography and institutional affiliations to name a few. Every writer brings a frame of reference to the rhetorical situation that affects how and what they say about a subject. ![]() The writer is the individual, group, or organization who authors a text. WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT THE RHETORICAL SITUATION Writer In short, the rhetorical situation can help writers and readers think through and determine why texts exist, what they aim to do, and how they do it in particular situations. This is true whether writing a workplace e-mail or completing a college writing assignment.Īs a reader, considering the rhetorical situation can help you develop a more detailed understanding of others and their texts. ![]() It helps individuals understand that, because writing is highly situated and responds to specific human needs in a particular time and place, texts should be produced and interpreted with these needs and contexts in mind.Īs a writer, thinking carefully about the situations in which you find yourself writing can lead you to produce more meaningful texts that are appropriate for the situation and responsive to others’ needs, values, and expectations. The concept emphasizes that writing is a social activity, produced by people in particular situations for particular goals. The term “rhetorical situation” refers to the circumstances that bring texts into existence. Additional Resources on the Rhetorical Situation. ![]() A Visual Model of the Rhetorical Situation.What Others Say About the Rhetorical Situation.
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