Strategies & Appeals

How the author addresses their audience can be a rhetorical strategy.

When discussing rhetorical strategies, you should:

A rhetorical "move" is WHAT the author is trying to accomplish, while rhetorical strategies are HOW they're trying to accomplish it.

The effectiveness of a rhetorical strategy depends on the rhetorical situation (audience, author, context, genre, purpose)

Logos is the most objective appeal, because it uses facts and statistics to make an argument

The three Aristotelian appeals are:

To be persuasive, a writer usually needs to establish that they are [blank_start]credible[blank_end] (trustworthy, fair, caring, knowledgeable, and ethical). They can also persuade by appealing to the audience’s [blank_start]emotions[blank_end], stirring their pride, fostering resentment or fear, conjuring pity, making us care, or playing on the many other emotions we experience. Lastly, and in academic writing most importantly, writers persuade through the power of their [blank_start]reasoning[blank_end], the tightness of their argument, and the strength of the evidence.

What makes an author appear trustworthy will vary depending on the audience and context.

The Aristotelian appeals never occur together or overlap.