Section 1

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In an academic setting, you will be expected to evaluate and challenge the arguments of others as well as effectively formulate your own. Persuading others to accept your position is a valuable skill. Many of your courses will ask you to explain and defend your position either informally, in a class discussion, or formally, in a paper.

According to Aristotle, a well constructed argument will try to attract and persuade an audience in several ways. We call these strategies rhetorical appeals (not to be confused with the rhetorical modes we learned about a few weeks ago). Aristotle defined three appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos.

First, check out this brief description on the Purdue OWL website: owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/rhetorical_situation/aristotles_rhetorical_situation.html (Links to an external site.)

(Links to an external site.)
Then, view this PowerPoint about rhetorical appeals: Click Here

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Answer the questions and complete the instructions below. Please number your answers. Post your answers directly to this discussion board by replying to this post.

1. Which appeal (ethos, logos, or pathos) do you think you use the most when communicating written or verbal arguments in your classes? Why do you think you use this appeal the most?

2. Look at your rough draft #2 for the Film Analysis paper. Try to find all three appeals in your paper. Which occurred the most often or was the most dominant in your paper?

3. Give an example (a quote from your paper) that demonstrates the appeal you used the most. Explain how this example shows ethos, pathos, and/or logos. (Sometimes one example can support more than one appeal.)

4. Were any of the appeals missing from your draft? If so, which one(s)? What changes can you make to your paper to add or improve the use of appeals that were either missing or underdeveloped?