The Rhetorical Triangles

1. The Rhetorical Triangles Effective writing through deeper understanding

2. Three ways of thinking about writing • There are two triangles in rhetorical analysis which one must be aware of in order to analyze and understand the writing. There are questions you must keep in mind as you read in order to fully understand the piece and to analyze it with as little of your own baggage affecting the analysis.

3.  Audience/Purpose/Genre 

4. A:  Audience • To whom is the author writing?  • Is the audience opposed or in agreement with the author's viewpoint?  • What does the audience already know about the topic? • What are the social dynamics of the audience? (age, race, gender, religious affiliation...) • What is the importance of this topic to the target audience? why?

5. P:  Purpose • Is the author writing to persuade, to inform, or to entertain? • How does this show in the word choice , style, and voice of the writing? • Is the author serious or lighthearted? Why?

6. G: Genre • What type of forum is this writing intended for? Is it a scientific report, a general interest article, a novel, a magazine article, a newspaper article, a textbook chapter...? • How do the format guidelines affect the style of the piece? Are the sentences short and abrupt, or lengthy with difficult words?  • Does the author use a lot of jargon or does s/he stick to lay terms? 

7. Connections There are then the questions that connect these concerns: • Who reads this magazine/newspaper/journal? • The audience for Scientific American is different from those who read Highlights for children, though both might have an article about dinosaurs.  • Why did the author choose this magazine for submission? • The purpose behind an article about Maybelline mascara will likely be different between Cosmo and PETA magazines.  These are only a few of the questions that one must consider when examining the APG background of a piece of writing. 

8. Ethos/Pathos/Logos

9. E: Ethos • Ethos is your goodwill appeal to your audience.  • When you establish ethos with your audience, you let them know that you are writing this because you have their best interests at heart. • They need to pay attention because you want them to benefit in some way from what you have to say. 

10. P: Pathos • Pathos is your appeal to the audience's emotions.  • When you use a pathetic appeal, you are trying to get your audience to feel something about your topic, whether it's joy that things are so good, sadness for those who suffer, or anger that they are being affected negatively.

11. L: Logos • Logos is your logical appeal. • This includes use of facts, statistics, and expert testimony to support your claim. By appealing to the logic and common sense of the audience, you strengthen your ethos.

12. These are the concerns of the author that you want to keep in mind as you read his/her work. How does s/he apply each of these appeals in his/her work?