Rhetoric Logos

 Where does the writer
use rationality/logic to
support his/her
themes?
 Make an outline of the
different sections.
What is the general
organizational
strategy?
 Why is the article
organized like in this
was and how is the
organizational strategy
connected to the
themes and purpose of
the article?
 Where do facts dominate
and where do
narrative/personal stories
dominate?
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
ENGLISH 302
SUMMARY
You will write a summary and rhetorical analysis of an assigned
feature article. Your job in the analysis part is to argue that the
author makes certain choices (word choices, choices of which
evidence and stories to include, choices about how to present
himself) that help get his theme and meaning across. Ethos, Pathos,
and logos are categories to help you organize your discussion of
these choices.
OBJECTIVES
 To distinguish between main & supporting points
 To distinguish between fact & opinion
 To attribute ideas to an author consistently
 To detect point of view and its effects on interpretation
 To answer questions of fact based on readings
 To identify the major strengths and weaknesses
 To read critically, analyzing a text for its reasoning, its
evidence, the ethos of its author, and its emotional and
logical appeals
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Theme:
 What does the writer want the reader to walk away from the
article believing?
 What is the purpose of the article?
Content:
 Do you correctly surmise the themes of the article (explicit or
implicit)?
 Do you include all the main and supporting points for this
thesis?
 How clearly do you present the thesis of the article and the
supporting points?
 Have you eliminated unnecessary detail?
 Do you not place too much emphasis on interesting side
points?
RHETORIC (CONT.)
Pathos:
 Where does the writer
use emotion to support
his/her themes?
 How does the writer
feel about the
characters? How can
you tell?
Ethos:
 What characters are
introduced?
 How would you
describe the voice of
this article?
 What is distinctive
about this voice?
 How is the voice related
to audience and
purpose of the article?
 Where (and how) do
you get a sense of who
the writer is (ethos)?
Diction:
 Is the language
concrete or abstract?
 Are the verbs active or
passive?
 How complex is the
word choice?
 Is the dictions formal,
colloquial, slang,
didactic?
Syntax:
 Are the sentences
simply and direct, or
complex and
convoluted?
 Does the author use
repetition or parallel
structure for emphasis?
 Are there any rhetorical
questions?
Figures of Speech:
 Are there any images
or patterns of imagery?
 Does the author use
personification,
hyperbole, or
analogies?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER (CONTINUED)
 Have you represented the author’s arguments fairly, without
including your own opinion?
 Have you analyzed the choices the author makes in sections
titles ethos, pathos, and logos?
 Is there significant revision between the first and second
draft?
Organization:
 Is your summary organized logically so as to clearly present
the argument of the article (without necessarily mirroring
the original order of the article)?
 Have you used transitions to smoothly link the supporting
points to the main points?
 Do you differentiate (if necessary) between more important
and less important reasons?
 Do you have at least two paragraphs summarizing the article
and at least three paragraphs analyzing the rhetorical
choices
Style:
 Is the summary typed in Times Roman 12-inch font?
 Is the essay clean stylistically, using a clear organizational
pattern?
Theme:
 What does the writer want the reader to walk away from the
article believing?
 What is the purpose of the article?
ANNOTATIONS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
 Print, read, and annotate the article comprehensively and
purposefully
 Respond to the article, noting in the margins your questions
or reactions to what the writer says and how s/he says it
 Underline or circle the main points of the article and section
breaks
 Think about the article’s themes (implicit or explicit)
 Focus on how the writer convinces his audience of the theme
by looking at the choices s/he makes
 Re-read the article multiple times – especially the pages,
paragraphs, and sentences you deemed significant – adding
to your notes and annotations in subsequent readings