{"id":73,"date":"2021-07-22T23:10:39","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T23:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/?post_type=chapter&p=73"},"modified":"2021-11-03T16:49:19","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T16:49:19","slug":"4-1-introduction","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/understanding-literacy-in-our-lives\/chapter\/4-1-introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"4.1 Rhetorical Appeals: An Overview"},"content":{"raw":"Published in Writing Commons<\/a> The encyclopedia for writers, researchers, and knowledge workers<\/em>\r\n\r\nThis article uses a <\/span>Creative Commons license: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/a>\"Creative\r\n\r\nSuccessful writers write to win. Whether a writer wants to achieve a particular grade on a paper, persuade a specific audience to adopt an argument, or obtain an interview with a company, a writer writes with a purpose that he or she aims to fulfill. Using rhetorical appeals, particularly in persuasive writing, is a powerful way to persuade an audience.<\/span><\/span>\r\n\r\nMoreover, rhetorical appeals work. For example, in \u201cReductions in smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption associated with mass-media campaigns,\u201d authors Karen Friend and David T. Levy examine state and local mass-media anti-tobacco campaigns that endeavor to change social norms, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding smoking. Campaigns like this one undoubtedly use persuasive rhetorical devices, such as appeals, to produce measurable effects. Consequently, Friend and Levy\u2019s study of campaigns in California and Massachusetts found that, in conjunction with a well-coordinated tobacco control program, the campaigns led to a reduction in net smoking prevalence of approximately 6-12% (92). These results unquestionably reduced smoking-related diseases and deaths, an important feat given the fact that, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), tobacco use is currently the leading preventable cause of death in the United States (\u201cTobacco-Related Mortality\u201d).\r\n\r\nFor the purposes of helping writers write to win, this article discusses why using rhetorical appeals is a valuable skill to learn, what types of rhetorical appeals exist, and how to start using them.<\/span>\r\n

Identifying Rhetorical Appeals<\/h3>\r\nWriters may employ four rhetorical devices, or appeals, in their persuasive writing:\r\n\r\nLogos.<\/strong>\r\nPathos.<\/strong>\r\nEthos.<\/strong>\r\nKairos.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nJimmie Killingsworth provides necessary background information about these appeals by explaining that, in the Rhetoric<\/em> (1.2.2), Aristotle defines what contemporary society has come to call appeals (pisteis<\/em>) by dividing them into two categories: \u201cone called \u2018entechnic,\u2019 \u2018artistic,\u2019 or intrinsic\u2019; the other \u2018atechnic,\u2019 \u2018inartistic,\u2019 or \u2018extrinsic\u2019\u201d (qtd. in Killingsworth 250). Elaborating, Killingworth notes that the artistic category, the proper concern of rhetoric according to Aristotle, includes ethos, pathos, and logos\u201d (250).\r\n\r\nBefore turning to examples of how to use these appeals, it will be worthwhile to understand their definitions. As Emily Lane, Jessica McKee, and Megan McIntyre point out, logos<\/a> relates to \u201cthe consistency and clarity of an argument as well as the logic of evidence and reasons.\u201d An argument that offers substantial evidence, including supporting statistics, will appeal to the rationality and sensibility of its audience members. Writers can also use pathos<\/a>, or emotion, to help the audience connect with the writer\u2019s argument. In contrast, ethos<\/a>, a method of persuasion in which the speaker or writer tries to convince the audience by demonstrating his or her credibility (McKee and McIntyre), enables writers and speakers to display their credibility by explaining how their authority, credentials, expertise, and\/or experience make what they say or write noteworthy. In contrast, as Kate Pantelides, Megan McIntyre, and Jessica McKee explain, kairos<\/a>, entails \u201cknowing what is appropriate to do in a given situation\u2026saying (or writing) the right thing at the right time.\u201d<\/span>\r\n

Using Rhetorical Appeals<\/h3>\r\nIdentifying these appeals in persuasive writing is a valuable skill to learn (see this related article<\/a> to get started); understanding how to use these appeals in your persuasive writing can prove to be an even more powerful ability to develop. To begin, several ways to appeal to logic exist. Consider the structure and quality of your argument. Daniel T. Richards asks writers to consider these questions<\/a>: \u201cDoes your conclusion follow from your premises? Will your audience be able to follow the progression? Does your argument provide sufficient evidence for your audience to be convinced?\u201d To improve the quality of your argument, consider:\r\n