What is it? Blog Post

From what I have learned from Ms. Clark, various articles, and essays is that rhetorical analysis is many things. Rhetorical analysis is using text (anything that makes an argument) to reach an audience through pathos, logos, and ethos. It is also picking apart a text and seeing what about that text appeals to those three things of a person. Pathos appeals to one's emotions and feelings, for example if the text makes them angry, sad, happy, or fearful. Logos appeals to one's logic and rational thinking, for example if the text has facts, statistics, or data. Ethos appeals to one's ethics or morals, for example if the text seems trustworthy, has authority, uses a public figure, or expresses one's morals. The purpose of rhetorical analysis is to use these things to reach people, make an argument, and persuade them for or against something. Things that need to go into a rhetorical analysis are a strong argument, a persuasive voice, an emotionally appealing statement or picture, facts and data to back up your argument, and something that gives your argument authority and makes it trust worthy. Without all of these elements the argument, or text, will be weak and will not persuade its readers to feel the way they want them to feel or believe what they want them to believe. Rhetorical analysis can either be perfectly organized or just laid out in a fashion with no real order. Either way, if the elements are there and they are appealing to the reader or audience then they should be effective. When writing my first paper assignment, I plan on organizing my rhetorical analysis very strategically. Organized or not, it will be effective. By organizing it I will  know what I am trying to appeal to and therefore be more successful in my argument because I will be able to focus on the one point I am appealing to. In my paper, I plan to appeal to the ethos first by making the argument that PETA is a legitimate organization but also work against them by describing their ads so it also discounts their authority and trustworthiness. I then plan to appeal to logos by providing facts and statistics working against PETA and their campaign. Lastly, in my organization I plan to appeal to pathos because their feelings will ultimately decide how they feel about the ad and about the argument I am presenting. I will include all sorts of information that all works against PETA as an organization and works towards me in getting the audience to feel the way I do. I will include information like the kind of ads and protests put on by PETA and how ridiculous they are. I will include numbers of animals actually saved by PETA and the exaggeration they make to the public. I will also show how the ad of which my paper is about is hurtful to the general public in various ways. I believe my argument will be the strongest if I organize it in the order of ethos, logos, then pathos as stated previously.