Rhetorical Triangle and Key Terms Week 1 SOAPSTone (speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, tone)

Writer/Speaker The imaginary voice, or persona, assumed by the author of a poem or writing piece Including: Historical and/or cultural context How those contexts effect or influence the work? Questions to consider: -Who are you? What details will you reveal? Why is it important that the audience know who you are? -Who is being discussed? What details are revealed about that person? Why is it important that the audience know who is being discussed?

Occasion The time and the place of the piece; the context that prompted the writing. an environment of ideas, attitudes, and emotions that swirl around a broad issue. As a result there is the immediate  Larger Occasion: an environment of ideas, attitudes, and emotions that swirl around a broad issue Immediate Occasion: an event or situation that catches the writer's attention and triggers a response. Formal Informal

Audience The group of readers to whom this piece is directed. Direct Who is the audience they intend to address? Is it one person or a specific group? The choice of audience will affect how and why students write a particular text. Direct Indirect Primary Secondary

Purpose The reason behind the text Types of purpose: Students must consider: The purpose of the text in order to develop thesis or the argument and its logic. Ask oneself “What do I want my audience to think or do as a result of reading the text?” Types of purpose: To persuade To entertain To inform

Subject The general topic the author is writing about Questions to consider: -Who are you? What details will you reveal? Why is it important that the audience know who you are? -Who is being discussed? What details are revealed about that person? Why is it important that the audience know who is being discussed?

Tone The attitude of the author Extends the meaning of text beyond the literal and learning how to convey this tone in their diction. What attitude do you want your audience to feel? How will your attitude enhance the effectiveness of your piece? Choose a few words or phrases that will reflect a particular attitude?

persona The type of person you present yourself to be The character that the audience perceives behind the text Often based on who the rhetor presumes the audience to be and what he or she knows and believes about the subject of the text.

rhetoric The art humans use to process all the messages we send and receive

diction Choice of words

syntax Sentence construction

imagery Language that appeals to the senses.

metaphor A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things without using a connective word like, as, than, or resembles.

The Rhetorical Triangle(a.k.a Aristotelian Triad) speaker or writer audience or reader subject