PATT the MAIDS What is PATT the MAIDS Steps to identify an author’s point of view and analyze the rhetoric and/or rhetorical strategies that he/she uses to persuade
Purpose to inform, persuade, or entertain the reader of what?
Audience To whom is the author writing? Where did the essay first appear? How does its intended audience help shape the essay and influence its language and style?
Thesis What is the subject of the essay? What is the author’s opinion of the subject?
Tone What is the author’s attitude toward the subject?
Rhetorical Strategies Modes of development(text structures) How the essay is organized
Narration—giving an account of something through “I” Sequence/process-information is listed step by step Classification—sorts ideas into smaller groups Description—describes a person, place, or thing based on its location or the way it is arranged and/or offers examples and clarification for a general statement
Cause and effect—cause states why something happens/effect states a result or outcome Compare/contrast—shows how two things are similar and/or different Definition—explains the meaning of specialized vocabulary
Chronological—shows a chain of events/time order is important Problem/solution—a problem and answer are suggested Exemplification—offers examples and clarification for a general statement
Appeals Ethos: or ethical appeal—means to convince an audience of the author’s credibility or character Pathos: emotional appeal Logos: convince through logic or reason (facts, stats., etc.)
Imagery includes all figurative language (simile, metaphor, allusion, analogy, alliteration, idiom, personification, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, hyperbole, etc.)
Analogy Is comparable to a metaphor and simile in that it shows how two different things are similar, but it’s a bit more complex. It is more of a logical argument
Idiom A phrase that expresses something other than its literal meaning
Diction What word choice does the author use to reveal purpose and tone?
Syntax How a writer structures sentences. Does the author use a variety of sentence structures? What effect does it have on meaning?