Day 2

Logos, Ethos, and Pathos

Logos: Logic/Facts Internal consistency Clarity Quality Ways to establish internal consistency? Chronological order Clarity Ways to establish clarity? Every sentence speaks to overall point Quality Ways to enhance quality? Reasons & evidence used support overall point

Logos: Logic/Facts Message How can I make my ideas internally consistent and logical? How can I find the best reasons and support them with evidence? (from fig. 3.2, A&B pg. 58)

Ethos: Credibility/Trustworthiness Show that you, the writer, can be trusted Support your point with concrete sources. According to the Surgeon General…. The Oxford English Dictionary defines ___ as…. If it’s a first person account YOU are the expert. You know because you lived/experienced it . Make us believe it.

Which example shows a stronger appeal to Ethos? I went to baseball games. vs Every weekend my friends and I attended Spring Training games where we sat right above the dugout.

Ethos: Credibility/Trustworthiness Writer or Speaker How can I present myself effectively? How can I enhance my credibility and trustworthiness? (from fig. 3.2, A&B pg. 58)

Pathos: Emotion Appeals to How do we do this in our text? Sympathies Values Beliefs Emotions How do we do this in our text?

Pathos: Emotion Using vivid examples and details in the text can evoke emotion/empathy. I had a cat. It died. It sucked. VS Fluffy was eight years old when he got cancer. My mother and I were upset because Fluffy had always been more than just a cat, he was part of our family.

Pathos: Emotion Audience How can I make the readers open to my message? How can I best engage my readers’ emotions and imaginations? How can I appeal to my readers’ values and interests? (from fig. 3.2, A&B pg. 58)

Closed vs Open Form

What does “closed form” mean? The biggest clue to the form being “closed” is that there is a thesis statement. Thesis should be clear and predict the upcoming argument for readers. Page 12 in the Allyn & Bacon states the “…thesis statement…the main point a writer wants to make in an essay.”

You are NOT writing your Literacy Narrative in “closed form.”

What does “open form” mean? There is NO thesis statement. Ideas are organized around a question, often in chronological order using storylike elements. Can heighten/deepen a problem or show its human significance. Has an implicit theme (no thesis). Can violate closed-form restrictions by using literary techniques.

Open Form Examples “I learned to read with a Superman comic book. Simple enough, I suppose. I cannot recall which particular Superman comic book I read, nor can I remember which villain he fought in that issue...What I can remember is this: I was three years old…We lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear, and government surplus food.” Alexie, from “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” (GW pg 135)

Open Form Examples (cont.) “It is November, and I have been Mexican all my life. My cousins say we are all norte americanos because we are all born on the same continent. I imagine saying this to Rosy and Greta down the street. They will roll their eyes.” Trevino, from “The Naturalization” (Shifting Balance Sheets, Wishing Up Press—except can be found on Moodle)

Open or Closed? What form is your persuasive essay written in? OPEN

Reader vs Writer As you read the texts, read as a writer. Examine what makes the text effective or why it may be ineffective Examine what parts of the text appeal to a persons emotions Find text that makes you believe that you that you can trust the writer Find text that you wish you had written

For Next Class… Homework: Read both articles for next week Trevino-paper copies/posted in Moodle Alexie from GW pg 135-137 As you read, think about the articles as a writer and be ready to discuss them on Friday