In the field of engineering, use of logos is prevalent in rhetorical strategies. People interested in this field primarily look at facts and figures for making judgements on a subject.
 |
| 707d3k "Logic" 06/18/2009 via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 |
Appeals to Credibility or Character
- Which items on the bulleted list of "Appeals to Credibility and Character (Ethos)" can you recognize in your text?
References to credible sources, word choice, tone, author's public image, information about the author's expertise, and appeals to values or beliefs shared by the audience are all used in the
article.
- How and why would the author(s) use these strategies?
The author attempts to use an appeal to authority by referencing a United States Air Force report. He also references articles from other credible publications, some of which are his own articles. The word choice and tone are strategic in that the writing is formal, but heavily negative in reference to the F-35. At the bottom of the article, a section about David Francis presents him as a globally experienced political writer who is versed in a wide variety of topics. Francis expects the audience to value money, specifically effective government spending.
- How do these strategies affect the audience’s perception of the author's/authors' credibility and character?
These strategies make the author's bias very clear, but for his intended audience, they make him seem credible and knowledgeable.
- How does the use of these strategies impact the effectiveness of the text’s overall message?
As a reader with a moderate view on the subject, the excessive use of ethos in the article makes the message seem overbearing and extreme to me. The lack of acknowledgement of counterarguments makes the article seem incomplete.
- Does/do the author(s) seem to have any biases or assumptions that might impact their credibility?
Francis has written many negative articles on government spending. He clearly expects mismanagement of money from the Department of Defense.
Appeals to Emotion
- Which items on the bulleted list of "Appeals to Emotion (Pathos)" can you recognize in your text?
The only strategies used for appeals to emotion are repetition of key words and shocking statistics.
- What emotional responses is the author attempting to create?
The author is attempting to create frustration in his audience.
- What is the actual result?
The audience is likely to feel frustrated with the excessive government spending, and the failure of the program. However, the article only addresses specific portions of the F-35 controversy, so it leaves a lot of questions to be answered. A reader is likely to go elsewhere to find more information if the article interests him.
- Are these emotions effective or ineffective for this particular audience and rhetorical situation?
Frustration is often a targeted emotion in political writing. Francis' appeal to emotion is effective in this context.
- How do these emotional appeals affect the credibility of the author(s) or the logic of the text?
These appeals are relegated to the background, or subconscious. They match up with the obvious bias of the author developed through his ethos. Because they are consistent with his intention and target audience, the appeals to emotion do not affect his ethos or logos.
Appeals to Logic
- Which items on the bulleted list of "Appeals to Logic or Rational Decision Making (Logos)" can you recognize in your text?
The article makes use of statistics, expert opinions, effective organization, and clear transitions are used for appeals to logic.
- What response is the author attempting to create by employing these strategies?
The author uses these strategies to support his argument and make it difficult to refute. The statistics used support his pathos.
- What is the actual result?
The statistics used seem repetitive, and are not presented as effectively as they could be. The expert opinions used are clearly biased. Any reader who questions the credibility of this article would be prompted to search for more moderate sources, or sources with opposing views in order to filter the information.
- Are these strategies effective or ineffective for this particular audience and rhetorical situation?
The strategies are effective, but the choice of evidence could have been better in some sections.
I read
Nick and
Jayni's analyses of rhetorical strategies in their articles. All of our articles were primarily logic driven. Reading their analyses made me realize that I was probably a bit too critical of the article I looked at, because I am outside the target audience and I have a lot of background knowledge on the subject from my QRG.
Hey Trey,
ReplyDeleteNice analysis! It was very thorough in my opinion.
Honestly, it's hard for me to say, after reading this, which strategy in your text was the most effective. You mention the author's extensive appeals to credibility and character, but you did say that they seemed overbearing due to their prevalence in the text. However, you also mentioned that the author's use of statistics and logic could have been done better, while he used appeals to emotion to a minimal effect.
I suppose I would have to say that the author's establishing of himself as an expert would be the most effective strategy at play in your text, while his use of emotional appeal is the most underdeveloped or absent. I would recommend reading specifically for any emotional appeals, perhaps to America's economic troubling economic past, but it's very possible the author simply did not make it a point to appeal to emotion (as was the case for most of my text, actually).
Thanks for the read, and great work!!
-Mika