Critical Response Pre-Writing: Rhetorical Strategies

Complete the following assignment on the essay you will analyze and respond to within your Critical
Response essay.
Reading Title (in quotation marks):

Evaluate the author's use of rhetorical strategies: logos (logical/rational arguments), ethos
(credibility/reliability), pathos (appeals to specific emotions), and Kairos (timeliness, which requires you
know the context). How does the author use rhetorical strategies to persuade his/her audience? Give at
least one very specific example for each. Also, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the argument.
Do not insert your opinion on the topic.
Use of Logos (logical/rational arguments, evidence)

Unacceptable: The author uses logical arguments and evidence, which I agree with.

Acceptable: Brown’s arguments are based on personal opinion, and he does not provide logical reasons
why dogs are better than cats. For example, he states that “Dogs are better than cats because they are
cuter,” which is a subjective generalization. Also, he commits the logical fallacy of Appeal to Emotion
when he inserts a picture of a sad-looking dog in a cage and questions the audience, “Would you want a
sweet dog to languish in an animal shelter cage as your mangy cat destroys your house and turns up her
nose at your generosity?”

Use of Ethos (credibility, reliability, authority on the topic)

Unacceptable: The author has written a lot of articles on this topic and has a PhD, so she is an authority
on the topic.

Acceptable: Dr. Felix Jones, who is an infectious disease specialist, stresses the importance of
vaccination to prevent the spread of serious infectious diseases.

Acceptable: Smith cites sources, such as PETA, in her argument promoting veganism, but most of her
arguments are based on personal opinion and the sources she cites are biased and sensational rather than
factual and fair.
 Use of Pathos (appeals to specific emotions)

Unacceptable: He appeals to emotions to get the audience to agree with his argument that climate
change is the most important issue facing our economy.

Acceptable: Jan Ramirez attempts to make her audience feel ashamed when she says that 785 million
people in the world who lack access to clean water but that Americans waste up to 900 billion gallons of
water per year. This makes an American audience feel guilty because we waste a lot of water when there
are so many people in the world who do not even have clean water to drink.

Use of Kairos (context & timeliness)

Unacceptable: The article is relevant because everybody should be interested in what the government
does with our tax money.

Acceptable: Bricknell wrote his article in 2008 at the height of the U.S. housing crisis, which makes his
argument that banks should be held financially responsible for making restitution for the subprime
mortgage collapse and financial ruin of homeowners who faced foreclosure very relevant to the time it
was written and published.

Strengths of Rhetorical Strategies

Unacceptable: Even though the author only used pathos, the argument was really convincing, and I
totally agree with it.

Acceptable: Yang appealed to both pity and guilty to try to convince his audience, and the way he
appealed to emotion was effective at evoking those two emotions in his audience. However, since he
only used pathos and he included a few logical fallacies to try to make his point, his argument was not as
effective as it could have been if he had used logical arguments and made himself seem more
trustworthy by using credible sources to prove his point.
 Weaknesses of Rhetorical Strategies

Unacceptable: Although the author used logos and ethos effectively, I still did not agree with her
argument.

Acceptable: Zenzer relied mostly on logical arguments, used credible sources to support her claims, and
mentioned her credentials, which make her an expert on the topic. Even though she did not appeal to
emotion, she presented an effective and rational argument for why the education budget should be
increased to benefit multiple aspects of society.

Holistic Assessment of Rhetorical Strategies

Unacceptable: Overall, the argument was not effective. Even though the author made some good points,
I wasn’t convinced by her argument and didn’t change my mind.

Unacceptable: The author’s argument was very effective. The emotional appeals were good, and even
though the author relies mostly on pathos, I found his argument very convincing, and I totally agree with
him.

Acceptable: By and large, the strengths outweighed the weaknesses of Lemper’s argument. While
Lemper did use a logical fallacy (Appeal to Pity), which weakened her argument somewhat, she also
provided a lot of factual evidence to support her argument. She cited unbiased, credible sources, such as
the FDA, for her information. Morover, Lemper herself is an expert on the subject, as she has earned her
PhD in Animal Sciences, which makes her an authority on microbiology and its effects on the health of
animals and humans alike.