What is the main idea?Of course, you need to know what the work is about. What is the topic? What is the author’s main point?
What are the main lines of reasoning used?
Appeals
A rhetorical appeal is a persuasive strategy that an author or speaker uses to support his claims (or in a
debate, to respond to opposing arguments). When a speaker or author wants to convince an audience of
something, there are three main types of rhetorical appeals that can be used: appeal to credibility, appeal
to emotion, and appeal to logic.
Appeal to Credibility: “Why Should I Believe You?”
This is the author’s way of establishing trust with his audience. We tend to believe people whom we
respect, and a good writer knows this! One of the central tasks of persuasion is to project an impression
to the reader that the author is someone worth listening to, as well as someone who is likable and worthy
of respect. Remember when we talked about the speaker in SOAPS and his credibility? This is how an
author might use his own credentials to his benefit.
Consider the following:
- A doctor writes an article about health issues. What does she need to include in order to
establish trust from her audience?
How did you respond? She should probably include a brief biography about her practice and her medical
experience, as well as information about whether she has been practicing for a long time, has done
important research, or went to a top school.
- A speaker calls into a talk radio program about military strategy. What should he mention in
order to establish credibility with other listeners?
Here are some possibilities: any experience he has had (and how much) in the military or with military
strategy, and what he has done to enable him to know what he is talking about. A 4-star general is more
likely to be fairly listened to and believed than the soon-to-be Call of Duty tristate area champion.
Appeal to Emotion: “Gee, That Made Me Feel All Warm and Fuzzy.”
This is when the author tries to appeal to the reader’s emotions. This allows an author or speaker to
connect with an audience by using fear, humor, happiness, disgust, and so on. Imagery and language choice
are often big components of appeals to emotion.
- An article about world hunger runs in a magazine. What decisions could the magazine editor
make to appeal to her readers’ emotions?