Our goal is to write an essay analyzing Ellen Roses rhetorical choices, so we now want to consider how shes making those choices.  Then, well want to show examples of her efforts in an organized, analytical essay.

The three rhetorical choices well review are appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos; a good shorthand way to think of the three are as appeals to character, logic (or reason), and emotion, respectively.  You can read about reading academic arguments for claims, evidence, and rhetorical appeals in Thonney (pp. 81-95); specifically, check out the sections on pathos (pp. 84-86), ethos (pp. 87-92), and logos (pp. 92-102).  Below is the list of section headings/forms that Thonney describes on these pages:

Ethos

• Authors Experience or Qualifications
• Authors Concern for Others
• Authors Acknowledgment of Opposing Views
• Credentials and Reputations of Sources
• Tone and Writing Style

Logos

• Indicators of Trustworthy Quantitative Research
• Reliability of Studies and Surveys
• Visual Evidence
• Indicators of Trustworthy Qualitative Evidence

Pathos

• Imagery and Concrete Details
• Figurative Language
• Appeals to Shared Values

If you plan your essay to focus on one of these three choices, youre making a good choice yourself.  In other words, a good strategy for your essay would be to focus on one appeal (ethos, for instance) and then a few of Thonneys five sections, using examples from Roses article for each of those forms, in turn.  Of course, some are more fertile than others, with better specific examples.  No need to overcomplicate this paper.  The strongest, most focused essay might look at just one of the forms that Thonney describes, but the Rose article might need to be wrung dry of examples to make such a focused claim for some of these forms.

Youll see that Rose uses specific examples often in direct quotes.  Sometimes her quotes are difficult to understand because she quotes both experts and her research subjects; sometimes she indents her quotes from her research subjects without quotation marks.  Consider how she uses partial direct quotes to show evidence as she analyzes her sources.