Story example

Can you write about a time you crafted a rhetorical approach to match your audience? Or maybe when someone demonstrated an understanding of you in their rhetorical approach?

Scenario

As a teenager, I had to convince my father to let me stay out late on a Saturday night. I understood what it might take to convince him specifically. I had my mother been the target of my persuasion, my rhetorical approach would have been different.

Appeal to Ethos

• I reminded my father that I do not get into trouble and that everything turned out fine when he let me stay out before. This appealed to my father using my credibility and character as an individual.

Appeal to Pathos

• Based on past experience, I knew my father would need a specific reason to let me stay out late. I appealed to his emotions by explaining that I wanted to stay out late because my baseball team wanted to celebrate our victory earlier in the day. This appealed to emotions involving accomplishment and camaraderie.

Appeal to Logos

• Knowing that my father would need to know the details of my night before approving my request, I explained the key facts of where I would be, who would be with me, and when I would be home.

Request Denied!