The Rhetorical Triangle- Answer 1-5 parts about your article

                                         Author

 When you read a text, start asking theses questions:                                                                            

•  Who is the author of the text?

• Who is the intended audience for the text?

• What is the purpose of the text?

• How is it structured to convey the message?

Audience                                                                         Purpose         

Author: When you read a text, try to find out as much about the author as you possibly can:

• Who is the author?

• What do you know about the author?

• Is he/she trustworthy? Why?

• What else has he/she written on the subject?

1. Part 1 for your entry-In a couple of sentences address these questions as a whole and remark about the author and his or her point of view.

Audience: There are many different types of audiences. When you read a text, it is important to know who the intended audience is. When you write a text, it is integral to know who your readers are. Identify the audience based on the following questions:

• Who is the intended audience? Who are the stakeholders in the argument?

• What is their interest in the subject?

• What do they know about the subject?

• How do they feel about the subject?

• How does the writer expect them to respond to their topic?

2. Part 2 for your entry- In a couple of sentences address these questions as a whole and remark about the intended audience.

Purpose: When writing, address your audience for a specific purpose and develop the necessary strategies to get what you want. When reading, identify what a writer wants from you. Writers can have numerous purposes which change from situation to situation and audience to audience. Ask yourself these questions:

• Does the writer propose something?

• Does the writer convey specific information?

• Does the writer convince you of something?

• Does the writer try to sell something?

3. Part 3 for your entry- in a couple of sentences address these questions as a whole and remark on the purpose.

Context: When you read or write a text, think about the context in which reading and writing takes place. There are three primary contexts:

• Temporal: where you are at a given time.

• Spatial: encompasses the social, cultural and historical origins.

• Causal: grows out of the interactions of time and space.

Ask the following questions to figure out the context in which a text is created:

• What is the context of the text?

• What is the immediate context for my reading the text?

• What is the larger context of this reading?

• How and where do I fit into these contexts?

4.Part 4 for your entry-- In a couple of sentences address these questions as a whole and remark about the context

Text/ Form: The stylistic choices a writers makes contributes to the effectiveness of the argument.

• What literary and rhetorical devices does the writer use and what is the effect?

• How does the sentence structure enhance the meaning intended?

• What patterns of organization are used?

• Where to shifts in tone, point of view, and style take place and why?

• What appeals are used to persuade the reader (Ethos, Pathos, Logos)

5. Part 5 for your entry-- In a couple of sentences address these questions as a whole and

remark about the form of the article. Pick out a specific example to explain.

** For both articles answers these questions on another sheet of paper.

Adapted by Courtney Barrsfrom University Writing Program Northern Arizona