1. How expert is the writer on the subject?
2. Does the writer back his/her credibility with the expertise of others?
3. How does the writer reveal his/her expertise?
4. Why should the audience respect and trust the writer?
5. What does the writer have in common with his/her audience?
6. How does the writer show his/her audience that s/he is honest?
PATHOS: A Writer’s Appeal to the Minds and Emotions of the Audience
1. (Again) What does the writer have in common with his/her audience?
2. Will the writer’s audience accept emotional appeals?
3. How much does the writer rely on emotional appeals?
4. What emotions does the writer appropriately appeal to (love, anger, fear,
patriotism, disillusionment, etc.)?
5. What physical needs does the writer appropriately appeal to (food,
shelter, sex, security, etc.)?
LOGOS: A Writer’s Appeal of Logical Reasoning
1. What examples, testimony, statistics, and/or historical evidence does the
writer use?
2. How does the writer check the accuracy of his/her facts?
3. What kind of evidence is most convincing for the audience?
4. How does the writer deal fairly with opposing views?
5. What other types of support does the writer use (supportable opinion,
acceptable beliefs, definitions)?
6. What unexpressed assumptions must the writer bring to the surface and
support? (e.g., “every public school should educate children about AIDS”
assumes that if children are educated about AIDS, they will be able to
avoid contracting the disease.)
7. What logical fallacies might be inherent in the writer’s argumen
