Topic 1 DQ 3

In the rhetorical analysis assignment, you will be expected to demonstrate an understanding that every text is created for a unique situation and audience. You will need to act on this by analyzing the decisions made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on their website about ADHD. This includes the persuasive appeals the CDC uses.

Aristotle believed that speakers and writers used three kinds of persuasive appeals. Logos is an appeal to the audience’s powers of reason or logic. Pathos is an appeal to emotions or senses. Ethos is the personal appeal, charisma, or credibility of the speaker or writer. These three appeals are known as the rhetorical triangle because all three sides work together to make a text effective or not.

In your own words, explain the concepts of pathos, logos, and ethos and why they are important appeals to recognize in a text. Next, use the CDC’s page about ADHD to analyze the ethos, logos, and pathos in the document.

Consider the following questions in your response:

• What do you think about the logic presented in the document?
• What do you think about its emotional appeal
• What about its appeal to authority or credibility?
• Does the CDC effectively present each of the rhetorical appeals? Why or why not?

Link to Centers of Disease Control’s website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html