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James Critelli
Rhetoric
First Paper
21 September 2015
Rhetorical Analysis of Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity
“Habitat’s Vision: A world where everyone has a decent place to live. Seeking to put
God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes,
communities, and hope.” This was taken from the Habitat for Humanity website. Their mission
is to help less fortunate people have a home. Making money is not the point of this organization.
They want to make lives better.
Text
I chose to analyze the text of the Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity website. The text
includes various pictures, links, and information about the nonprofit organization. Logos is
present because the organization used proof. Heinrichs says that a proof consists of examples or
a premise (Heinrichs 380). One proof that they use is a photo of a woman with tools in her
hands and she is ready to build a home. The medium of this texts is electronic and visual. In the
top left-hand corner of the page there are tabs for numerous social media sites such as Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Habitat for Humanity uses decorum when they put the social
media links up because the audience expects those links to be there. Habitat for Humanity uses
them to be up to date with society and to fit in with other sites. Decorum is described as fitting
in to the audience’s expectations (Heinrichs 47). The background of the website is a large
blueprint. This is telling the audience that the organization builds homes for people and are a
professional group. This shows decorum because the audience would expect this from an
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organization that builds homes. Heinrichs states that decorum is the ability to fit in with the
audience’s expectations (Heinrichs 374). The font and color of the text pops out so the reader
may get a clear understanding of the site. This is an example of simple speech because the
organization does not need to use fancy language (Heinrichs 377). The logo of Habitat for
Humanity is clearly located throughout the page. It is three people standing underneath a house.
This can be taken many ways. It could be the builders of the home and they are pleased with
their work. It can also be the family that lives in the home and is grateful for Habitat for
Humanity for building it. Both of these indicate pathos because they are trying to make the
audience feel sympathy towards the family and for not helping build the home. Over
sympathizing can make an audience feel ashamed and change an emotion they have (Heinrichs
377).
Author
The author for this piece of text does not seem to be a single person. Rather, it is the
organization as a whole. There were most likely multiple people who had a say into what went
into the website. The authors clearly want to help the lives of people around them, and they want
others to join in their cause. The mission statement is a good indication that the authors want to
help people. This is identity rhetoric because the authors want the audience to know exactly
what their mission is. Identity is someone describing themselves and revealing their best sense
of who they are (Heinrichs 375). There is a picture of a heart with two hands around it, and this
is evidence of pathos. Pathos is described as argument by emotion (Heinrichs 46). The
organization wants you to feel sympathy for the unfortunate families and to donate money. They
make it seem as if you donate money then you will directly impact the family and make them
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feel loved. However, the authors behind this site all have the same mission objective in mind,
and that is to help people.
Audience
The audience of this text is anyone who wants to volunteer for the organization, donate,
or is in need of assistance. This is evident by the three large links in the middle of the page. It is
also just to provide information to someone wondering more about the organization. The
background of the audience can vary for every person. They could have the same feeling as the
author and want to help those who are less fortunate. The audience could have some previous
experience with non-profit organizations and want to help out even more. This is an example of
pathos and is an experience. Heinrich says that belief through experience, storytelling, and
expectation is the key to emotion (Heinrichs 377). The audience’s background can also be
affected by past experiences. They might have been helped by Habitat for Humanity in the past
and wish to return the favor for another family. On the tab that says “Volunteer” there are a lot
of hands all raised up as if to say “I volunteer.” This is a great example of identity strategy.
Heinrichs describes identity strategy as “getting an audience to identify with a group” (Heinrichs
374.) The act of volunteering is defining the group as helpful and compassionate. All of the
hands are different colors and sizes, and this means that the target audience can be almost
anyone.
Author’s Purpose
The author’s purpose of this text is a lot of things. Purdue OWL says that the author’s
purpose can be either informative, persuasive, or both. This author’s purpose is to inform the
audience about the organization and how they can help. It gives valuable information on how to
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donate and volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. This is an example of deduction, which is to
apply a general principle to a particular matter (Heinrichs 380). The author describes the
background of the organization. This is practical wisdom because it is showing off the
experience of the organizaiton (Heinrichs 375). Another purpose is to be persuasive. The
audience is being persuaded and influenced to help those people in need. The author is trying to
urge the audience into helping out through the use of pathos. The author has presented the text
in a cheerful attitude, but also in a serious manner. Heinrichs says that pathos is started with the
audience’s mood (Heinrichs 44). In the mission statement, it states that they want to build
homes, communities, and hope. The author is trying to get this purpose out there in the simplest
way possible. This is both simple speech and a halo. The author doesn’t use fancy language or a
long statement to describe their mission (Heinrichs 377). They sum it up into a few sentences
and get to the point (Heinrichs 375).
Audience’s Purpose
The audience’s purpose is both passive and active according to Purdue OWL. The
audience receives information about the organization and how to volunteer or donate. The
audience also learns about what Habitat for Humanity actually does. Instructions are received by
the audience. The audience’s purpose can also be active. The audience examines and assesses
all of the information given to them. They can make an informed decision if they would like to
volunteer or donate. The audience should have a positive and optimistic attitude if they visit this
website. They should be willing to learn about a volunteer opportunity that benefits others.
Setting
The setting of this text can be summed up by its time, place, and community. The time of
this text is fairly recent. Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976, and the website has recent
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news items and local events posted every month. This shows great craft in the organization of
the website. Craft is how organized the text is (Heinrichs 375). The place of this text is
obviously on the internet. In the national conversation, Habitat for Humanity honored the 10th
anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with a house build in the Seal Point neighborhood in Bay St.
Louis. This is the area where the organizations first seven houses were built there. The target
location for Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity is aimed towards the following counties: Cedar,
Iowa, Johnson, and Washington. The community of this text is the communication between the
author and the audience. The contact information on the site would be a great place to look for
additional facts or people to be in contact with.
Conclusion
The Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity is a great nonprofit organization and I used it for
my rhetorical analysis. I looked at the text, the author, and the audience. I also looked at the
purposes and the setting. This website incorporated all of these rhetorical elements to give the
reader a better understanding of the organization.
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Works Cited
Heinrichs, Jay. Thank You for Arguing. New York: Three Rivers, 2007. Print.
“Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity." Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity. HuTerra, n.d. Web. 08
Sept. 2015.
"Welcome to the Purdue OWL." Purdue OWL: The Rhetorical Situation. The Writing Lab/ The
OWL at Purdue/ Purdue University, 1995. Web. 08 Sept. 2015.