Introduction: Explain The Appeals with the Rhetorical Triangle
1.
2.
3.
4.
Draw the Rhetorical Triangle on the Board (communicator, message, audience)
Discuss the role of each element on the triangle
Introduce the terms ethos, logos, and pathos into triangle
Emphasize that the appeals all work together and that most persuasive messages
use all three appeals.
Ethos-credibility or character as a reflection of the communicator. Often, ethical appeals
are based on trust and community.
Logos-facts, data, statistics of the message. The logos is the information presented as fact
(it might not be, but usually is). Often, logos uses numbers.
Pathos-emotions of the audience. Emotional appeals might inspire patriotism, happiness,
sadness, anger, and other emotions in the audience.
Read on



Advertisment Analysis Lesson Plan
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Lesson Plan
Letter to the Editor Activity
Application: Analyze “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
1. Students will read an excerpt from “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin
Luther King Jr.
2. Identify the rhetorical situation of the speech as a class. Discuss who the speaker
is, who the audience is, and what the purpose of the message is. A useful tool for
analyzing the rhetorical situation is to use journalism questions –Who (author,
audience)? What (genre of writing)? Why (purpose)? When? Where? How
(appeals, style choices)?
3. Make sure all the students understand the context of the speech.
4. Focusing on the appeals, point out an example of ethos, logos, and pathos in the
essay. It helps if you can use an overhead or LCD projector to review the text.
5. Ask students to identify more examples of ethos, logos, and pathos in pairs or
individually. Give them 15-25 minutes to work on this on their own.
6. After they’ve had enough time, ask students to share what they found. Make sure
to ask each student or team to share at least one appeal.
7. Discuss each example and give further explanation as to why the appeals make
the speech stronger or weaker.
Further Practice: Analyze a Song for Homework
1. As class is drawing to a close, answer any questions the students might have
about the appeals or analysis.
2. Then, give the students a handout of the triangle they can take home. Include the
definitions of ethos, logos, and pathos and examples of the appeals from a
popular, familiar song.
3. Ask students to use the handout and what they learned in class to analyze a song
of their choice. They should find at least one example of each appeal in the song.
4. Students will bring the song analysis to the next class and share.
Teaching the material and having the students apply it with in-class analysis, followed by
a homework assignment will help them remember and process what they've learned.
Also, providing a variety of analytical tools and pieces for analysis will help them make
comparisons between persuasive writing in all mediums.
More lesson on Analysis








What is the Rhetorical Syllogism?
Letter to the Editor Activity
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Lesson Plan
MLK Activities for Middle & High School Students
Aristotle's Rhetoric and Dialectic - Still Relevant Today
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Ode to Failure in Homer's Odyssey
Advertisment Analysis Lesson Plan













High School
Middle School
College Preparation
High School Culture
High School Curriculum
High School Lesson Plans
High School Testing
High School Preparation
Middle School Curriculum
Middle School Lesson Plans
Middle School Life
Middle School Testing
Middle School Preparation






using ethos logos pathos for analysis
lesson in rhetoric for high school english
martin luther king jr rhetorical analysis
letter from a birmingham jail analysis
martin luther king jr.
martin luther king jr. analysis
Read more at Suite101: Using Ethos, Logos, and Pathos For Analysis: Lesson in Rhetoric for High
School English or College-Level Writing http://www.suite101.com/content/using-ethos-logosand-pathos-analyze-arguments-a66140#ixzz1AaNZdKnT