Grade 9 · Rhetoric and Seminal Texts · Rhetorical Analysis
Rhetorical Analysis: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
Analyse how a speaker builds credibility, emotion and logic for a specific audience and purpose.
Learning objectives
- Identify ethos, pathos and logos in a speech
- Explain how a device serves the purpose
- Write a rhetorical analysis paragraph
Common Core ELA alignment
RI.9-10.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed and how it distinguishes their position from others. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
RI.9-10.5
Analyse the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
RI.9-10.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what an informational text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
MYP criteria
- Criterion A — Analysing
- Criterion C — Producing text
ENGAGE
Why does this speech work?
Nobody remembers a speech because its facts were correct. They remember it because the speaker earned trust, moved feelings and reasoned clearly, in that order.
Think about it
- Name a speech or video that persuaded you.
- Which of trust, feeling or logic did the most work?
EXPLAIN
Three appeals plus context
| Appeal | Question it answers | Signals |
|---|---|---|
| Ethos | Why should I trust you? | Experience, shared values, fairness to opponents |
| Pathos | Why should I care? | Story, image, direct address, rhythm |
| Logos | Why is this true? | Data, cause and effect, definitions, concessions |
Context always frames the analysis
- Audience: who is listening, and what do they already believe?
- Purpose: what should they do or think differently?
- Occasion: what makes this moment charged?
Devices worth naming
- Anaphora: repeating an opening phrase for momentum.
- Antithesis: pairing opposites in balanced clauses.
- Tricolon: three parallel items for a sense of completeness.
- Concession: granting a point to appear fair before rebutting.
Careful
Device spotting earns few marks. The mark is in explaining what the device does to that audience for that purpose.
EXPLORE
Analyse a passage
I have taught in this district for nineteen years. I have watched three reforms arrive and two of them leave. I am not against change; I am against change that arrives without teachers, without funding, and without time. Give us those three things and this reform will outlive us all.
Think about it
- Identify one clear use of ethos, one of pathos and one of logos.
- Name the device in the without ... without ... without pattern and explain its effect.
MYP_PRACTICE
Criterion A and C task
Choose a well-known speech. Write a 300-word rhetorical analysis that names audience and purpose, then analyses one example each of ethos, pathos and logos, explaining effect rather than just labelling.
EXIT_TICKET
Check yourself
Think about it
- Define ethos in one sentence.
- Which appeal do you rely on most in your own writing?
Interactive practice · annotate
Label the appeals
Mark each sentence as ethos, pathos or logos and note the device used.
Text
I have taught in this district for nineteen years. I am not against change; I am against change that arrives without teachers, without funding, and without time.
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Your answer
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Key vocabulary
- Ethos
- The credibility and character a speaker projects.
- Pathos
- The appeal to the audience emotions and values.
- Logos
- The appeal to reason, evidence and logical structure.
- Anaphora
- Repeating the same opening words across clauses.
Practice questions
0/2 correct
Level 1 · Criterion A
Which phrase most clearly builds ethos?
Level 2 · Criterion A
What is the effect of the concession I am not against change?
MYP criterion tasks
Level 3 · Criterion C
Write a rhetorical analysis paragraph on the passage.
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