Understanding the Rhetorical Situation with the SOAPS of a Text Who is the Speaker? What do you know about the Speaker? What about the Speaker makes him/her credible and authoritative? Brent Stables. He is a journalist and holds Ph.D. in psychology ________________________________________________________________________________________ O What is the Occasion that prompted the writer to craft this article? In other words, what has happened or is happening to inspire the author to write this article? _______When he learned that his presence was enough to scare a young white woman when it was late night in the street_____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ A Who is the intended Audience for when this article was first published? What do you know about members of this Audience?
QUESTION
Understanding the Rhetorical Situation with the SOAPS of a Text
EN 1
Who is the author of the text? _________Brent Staples_________________________________________________________
What is the title of the essay or chapter? __________“Just Walk On By”__________________________________________
Where was it published? (name of periodical/book AND page #s) Ms. Magazine
When was it published? (vol. #, issue #, year) September 1986
S Who is the Speaker? What do you know about the Speaker? What about the Speaker makes him/her credible and authoritative?
Brent Stables. He is a journalist and holds Ph.D. in psychology
________________________________________________________________________________________
O What is the Occasion that prompted the writer to craft this article? In other words, what has happened or is happening to inspire
the author to write this article? _______When he learned that his presence was enough to scare a young white woman when it was late night in the street_____________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
A Who is the intended Audience for when this article was first published? What do you know about members of this Audience?
young women, black men, nighttime pedestrians, tough guys, jewelry store proprietors, and police officers ________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
P What is the Purpose of this text? Use one or two of the sentence starters below to help you state the Purpose of this text:
Overall, this author informs the audience about…
Overall, this author explains or explores how his appearance tends to threaten those who are around him, and in isolated cases, it makes him appear suspicious to the extent that he is mistaken for a criminal
Overall, this author persuades the audience to…
Overall, this author argues that…
Overall, this author evaluates…
S What type of Source is this? Consider both the shorter article and where it came from: is the larger source a magazine, a newspaper, a
book, a scholarly journal? And what about the essay or article from this larger source? Is it an excerpt from a biography? A news
report? A letter-to-the-editor? A feature article? The source of this essay is the Ms. Magazine which was published in September 1986 ____________________________________________________________
APPEALS Discuss the Appeal strategies used in Brent Staples’s “Just Walk On By”:
Appeals to ethos— credibility, trust, fairness
|
Examples from text; be sure to cite paragraph number!
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EVALUATE: Do you think the author does enough to bridge the gap between the author and the audience?
Will the audience members trust what the author has to say?
Explain: Staples establishes trust with the audience by mentioning certain locations which would ring a bell in their minds. For example, he talks about the “deserted street in Hyde Park” found in Chicago, he mentions the University of Chicago, the streets of Brooklyn and the industrial town of Chester Pennsylvania
|
Appeals to pathos— emotion
|
Examples from text; be sure to cite paragraph number!
|
EVALUATE: Do you think the emotional appeals are enough?
Or, do you think this article relies too heavily on appeals to emotion?
Explain:
Staples talks about how worried a white woman in her 20s would feel when followed by a young black man in an empty street late in the evening
|
Appeals to logos— logic, evidence, order
|
Examples from text; be sure to cite paragraph number!
|
EVALUATE: Do you think the types of evidence and the examples are enough?
Would the article have been more effective if the author had used more or different types of evidence?
Explain: He narrates his experiences which have a common theme of fear and suspicion due to his physical characteristics.
|
Understanding Appeals in Advertisements
The following 3 comics are mock advertisements for Klean toothpaste. Based on your reading about appeals, which comic relies most heavily on appeals to ethos? To pathos? To logos? How do you know this? Label them accordingly:
Ad #1
Ad #1 Primary Appeal Strategy (circle one): ethos pathos logos
How do you know this from the cartoon advertisement?
Trust is built in the first image, by saying “I am a Doctor of Dental Surgery”
Ad #2
Ad #2 Primary Appeal Strategy (circle one): ethos pathos logos
How do you know this from the cartoon advertisement?
There is use of evidence from “recent studies.”
Ad #3
Ad #3 Primary Appeal Strategy (circle one): ethos pathos logos
How do you know this from the cartoon advertisement?
There is use of words which appeal to emotions, such as ‘smile,’ ‘worry,’ and ‘peace of mind.’
These storyboard comics were created by Katherine Docimo and Kristy Littlehale. They were published in “The Rhetorical Triangle: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos,”
an article that has been produced for teachers working within the new Common Core Standards: http://www.storyboardthat.com/articles/e/ethos-pathos-logos.
Understanding Logos: Five Types of Evidence
Generally, when we think about appeals to logos, we’re really talking about the types of evidence used throughout a text to appeal to an audience’s need for logic and order. It’s helpful to understand that there are different types of evidence, and some types of evidence are more convincing than other types for certain audiences.
Briefly, here are descriptions of five types of evidence that frequently show up in our texts:
Statistical – percentages, fractions, graphs, statistics that are used to support a claim
Testimonial – quotations and expert opinions that are used to support a claim
Observational – details that can be observed and measured by most people that are used to support a claim
Anecdotal – personal narratives or stories that support a claim
Analogical – analogies or extended comparisons that are used to support a claim
ANSWER
In Brent Staples’s essay “Just Walk On By,” the author utilizes various appeal strategies to convey his message. Let’s analyze the appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos in the essay.
Appeals to ethos (credibility, trust, fairness)
– Staples establishes his credibility and authority by stating that he is a journalist and holds a Ph.D. in psychology.
– This background makes him knowledgeable and credible when discussing the psychological impact of his appearance on others.
Appeals to pathos (emotion)
– Staples evokes emotional responses from the audience by describing situations where his presence elicits fear and suspicion, particularly for young white women walking alone at night.
– He highlights the emotions of worry and anxiety that may arise when encountering a young black man in certain circumstances.
Appeals to logos (logic, evidence, order)
– Staples provides evidence and logical reasoning through personal anecdotes. He narrates his own experiences of being mistaken for a criminal or threatening individual due to his physical appearance.
– These anecdotes form a pattern that supports his argument about the stereotypes and prejudices faced by black men in society.
Evaluation
– Staples effectively bridges the gap between himself and the audience by sharing relatable locations, such as Hyde Park in Chicago and the streets of Brooklyn, which allows readers to envision the situations he describes.
– The emotional appeals in the essay are impactful, as they tap into the fear and discomfort experienced by both the author and his audience.
– Staples could have further strengthened his argument by incorporating additional types of evidence, such as statistical data on racial profiling or expert opinions on the psychological effects of stereotypes.
Now, let’s analyze the three mock advertisements for Klean toothpaste based on their primary appeal strategies:
Ad #1
Primary Appeal Strategy: Ethos
Explanation: The ad relies on ethos because it features a person claiming to be a “Doctor of Dental Surgery,” which establishes trust and credibility.
Ad #2
Primary Appeal Strategy: Logos
Explanation: The ad relies on logos as it mentions “recent studies” to provide evidence supporting the effectiveness of the toothpaste, appealing to the audience’s logical side.
Ad #3
Primary Appeal Strategy: Pathos
Explanation: The ad relies on pathos by using emotional words such as “smile,” “worry,” and “peace of mind,” aiming to evoke an emotional response from the audience.
In conclusion, understanding the rhetorical situation and the appeal strategies used in a text or advertisement helps in analyzing the author’s intent and effectiveness in reaching the intended audience.

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