AP English Language AMSCO Guided Notes
2.1: Relating to an Audience
AP English Language Guided Notes
AMSCO 2.1 - Relating to an Audience
Essential Questions
- How does an audience influence the writer's choices?
I. Understand
1. How do writers use modes of persuasion to connect evidence with claims and engage their audience?
2. Why might a presidential candidate adjust their appeals differently when speaking to parents versus school administrators?
II. Adapting to An Audience
1. What are the four key audience characteristics writers must consider, and how do they influence rhetorical choices?
2. How does understanding an audience's values, beliefs, needs, and background help a writer achieve their purpose?
3. What is the relationship between creating solidarity with an audience and persuading them to change their minds?
III. 1.2 Modes of Persuasion
1. What are the three main modes of persuasion identified by Aristotle, and how does each appeal to audiences differently?
A. Three Modes
1. How do ethical, emotional, and logical appeals work together to strengthen an argument?
B. Ethical Appeals (Ethos)
1. What are the main ways writers establish credibility and build trust with their audience through ethical appeals?
2. How can a writer's position of authority or expertise contribute to their ethos?
3. Why is it important to use specific language when analyzing a writer's ethical appeals rather than simply saying 'the writer uses ethos'?
C. Appeals to Emotion (Pathos)
1. What is the difference between using emotional appeals effectively and crossing the line into manipulation or propaganda?
2. What specific textual techniques do writers use to evoke emotional responses in their audience?
3. How did Senator Joseph McCarthy's use of the word 'infested' demonstrate the power of emotional appeals to influence public opinion?
D. Appeals to Logic (Logos)
1. How do writers use claims, reasoning, and evidence to create a logical line of reasoning that supports their argument?
2. What role does the relationship between evidence and claims play in making a logical appeal effective?
3. How did Eleanor Roosevelt use contrasts between free societies and authoritarian regimes to strengthen her logical appeal?
E. Combining Appeals
1. Why do effective writers typically blend multiple modes of persuasion rather than relying on a single appeal?
2. How does Greta Thunberg's use of statistics, emotional language, and credibility work together to strengthen her argument about climate change?
Key Terms
arguments
background
beliefs
emotional appeal
ethical appeal
logical appeal
modes of persuasion
needs
rhetorical choices
purpose
values