E P L

Alrighty, let's talk about the triangle, the E, P, L, the appeals that make YOUR paper rock star and persuasive:

o   What is Ethos? Why is it important to the writer? What makes the writer credible? How?

§  Ethos is an ethical appeal, a moral appeal and an appeal that one makes to establish their authority as a writer.

§  It’s important to the writer because as the speaker of this argument you put a face to a position and you have to defend that. You cannot defend a position if you do not establish yourself as an authority with a moralistic appeal (and by moralistic I don’t mean religiously based, but one where a certain standard is established)

§  What makes a writer credible is their understanding of the situation (the history of if, a knowledge of the conversation going on), an authoritative tone (whether established by a decisive and powerful language, a use of humor to appeal to the audience, etc.

o   What is Pathos? How is an appeal to pathos an effective form of persuasion for an audience? What does it do specifically? How do you make an appeal to Pathos?

§  Pathos is an appeal to emotions, a tug on the heartstrings if you will.

§  It’s effective because it’s appealing directly to the audience, taking an argument and giving it a human aspect, a tangibility that the audience can feel and relate to.

§  It creates a bridge between the writer, the argument and the audience. It provides a method by which the audience can find a connection and relationship with the argument, thus forming a better persuasive understanding of it.

§  You can make an appeal through humor (one of the most effective), a sad appeal, a personal appeal, and so forth. You give a face to the argument essentially

o   Why is it important for your argument to have Logos? What might happen if Logos is lacking in your argument? What does that do to your credibility as the writer?

§  Logos ensures that your argument is one that IS arguable. It’s the foundation that holds your rhetoric and argument together.

§  If your argument doesn’t have a logical appeal, if there’s no sure foundation for the reality of your argument, then you lose credibility and persuasiveness.

§  Logos shows that he writer knows what they are talking and that what they are talking about is something significant. It shows that the writer can articulate a sound argument and one that can be analyzed and one that is significant. 

Let me chat about myself, eh? Okay, that sounds a bit pretentious.

Alright. You're probably wondering why on earth I've asked you to write about yourself. And start a blog...

You're probably sitting in your chairs thinking how horrible this semester is going to be, stressing about tests, and quizzes and papers and deadlines.

Maybe you're thinking about how terribly crazy your writing teacher seems to be.

And maybe I am a tad crazy. Just a little.


Then again, maybe I'm also a fun person who might just make this semester of writing an interesting one for you.

AND, maybe, just maybe that sounded a little inflated.

I promise I don't have a big head and I promise I'm not an over inflated or full of myself.

I AM, however, a girl from a small town in Southern Utah. Kanab...ah glorious Kanab, with it's two stoplights, tourist traps and gleaming red rocks.



It's hard not to be fond of a place so peaceful and serene. Though, I do suspect that cows outshine the human population of the county.

I had around 48 people in my graduating class...

And after school I came up to Provo to study at BYU. THAT was a culture shock for me. So many people, so many buildings...what was a small town girl to do?

Get lost in the book store apparently. And then get lost in the library.

AND in the JFSB

And, you get the idea. I'm rubbish at directions.

Though, apparently, not enough to evade living here permanently.

You'll find me now, quite content with the size of Provo, able to navigate the streets rather well (or well enough anyway) and somewhat good at giving directions now.

Small victories, people. Small victories.

Other than that? I'm a rather dull homebody who likes spending time with her family.













I know I know. You may be thinking:



Not everyone's cup of tea, I realize. But I enjoy it. And because I enjoy being home, I also have fun little hobbies that I take delight in as well.

Like baking guys. Baking is brilliant. AND, you may get treats from time to time because I enjoy it so much.

On the other hand, I'm also a graduate student, which MAY make me certifiably crazy, given that I've got a rather busy life with children.

But I tend to thrive in chaos.

And I've got the best thesis in the world. It's about Tolkien and Sir Walter Scott.




All the feels guys. All the feels.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg that is my life. I have many movies and shows and music that I adore. And I'll be happy to tell them to you if you really want to know...

But I think that's enough chatter about me for one day.

I will say this though. Writing is a beautiful thing and I am very passionate about it. You can express yourself in so many ways. Creativity abounds in writing, whether technical or trending towards the more 'artsy' forms of expression in the written word.

But writing takes practice. It's taken me a long time to master my voice as a writer, but that practice has opened my eyes to the importance of courses like Writing 150. And I hope, by the end of the semester, that you'll come to understand and appreciate writing in a new way. Even if you don't consider yourself a writer now, I know that you will all create some pretty brilliant pieces of writing this semester.

NOW, back to my thesis research.

Arguing Just to Argue?

In writing, do you often feel as though you find yourselves arguing just for the sake of an argument?

If so, do you think that's effective?

Me, personally? Not really.

Especially in writing, it's important to remember that there has to be a purpose behind your argument, some form of conviction that you hold to that motivates your approach to a topic and the different points you attach to your stance.

Otherwise, what's the point of arguing?

Are you more like Monty Python's 'Argument Clinic' or are you more like the educated persons who understand how to construct a decent, reliable argument that will engage people in conversation rather than leave them scratching their heads wondering WHY you are even bothering to discuss a subject.



So, what do we do? If we want to effectively articulate an argument HOW do we construct it?