Week 2: Tutorial Rhetoric: Analyzing Audience

WEEEK 2: TUTORIAL RHETORIC: ANALYSIZING AUDIENCE

Consider the strategies used by two different writers to persuade their audiences to act to stop climate change. The first is from the opening paragraphs of an editorial in the magazine Creation Care: A Christian Environmental Quarterly. The second is from the website of the Sierra Club, an environmental action group. Read the following passages carefully, and then write out your exploratory answers to the questions that follow. Refer to Table 7.2, “Questions for Rhetorical Analysis,” to help you examine how these texts’ key features contribute to their impact on readers.

Passage 1: As I sit down to write this column, one thing keeps coming to me over and over: “Now is the time; now is the time.” In the New Testament the word used for this type of time is kairos. It means “right or opportune moment.” It is contrasted with chronos, or chronological time as measured in seconds, days, months, or years. In the New Testament kairos is usually associated with decisive action that brings about deliverance or salvation. The reason the phrase, “Now is the time” kept coming to me over and over is that I was thinking of how to describe our current climate change moment. The world has been plodding along in chronological time on the problem of climate change since around 1988. No more. Simply put: the problem of climate change has entered kairos time; its kairos moment has arrived. How long will it endure? Until the time of decisive action to bring about deliverance comes—or, more ominously, until the time when the opportunity for decisive action has passed us by. Which will we choose? Because we do have a choice. —Rev. Jim Ball, Ph.D., “It’s Kairos Time for Climate Change: Time to Act,” Creation Care: A Christian Environmental Quarterly (Summer 2008), 28.

Passage 2: [Another action that Americans must take to combat global warming is to transition] to a clean-energy economy in a just and equitable way. Global warming is among the greatest challenges of our time, but also presents extraordinary opportunities to harness home-grown clean energy sources and encourage technological innovation. These bold shifts toward a clean energy future can create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and generate billions of dollars in capital investment. But in order to maximize these benefits across all sectors of our society, comprehensive global warming legislation must auction emission allowances to polluters and use these public assets for public benefit programs. Such programs include financial assistance to help low and moderate-income consumers and workers offset higher energy costs as well as programs that assist with adaptation efforts in vulnerable communities. Revenue generated from emissions allowances should also aid the expansion of renewable and efficient energy technologies that quickly, cleanly, cheaply, and safely reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and curb global warming. Lastly, it is absolutely vital that comprehensive global warming legislation not preempt state authority to cut greenhouse gas emissions more aggressively than mandated by federal legislation. —Sierra Club, “Global Warming Policy Solutions,” 2008.

Paper For Above instruction

The analysis of the rhetorical strategies employed in the two passages reveals fundamental differences in approach, audience targeting, and effectiveness. Passage 1, authored by Rev. Jim Ball, employs a faith-based, moral framing to persuade a Christian readership about the urgency of climate action. Conversely, Passage 2 from the Sierra Club adopts a more technical, policy-oriented approach aimed at a politically engaged audience advocating for legislative reforms. Exploring these differences enhances understanding of how rhetoric adapts to its audience and purpose.

Analysis of Persuasion Strategies

In Passage 1, the writer’s strategy primarily appeals to ethos and pathos through spiritual and moral language. By invoking the biblical concept of kairos, the writer links climate urgency with divine timing and moral responsibility, establishing a credible moral authority rooted in Christian teachings. The appeal to religious values aims to evoke a sense of moral duty and spiritual urgency among Christian readers, encouraging decisive action grounded in faith. The sentimentality and moral framing serve to activate emotional responses aligned with religious conviction, making the appeal highly effective for its targeted readership.

In contrast, Passage 2 employs logical appeals (logos) grounded in economic and scientific evidence to persuade its audience. The language emphasizes opportunities—job creation, technological innovation, economic growth—and the collective benefits of transitioning to a clean-energy economy. The writer’s purpose is to motivate policy change by highlighting pragmatic advantages, making use of statistics and policy recommendations to persuade a politically aware audience. This technical approach aims to align the reader’s understanding with policy solutions, emphasizing rational decision-making over emotional appeals.

Relationship Between Logos and Pathos

In Passage 1, logos and pathos work synergistically as the biblical concept of kairos frames the logical urgency of climate change as a moral imperative. The emotional appeal stems from moral and spiritual responsibility, while the logical appeal is embedded in the concept of decisive timing, compelling action before opportunity passes. The emotional engagement is reinforced by the moral gravity of calling upon religious convictions, thus aligning moral authority with logical urgency.

Passage 2 predominantly relies on logos, with statistics and economic benefits forming the core logical appeals. The emotional appeal is subordinate but present in the optimistic tone about job creation and technological innovation, aiming to inspire hope and collective action. The emphasis on justice and economic opportunity subtly appeals to ethical considerations, but the primary driver remains factual evidence and policy proposals designed to address global warming pragmatically.

Writer’s Style

Rev. Jim Ball’s style is contemplative, poetic, and spiritually charged. The use of biblical references and moral language creates an earnest and moralistic tone meant to resonate with faith-based audiences. His style emphasizes morality, moral authority, and immediacy through poetic repetition and religious diction.

The Sierra Club’s style is direct, factual, and policy-oriented. Its tone highlights urgency and opportunity through precise language and specific policy suggestions. The style aims to appeal to an educated, politically active audience interested in pragmatic measures and tangible outcomes, reflecting a tone of authority and expertise.

Effectiveness for Non-Targeted Audiences

For audiences outside the intended Christian readership, Passage 1’s moral and religious framing might have limited impact or even alienate some readers who do not share that worldview. Its effectiveness hinges on the reader’s religious beliefs, making it less persuasive to secular audiences.

Passage 2’s technical, policy-focused style could appeal broadly to policymakers, scientists, and environmentally conscious individuals. However, it might lack emotional resonance for less engaged audiences, especially if they are skeptical of legislative solutions or overwhelmed by technical detail. Its strength lies in its clarity and pragmatic appeal, but it may require additional emotional hooks for wider reach.

Conclusion

Both passages exemplify strategic rhetorical approaches tailored to their audiences. Passage 1’s moral and spiritual appeal seeks to motivate action through religious ethics, effectively mobilizing Christian readers invested in faith communities. Passage 2’s policy and economic focus appeals to rationality and collective benefit, aiming to sway politically active and scientifically literate audiences. Understanding these strategies underscores the importance of audience awareness in crafting effective environmental rhetoric and highlights the complementary roles of ethos, pathos, and logos in persuasion.

References

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