As a writer, you have a wide variety of support types to choose from. Rhetorical patterns provide one way to support a point. Choose one of the rhetorical situations below, and in a 350 to 450-word essay, describe four rhetorical patterns that would help the writer convey the message to the audience. Include in your essay your reasoning for your selection of rhetorical patterns and describe how those specific rhetorical patterns would be effective in reaching the goal of the situation and in reaching the audience.
Choose from among these patterns:
- Narration
- Description
- Definition
- Illustration
- Classification
- Compare and contrast
- Cause and effect
- Process analysis
Option 1: Ron’s situation. Ron is a college student in an English class. He has to write an essay in which he presents and explains a concept that may be unfamiliar to most students. Ron plans to discuss thermal sensor drones (drones that can find sources of heat and are useful in rescue missions, among other purposes). He will be reading his paper to his classmates.
Option 2: Lydia’s situation. Lydia must write a letter of application to the nursing program at her college so that she can be considered for acceptance. This letter will be read by nursing faculty on her campus as well as a board of professional nurses. Her purpose is to persuade readers that she is a worthy candidate.
Option 3: Ali’s situation. Ali is writing a research paper in which he plans to prove that human-caused global warming is increasing the number of tornadoes in the United States. He is writing this paper for his geology instructor, a specialist in global warming but not in meteorology.