Audience, Appeals and Thesis

Writers think about what their readers already believe, care about and need, then shape the argument to fit. A skeptical audience needs a different approach from one that already agrees.

Writers appeal to an audience's emotions, values, reasoning and sense of who to trust to make an argument more persuasive. You may know these as pathos, ethos and logos, but on the exam what counts is explaining what a choice does for the audience, not just naming the appeal.

Writers pick evidence that their particular audience will find relevant and convincing. Evidence can do different jobs: it can illustrate or clarify a point, give an example, link an idea to something readers already know, make a point bigger, or set a mood. When you analyze evidence, say which job it's doing.

Evidence has to be sufficient: there must be enough of it, and it must be strong enough, to support the claim. Too little evidence, or evidence that is outdated or one-sided, can make readers doubt the whole argument.

A thesis is the main claim a whole text argues for. Sometimes it's stated in one clear sentence; other times it's implied or spread over several sentences, and you have to piece it together.

A defensible thesis takes a clear position that someone could argue against and that you can back up with evidence. Stating a plain fact or just repeating the prompt doesn't count.