Question

EVERY SATURDAY, ELISA ZAMOT gets up at 5:15 in the morning. It’s a struggle, and her head feels groggy as she steps into the shower. Her little sisters, Cookie and Sabrina, are fast asleep in their beds. By 5:30, Elisa’s showered, done her hair, and put on her McDonald’s uniform. She’s sixteen, bright-eyed and olive-skinned, pretty and petite, ready for another day of work. Elisa’s mother usually drives her the half-mile or so to the restaurant, but sometimes Elisa walks, leaving home before the sun rises.

Which of the following choices best describes the rhetorical appeal used in this excerpt?

A. The excerpt demonstrates logos because it is completely objective and lacking in emotion.
B. The excerpt demonstrates logos because it contains statistics to support the author’s claim.
C. The excerpt demonstrates ethos because the author positions himself as an expert on the topic.
D.The excerpt demonstrates pathos because the author presents a compelling story using emotional language.

Answer 1

The answer is indeed letter D) The excerpt demonstrates pathos because the author presents a compelling story using emotional language.

Step-by-step explanation:

Pathos is a rhetorical appeal that employs an emotional argument. It targets shared feelings and cultural values with the goal of having the listener relate to what is being said. Pathos may be used to inspire pity, compassion, or anger, for instance. The speaker's goal is to make the audience feel something of his/her choice in order to convince them of his/her point of view.

In the excerpt we are studying here, the emotional appeal began when the speaker chose to tell readers that waking up so early is a struggle to Elisa. She even feels groggy as she steps in the shower. Readers are thus invited to empathize with the hardships Elisa has to face in life. The speaker goes on, letting readers know that Elisa is just a teenager, but a responsible one, who leaves her house before dawn to get her work started. All those details are given to provoke an emotional response. Readers are now more likely to be persuaded of the speaker's opinion, whatever it may be, since they now feel sympathy toward her.

Answer 2

D. The excerpt demonstrates pathos because the author presents a compelling story using emotional language.

Step-by-step explanation:

In an excerpt, there is a story about a girl who is struggling to get up and be prepared for work. She is a hardworking girl, who gets up quite early and goes to work. Young girl has to work. From an excerpt, the reader can see her dedication to go to work. It is an emotional story about a girl who works hard, even though there are not many details there are used well to describe her struggling.

The pathos in this excerpt evokes sadness in a reader when the reader can see a girl struggling with her making money for a living. The reader can feel pity for the girl because she is young and she must work and get up early.

The rhetorical appeal is used in this excerpt to highlight the young girl struggling and working. It also is used to make readers feel sympathy and compassion throw objective representation of her morning. The rhetorical appeal is demonstrated in the picture of her hardworking and makes her character more close to the readers.