Rhetorical Analysis Of Position On Dodgeball In Physical Education

Persuasive techniques such as Ethos, Pathos, and Logos help state and support a claim when writing. In the article, “Position on Dodgeball in Physical Education,” by the NASPE, the author uses persuasive language to support their claim that dodgeball and other competitive games should be removed from K-12 schools. For instance, the author uses ethos, credibility and ethical thinking, to explain why dodgeball should not be included in physical education. While the author speaks about the ongoing debate over the inclusion of aggressive games in schools, the text states, “Thus, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) would like to reiterate its position about including dodgeball in physical education programs” (986).

This demonstrates that the association is using its credibility in this article. The author’s use of credibility as an ethos is revealing because it conveys that the author is continuing to use persuasive language as a vehicle to convince readers. As a reader, we are meant to understand that the author repeatedly uses ethos to support their claim. Next, the author uses logos, statistics, logical thinking, and facts to support their opinion. As the author writes about the challenge of keeping kids active, the author states, “61.5% of children aged 9-13 years do not participate in any organized physical activity during their non-school hours.” (986). By highlighting this statistic, the reader understands that the author uses statistics to influence them to agree with the author’s claim. Essentially, the author is using proven information as an example of persuasive language to support their claim. Additionally, the author continues to use statistics in the article; the text says, “One-third of high school students are not adequately active and over 10% do not participate in any physical activity at all”