Rhetorical Analysis of Goodwill

The very definition of goodwill according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “a kindly feeling of approval and support [and] benevolent interest or concern.” Goodwill has a reputation of being a friendly organization; therefore, Goodwill’s website should reflect that, especially in the writing; however, the creators of the Goodwill website have made some errors. Below, I will explain the importance of elements like audience, kairos, the persuasive appeals (logos, pathos, and ethos), and metaphors, and how Goodwill does or doesn't apply them.

Audience:
Identifying the audience is extremely important. Questions to ask are: who will be my audience? What will they wish to know? How familiar will they be with the organization and website?

The audience for this website would probably be people looking to donate, volunteer, shop, hire, or get job training. They might typically fall between the ages of 20 and 40, and all of the above would expect the writing to be friendly because it’s a charitable organization designed to help people. While it appears that the website was written to appeal to a general audience, the writing is almost corporate-like and the information isn’t always helpful.

Kairos:
Once the audience is identified, it’s important to consider how the reader is affected by place, time and cultural constraints. It is uncertain to me whether Goodwill has taken these constraints into mind, but I do believe that some of their words aren’t as appropriate and effective in getting the message across as they could be.

Logos:
The Goodwill website is full of this persuasive appeal. It seems to appeal mostly to logic. There are some figures of reason, such as sorites, and several facts stated, but very little of anything personal. Appealing to reason isn’t bad, but it’s done in excess in this website. Because their reputation is that of a warm, friendly charitable organization, there should be more incorporation of the other appeals.

Pathos:
The Goodwill website is sorely lacking in this. This is probably their biggest problem. Their website would be more effective if they appealed more to the emotions, possibly by adding figures of pathos, such as descriptio and energia, and adding personal examples of success stories. There also wasn’t much appreciation shown on the site for donations, but mostly instructions on how to donate and what to donate.

Ethos:
This is the appeal to character, which Goodwill does fairly well, especially in the History section. It establishes itself by claiming 100 years of success and listing off some facts. This is important to establish the credibility of the organization, but it’s wise to keep it limited to a couple pages because restating on several pages can get monotonous and annoying to the reader.

Metaphors:
Metaphors are good at affecting the emotions of the audience because they are tangible and sensory. Unfortunately, the Goodwill website has no metaphors, which is further evidence that there should be more appeals to emotion in it.

Conclusion:
While the Goodwill website does well with appealing to reason and character, it would be far more effective if it added an emotional appeal, while also keeping in mind who their audience is.