Cause and Effect Rhetorical Mode

Cause and Effect Rhetorical Mode Definition

Cause and effect is a rhetorical mode.

Using the rhetorical mode of cause and effect, a writer demonstrates to the reader how something happens.

This is a simple but potentially complex relationship. Here's a simple example of how you might use cause and effect in an essay or short answer.

This example appears like a claim.

Although a cause-and-effect relationship can be a part of your claim, it can also be a part of your argument.

Here's an example containing a claim in the first sentence and an argument that uses cause and effect in the second sentence.

As mentioned earlier, cause and effect form causal chains. This is when a cause leads to an effect that then becomes the cause of another effect, and so on.

The longer a chain gets, the more complicated it becomes. You can break down causal chains to understand vast networks of ideas and interactions.

The Purpose of Cause and Effect in Writing

"Cause and effect" is important in writing because a writer can use it to establish causal chains. Causal chains can connect causes to distant effects.

You can use causal chains for various purposes in your writing.

Causal Chains in the Abstract

You can use causal chains to establish why something happens or happened, both in terms of a story and in the real world.

This causal chain presents no argument or solution. It merely establishes a causal chain in the abstract. However, you can apply a causal chain to an argumentative format.

Causal Chains in Essays

In essay writing, a causal chain links your claim to your argument and your argument to your evidence. The following example uses a question-and-answer format to highlight the causal chain.

Turn this around, and you have a causal chain. Bob shames the protagonist, which causes the protagonist to experiment with drugs, which causes Bob to be the story's villain.

Accuracy in Cause and Effect

Because you can use cause and effect for many purposes in writing, these relationships must be accurate. To be accurate, these relationships need to be specific.

For example, say you climb up in a tree and fall. You might say something like this, then.

However, say you climb up in a tree and don't fall. Say your friends cheer for you. You might say something like this, then.

Both examples have the same root cause: climbing up in a tree. How can their outcomes be different, then? They have different outcomes because they have different causal chains not specified in these examples.

For instance, a more direct cause of "falling from the tree" might be "you lost your balance." So your causal chain would look more like this:

In the example where you received the praise of your friends, you never lost your balance, which makes its causal chain different.

Fig. 1 - Causal chains differ hypothetically and in practice.

Accuracy is critical when dealing with cause and effect. To ensure accuracy, establish a causal chain that genuinely suits your topic and doesn't miss something along the line. When you fail to connect your chain of cause and effect, you might end up with a rhetorical fallacy (logical fallacy).

Cause and Effect Rhetorical Mode Examples

Here are some examples of cause and effect used as a rhetorical mode.

Remember, as a rhetorical mode, "cause and effect" communicates something to the audience. In this case, the writer uses cause and effect to explain the harm of a clickbait article.

There is no obvious argument present in this instance of cause and effect. Here, the writer uses cause and effect to help create a synopsis for the story.

Here's a final example of cause and effect.

You can also present facts or historical events in terms of cause and effect.

Cause and Effect Essay Structure

Like an argumentative essay, a cause and effect essay consists of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Introduction of a Cause and Effect Essay

In the introduction of your essay, you establish the cause you will explore.

From here, your essay will proceed in one of two ways. In the first kind of cause-and-effect essay, you will argue that rolling blackouts will cause various things. In the second kind of cause and effect essay, you will identify the possible results of rolling blackouts.

The difference is in the style of argumentation. The first essay requires taking a stance. The second essay is more neutral and requires you to be open-minded.

Body Paragraphs of a Cause and Effect Essay

You will probably use three body paragraphs like in a 5 paragraph essay. Each body paragraph will contain a topic sentence (or argument) followed by the evidence needed to support it.

This is an example of a topic sentence. You would follow it with evidence that suggests power lines would be less likely to catch fire if their load is lessened during peak hours.

Your cause and effect essay would contain three such body paragraphs. Each would have its own argument or topic sentence with evidence or support.

Fig. 2 - Use evidence from studies and history to establish causality.

Conclusion Paragraph of a Cause and Effect Essay

In your conclusion paragraph, you should take the opportunity to explore further causes beyond those explored in the body paragraphs. Remember, your body paragraphs only contain immediate effects of the original cause. However, as you've learned, "cause and effect" does not end with one cause and one effect. Effects become their own causes and so on, forming causal chains.

So, in your conclusion paragraph, discuss the continued or future impact of the effects you discussed in your body paragraphs. These concluding effects will give the reader the impression that the original cause is significant and lingering.

Here's an example.

Use your essay as a starting point to discuss causal relationships.