RHETORIC OVERVIEWRHETORIC OVERVIEW

Overview of Rhetoric

– An older definition--Aristotle: Rhetoric is “the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion.”

– A more recent definition--Kenneth Burke: “The basic function of rhetoric [is] the use of words by human agents to form attitudes or to induce actions in other human agents.”

An understanding of rhetoric and an ability to analyze rhetoric can help YOU write, speak, and think more persuasively

Rhetorical Situation• Stakeholder: someone who affects or is

affected by an issue; has a stake• Audience: group of people at which

persuasion/message is aimed• Purpose: goal of the persuasion/ message; in

many cases, goal is to influence opinion and/or prompt action

• Context: the “climate” or “culture”— time period, prevailing opinion in society, state of the culture

Rhetoric & Persuasion: Good or Bad?

Rhetorical Analysis• What we do when we analyze rhetoric:

• We normally read for content rather than the way a piece is written. But --

• Rhetorical analysis focuses less on what the writer/speaker says than on how he/she says it. So --

• Analyzing rhetoric involves thinking about the way a writer/speaker persuades, not what he/she says

Understanding Rhetorical AppealsUnderstanding Rhetorical Appeals

Writers and speakers try to persuade by appealing to readers and listeners in certain ways

Three rhetorical appeals– Ethos/Ethical appeal– Logos/Logical appeal– Pathos/Emotional appeal

EthosEthos

Ethos: ethical appeal. Ethical appeals attempt to

persuade readers by emphasizing the writer’s character, credibility, experience or expertise

Focuses on your trust in the writer or speaker

LogosLogos

Logos: logical appeal. Logical appeals attempt to

persuade readers by emphasizing the reader’s intellect and the reason and logic presented in the argument

Focuses on your ability or willingness to see the logic in the argument or evidence

PathosPathos

Pathos: emotional appeal. Emotional appeals attempt to

persuade readers by emphasizing the reader’s feelings

Focuses on your emotional reaction to an argument or evidence

Testing knowledge of rhetorical appealsTesting knowledge of rhetorical appeals

Let’s see if you can identify rhetorical appeals in the following examples. The point of each sign is to persuade you to slow down and drive carefully through road construction zones. Can you identify the rhetorical appeals in each sign?

Example 1Example 1

Ethical, logical or emotional?Some combination of appeals?

Example 2Example 2

Ethical, logical or emotional?Some combination of appeals?

Example 3Example 3

Ethical, logical or emotional?Some combination of appeals?

Rhetorical StrategiesRhetorical Strategies

Rhetorical strategies are specific techniques of persuasion. Strategies appeal to us in various ways. Examples:

Narration: to tell a story. Might appeal emotionally Quoting authorities: to add credibility by citing

others/experts. Might appeal ethically Comparison: to strengthen an argument. Might

appeal logically

Examples of rhetorical strategies at workExamples of rhetorical strategies at work

Strategy: Narration (telling a story)– The day my brother was killed by a drunk driver was one of the

darkest days of my life.– Appeal: Pathos -- emotional

Strategy: Quoting authorities– According to the police officer who responded to the accident site,

“The drunk driver had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit.”– Appeal: Ethos -- ethical

Strategy: Comparison– A criminal who shoots a gun and kills is arrested immediately. Yet a

drunk driver can get up to five DUI citations before going to jail in some states.

– Appeal: Logos -- logical

Relationship: Appeals and StrategiesRelationship: Appeals and Strategies

Relationship between the two: writers and speakers USE STRATEGIES to MAKE APPEALS

ETHOS

LOGOS

PATHOS