Rhetorical Appeal

Thank you Ms. Ostlund

What is Rhetoric?

“Rhetoric is the art of dressing up some unimportant matter so as to fool the audience for the time being”

• Ezra Pound

• Give an example of when rhetoric is used to fool an audience. How is it affective?

What does Rhetorical Appeal do?

✴Teaches you to understand and critically

evaluate the arguments presented in

various sources to which you refer.

✴Provides guidance as to how to create an

effective argument in your own writing

or speaking.

Where can Rhetorical Appeal

be found? Writing

Essays

Newspapers

Textbooks

Advertisements

Song Lyrics

Music Videos

ANY TEXT

CAN USE

RHETORICAL

APPEAL

• Public Service Announcements

• Bumper Stickers

3 Parts create

Rhetorical Appeal:

Who created this text?

Who did they create this text for?

Why did they create this text?

AUTHOR

AUDIENCE

PURPOSE

Rhetorical Appeal: Author

What do we know about the writer, speaker,

artist, designer, or creator?

Educational background

Political affiliation

Investment in the message

Bias

Where do we look for information about the

author?

Rhetorical Appeal: Audience

Who is the message intended for?

Age

Gender

Social/cultural group

Political affiliation

Where do we look for information about

the audience?

Rhetorical Appeal: Purpose

What is the purpose of your text?

To Inform?

To Entertain?

To Call to Action?

How can you infer the purpose of the text?

What elements of the text do you refer to in order to

find information about its purpose?

Three Types of

Rhetorical Appeal

1. Ethos

2. Logos

3. Pathos

1. Ethos

Ethos= Credibility

Ethics

Trustworthy

For an Academic Argument, an author must:

Exhibit Good Sense

Demonstrate high moral character

Good will

Credibility is based

on the audience’s

view of the author

and subject.

Kit Kat: The Future of Confectionary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj19l

4Irdfw

Ethos Example

Ethos Example

Why do we trust this

person?

How are they credible?

What is his message?

Ethos Example

Why do we trust this

person?

How are they credible?

What is he promoting?

https://www.youtube.

com/watch?v=AMpZ0

TGjbWE

2. Logos

Logos=Logic

Attempts to appeal to the intellect

Everyday arguments vs. academic arguments

How do you appeal to logos?

The most valued appeal in academic argument.

Accomplish through inductive or deductive reasoning

or specifically:

Definition

Evidence from other sources, or

Expert testimony

Issue: Water Usage

SOLUTION: Use less water

Logos

Example

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=lYBLA5cDHu8

Logos Example

WHAT IS THE

MESSAGE OF

THIS IMAGE?

HOW DOES IT

SHOW

LOGIC?

3.Pathos

Pathos =Pathetic, sympathy, empathy

Popular Press

Manipulative

Effect?

Appeals to Emotions accomplished through

sensory description

diction

anecdotes

objects of emotion (people, abstract images, music)

PathosExamples

https://www.youtube.co

m/watch?v=R4vkVHijdQ

k&list=PL19280887E9B

189D2&index=1

What is the purpose of this

video?

Pathos Example

http://www.youtube.com/w

atch?v=c_4ZgY5VOa4

What is the purpose of

this video?

Review

Rhetorical strategies are PERSUASION methods

Ethos: Appeal to Credibility

Logos: Appeal to Logic

Pathos: Appeal to Emotion

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis

t=PL19280887E9B189D2