Introduction to Rhetoric

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Introduction to Rhetoric

• August 27-September 18

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Introduction to Rhetoric

• Definitions of rhetoric
• The study of effective, persuasive language use
  according to Aristotle, use of the available
  means of persuasion (Shea 1).
• What does it mean to be skilled at rhetoric?
• One has the tools to resolve conflicts without
  confrontation, to persuade readers or listeners
  to support their position, or move others to take
  action.
• Examples?

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The Rhetorical Triangle

• Also called the Aristotelian triangle, because he
  first described the interaction among subject,
  speaker/writer, and audience.
• This triangle will help you to consider the
  different components of any written or spoken
  work and how they influence the final product.

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The Rhetorical Triangle
Content
Exigency
Intention
Expectations
Exigency
Exigency
Audience
Speaker/Writer
Tone
Context
Exigency
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Canons

• Invention
• Finding ways to persuade.
• Arrangement
• Putting together the structure of a coherent
  argument.
• Style
• Presenting the argument to stir the emotions.
• Memory
• Speaking without having to prepare or memorize a
  speech.
• Delivery
• Making effective use of voice, gesture, etc.

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Einstein Letter

• Vote, raise your hand if
• You found Einsteins letter effective
• You did not find Einsteins letter effective
• Why or why not?
• What elements of rhetoric are represented here?

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Ethos

• From the Greek for character
• Authors appeal to ethos to show that they are
  credible and trustworthy. They often use
• Appeals to shared values,
• A pre-existing reputation,
• A tone of reason and goodwill,
• Types of information that create a good
  impression.
• Examples?

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Logos

• From the Greek for embodied thought, or
  reason
• Requires a clear main idea or thesis, which must
  be logical and supported with evidence.
• Often, these appeals rely on an assumption and
  they acknowledge counterarguments.
• In acknowledging counterarguments, authors
  concede that opposing arguments may be true, but
  then refute the validity of all or part of the
  argument.
• This process strengthens the authors argument.
• Examples?

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Pathos

• From the Greek for emotion
• Should be used in conjunction with another type
  of appeal, in which case pathos adds an important
  dimension because it engages the emotions of the
  audience.
• Arguments that only use pathos are weak by
  definition and are generally propagandistic in
  purpose and more polemical than persuasive.
• Examples?

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Warm Up

• Take a look at the image above, which at first
  glance depicts the familiar stars and stripes of
  the American flag. But a second glance reveals
  corporate logos rather than stars. Study the
  picture carefully and write for 2-3 minutes about
  the emotions that the image arouses in you. Do
  you respond first to the flag and then to the
  logos? What clash of emotional appeals do you see
  here? Try your hand at creating one or two
  possible titles or captions for this image.

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Exercise 1

• To what specific emotions do the following
  slogans, sales pitches, and maxims appeal? 
• Just do it. (ad for Nike)
• Think different. (ad for Apple Computers)
• Yes we can! (2008 presidential slogan for
  Barack Obama)
• Its everywhere you want it to be. (slogan for
  Visa)
• Thinking Point What is the benefit of striking
  the right emotional chord with your audience?
  What happens to your audience if they trust you?

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Appeals

• What is the emotional impact of a Newsweek cover
  like this one, which appeared on May 1, 2006,
  following initial indictments in what became
  known as the Duke University rape case? Does the
  magazine seem to be taking sides?

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SOAPSTone

• SOAPSTone is an acronym representing a series of
  questions you must ask yourself, then answer as
  you plan a composition. Some of these elements
  will be familiar from the rhetorical triangle.
• S Speaker
• O Occasion
• A Audience
• P Purpose
• S Subject
• Tone

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SOAPSTone Practice

• Turn on pg. 12 of your Sheas book. There you
  will find an excerpt from Homers The Iliad.
• Read the provided context, then perform a
  SOAPSTone analysis on the excerpt with someone
  sitting near you. Each person should write out
  the elements of the analysis.

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September 7/12

• Objectives
• Assess the use of appeals in political language.
• Analyze visual rhetoric.
• Warm Up
• Review Priams speech on pg. 12 of your Sheas
  book and identify all elements of the rhetorical
  triangle in it. Return to your triangle notes to
  make sure that you address all pieces of the
  triangle and all of the elements that surround
  and influence it. In addition, do you think that
  Achilles would return Hectors body based on this
  speech?

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Priams Speech
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Exercise 1 Practice recognizing appeals.

• Note Authors use a combination of all three
  appeals in their writing. For the purpose of this
  exercise, determine the most dominant appeal and
  explain why it is effective in persuading an
  audience.
• 1. Thank you, Ohio. Its good to be back in
  the Buckeye State. And its a privilege to be
  here with two good friends - your great governor,
  John Kasich and your outstanding senator, Rob
  Portman. Governor Kasich is doing a great job
  despite the head winds from Washington. As
  President, I can't wait to work with Senator
  Portman to turn those Obama headwinds into
  pro-job policies that will help working families
  all across Ohio. Mitt Romney

Ethos
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Exercise 1 Practice recognizing appeals.

• 2. I tell the class, Im legally blind. There
  is a pause, a collective intake of breath. I feel
  them look away uncertainly and then look back.
  After all, I just said I couldnt see. Or did I?
  I had managed to get there on my ownno cane, no
  dog, none of the usual trappings of blindness.
  Eyeing me askance now, they might detect that my
  gaze is not quite focused they watch me glance
  down, or towards the door where someones coming
  in late. Im just like anyone else. --
  Georgina Kleege, Call It Blindness

Pathos
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Exercise 1 Practice recognizing appeals.

• 3. The cause of peace requires all free nations
  to recognize new and undeniable realities. In the
  20th century, some chose to appease murderous
  dictators, whose threats were allowed to grow
  into genocide and global war. In this century,
  when evil men plot chemical, biological and
  nuclear terror, a policy of appeasement could
  bring destruction of a kind never before seen on
  this earth. Terrorists and terror states do not
  reveal these threats with fair notice, in formal
  declarations - and responding to such enemies
  only after they have struck first is not
  self-defense, it is suicide. The security of the
  world requires disarming Saddam Hussein now.
  
  --George Bush's war ultimatum speech from the
  Cross Hall in the White House

Logos
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Visual Rhetoric

• Weve talked some about war propaganda, but have
  focused our discussion mostly on speeches and
  written work.
• What do you think may play a role in visual
  rhetoric?
• Satire An ironic, sarcastic, or witty
  composition that claims to argue for something,
  but actually argues against it.

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Visual Rhetoric
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Visual Rhetoric

• This cartoon was published on the occasion of
  Rosa Parkss death in 2006.
• Elements of the rhetorical triangle
• Who is the speaker?
• Who is the audience?
• How does Toles interact with his audience?
• What is his intention/purpose?
• What kinds of appeals do you think are present?
  Why?

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Tips for Analyzing a Visual Image
from The Longwood guide to Writing, 4th ed.
Ronald F. Lunsford and Bill Bridges, eds.

• How does the image work with any caption or title
  given? Does that caption or title help explain
  the image or set a context for it? If there are
  other words in the image itself, how do they work
  with the graphic elements?
• How is the image designed? What catches your eye
  first, second and so on? Why is your eye drawn to
  these elements in this order?
• How does this image resonate with other images
  youve seen before?
• What associations do you have with the image? Are
  these positive? Negative? Why?
• Answer these questions to analyze the two
  following cartoons.

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Visual Rhetoric
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Visual Rhetoric
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Visual Rhetoric

• Conduct a brief SOAPSTone analysis of the cartoon
  you are about to see.
• Do you think that the cartoonist is effective
  (does he reach his audience with this cartoon)?
  Why or why not?
• What appeals does the cartoonist use? Make sure
  to explain your answers.

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Visual Rhetoric
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Visual Rhetoric

• Conduct a brief SOAPSTone analysis of the cartoon
  you are about to see.
• Do you think that the cartoonist is effective
  (does he reach his audience with this cartoon)?
  Why or why not?
• What appeals does the cartoonist use? Make sure
  to explain your answers.

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Visual Rhetoric
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Visual Rhetoric Homework

• Think What similarities were there in the two
  cartoons?
• Visually?
• Thematically?
• Write A paragraph in which you compare the
  rhetorical effectiveness of the two political
  cartoons. What elements of rhetoric did the
  cartoonists use well? What appeals did they use
  or attempt to use? Why did it go well or poorly?
• Remember This should not be a treatment of your
  own political preference. It should be an
  analysis of rhetoric.

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Quick Review

• Define the following terms
• Ethos
• Pathos
• Logos
• Persona

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Closing

• Quickfire Questions
• Where does intention fall on the rhetorical
  triangle?
• How does context differ from exigency on the
  rhetorical triangle?
• What is the difference between subject and
  purpose in a SOAPSTone analysis?
• Which kind of appeal focuses on emotions?
• Which kind of appeal frequently addresses a
  counterargument?
• This is the character or voice that a speaker
  or writer assumes.