INTRODUCTION TO RHETORIC

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INTRODUCTION TORHETORIC
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Rhetoric Defined

• Merriam-Webster definition
• Aristotle  "the ability to discover, in any
  given situation, the available means of
  persuasion" and, I would add, to use those means
  effectively, which is the theme of Aristotle's
  book Rhetoric as a whole.
• Kenneth Burke  "the use of language as a
  symbolic means of inducing cooperation in beings
  that by nature respond to symbols."

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The Rhetorical Situation

• Is a triangular relation among 3 elements
• SUBJECT/MESSAGE
• SPEAKER
  AUDIENCE

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This relationship takes place

• in a particular social and physical context.
• Social context the previous relations between
  speaker and audience
• Physical context where and when the
  relationship takes place

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The same elements carry different messages

• Depending on what context they occur in. For
  instance, if a woman talked to her daughter about
  sex when she was 11, and then again before the
  daughter moved away to go to college, the
  rhetorical situations would be very different.
• The same woman would talk about sex very
  differently with her husband, her female friends,
  her minister, and her marriage counselor.

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Three Modes of Persuasion

• Defined by Aristotle, these are
• LOGOS persuasion based upon logic
• ETHOS persuasion based upon the credibility of
  the speaker and
• PATHOS persuasion based on emotion.

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These three modes

• Also correspond to the points of the rhetorical
  triangle
• Logos -- SUBJECT
• Ethos --
  Pathos --
• SPEAKER
  AUDIENCE

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LOGOS Appeals to logic (The Mind)

• Uses definitions, analogies, factual data,
  statistics, and quotations
• Causes a cognitive, rational response
• FAVORED IN ACADEMIC SETTINGS,
• BUSINESS DOCUMENTS, LAW

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ETHOS Appeals to character, group values
(ethics)

• Presents author or speaker as being reliable,
  interesting, intelligent somebody worth
  emulating
• Appeals to our herd instinct desire to be
  accepted in a group
• OFTEN USED IN
• POLITICS, ADS

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PATHOS Appeals to emotions

• Emotionally loaded language
• Emotional, personal examples
• Evokes an emotional response
• MOST POWERFUL
• APPEAL, BUT ALSO
• MOST LIKELY TO
• BACKFIRE

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LOGOS/ETHOS/PATHOS

• These three basic tools are used in an enormous
  number of different ways.
• For instance, think of all the ways you know to
  present yourself differently to different
  audiences new acquaintance, friend, romantic
  interest, professor, boss, somebody you dont
  really want to be friends with but need to
  basically get along with, parent, priest or
  minister or rabbi or imam or guru.

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So In a rhetorical (persuasive) situation, what
do you do?

• Figure out very clearly what your subject and
  purpose are
• Figure out as much as you can about your
  audience
• Think about exactly how to use the three basic
  modes of persuasion to reach your goal with that
  audience.
• Following these steps is ALSO how you start to
  analyze the rhetorical techniques someone else
  a writer, salesman, politician, friend, enemy
  is using on you.