The Language of composition Chapter One An Introduction to Rhetoric: Using the “Available Means” The Language of composition Reading, Writing, Rhetoric

What is Rhetoric? Defined by Aristotle as “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” Leads to effective communication And it’s important because… use the “available means,” acquire a position of strength

Key Elements of Rhetoric Rhetoric can be studied in relation to both spoken and written words July 4, 1939 – Lou Gehrig delivers a speech to baseball fans ** Alt version of audio

Key Elements – Context / Purpose What is context? What was Gehrig’s context? - between double header - contrast between celebration and “bad break” What was his purpose? - remain positive - is straightforward, honest, focused Other general purposes? Beware of contextual bias

Key Elements – Thesis / Speaker Claim, Assertion, Thesis: clear and focused Gehrig: “luckiest man on the face of the earth” Subject: baseball! Gehrig knows it well Speaker: common man, baseball player, modest, courageous, not orator… he explicitly showed these traits of himself All of theses elements combined to make Gehrig’s speech one of the most famous of the early 20th century

Rhetorical / Aristotelian Triangle Shows interaction Interaction determines structure and language of “argument” Speaker Audience Subject

Rhetorical / Aristotelian Triangle Subject: topic, background, evidence Speaker: sometimes author, sometimes persona Persona examples: student, concerned citizen, activist, expert, etc. Audience: knowledge? attitude? bias? How do these interactions affect the argument?

Rhetorical Appeals - Ethos Ethos is the appeal to the character of the speaker, to demonstrate that they are credible and trustworthy Sometimes reputation is enough Sometimes tone is enough Often an appeal to ethos is found explicitly within the argument Ethos gives the audience a reason for listening

Rhetorical Appeals - Logos Logos is an appeal to reason (logic) by offering clear, rational ideas Achieved through clear thesis with specific and sufficient support Based on an assumption or underlying belief (Gehrig example: Bad breaks are natural and inevitable) Logos includes counterargument: concession and refutation

Rhetorical Appeals - Pathos Pathos is the appeal to emotions of the audience Not often effective by itself Accomplished through choice of language, personal anecdotes… whatever engages emotions of audience Language = connotation Visuals can add to pathos Propaganda – relies almost wholly on pathos… unique situation because of audience

Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Practice Read aloud: Article “We Can Afford to Give Parents a Break” on Page 6-8

Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Practice “Our government” – she is part of it, she is critical on behalf of audience Her credentials as researcher Location (context) of publication/audience establishes ethos

Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Practice Her frame as an economic issue is appeal to logic Uses cause/effect examples Addresses the opposition – “myths”

Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Practice Occasion of Mother’s Day– even though she doesn’t ID herself as a mother

Synthesizing our learning… If time allows: Article on Twitter, in pairs Collected Homework: Assignment, pg 9 (Albert Einstein letter) – follow instructions in book.

Visual Rhetoric Elements of Rhetoric can also be applied to visual texts Political cartoons, advertisements, visual aids Sometimes satirical, not always Rosa Parks cartoon, pg 11: subject, speaker, audience, context, purpose, ethos, pathos, logos

Rhetoric from Literature Literature is also persuasive Example: Julius Caesar speech How does Antony appeal to ethos, pathos and logos??

Arrangement Organization of a piece is also part of rhetoric Beginning, middle, end - - intro, body, conclusion Arrangement depends on purpose and intended effect Not always conscious, but should be considered

Classical Model Introduction – Any number of paragraphs. Piques interest in some way. Establish ethos. Narration – Factual and background material. Establishes the “why.” Appeal to logos OR pathos. Confirmation – Development of proof. Examples. Appeal to logos. Refutation – Addresses counterargument. Can appear anywhere within argument. Appeal to logos. Conclusion – Answers the question “so what?” Brings it all together. Appeal to pathos and ethos (reminder)

Patterns of Development Arrangement according to purpose Author’s purpose suggests a particular method of arrangement Organize an entire text, or paragraphs within one

Narration Telling a story or recounting events Based on personal experience or observation Usually chronological, detailed Has a point of view and sometimes dialogue Think of it as crafting a story… that supports your thesis! Often used as a way to introduce topics

Description Often with narration Emphasis on details, not story Establish a mood or atmosphere Not used alone… ineffective Vivid description can make your writing more persuasive Examples: Ehrenreich and Orwell

Process Analysis Explains how something works, how to do something, or how it was done Clarity Logical, chronological, thorough Ex. Writing about a scientific experiment or survey. In Psych, papers start with methodology

Exemplification Providing a series of examples: facts, specifics Makes argument clearer and more persuasive Inductive reasoning: a series of examples leads to a conclusion A few very thorough examples can be just as convincing as several brief ones

Comparison and Contrast Juxtaposing two things to highlight similarities and difference Use to analyze information, to reveal insights Some AP prompts are like this! Analyze differences in style Subject by subject: discuss all elements of one, then the other ORRRR Point by point: organized around specific ideas of comparison

Classification and Division Sorting material into major categories Writer’s task is to develop own categories, find a way to break it down into parts Example: Amy Tan’s “Englishes” classification

Definition Lay common ground in an essay Ex: define “successful” if that’s what your essay is addressing Can be a simple paragraph, or the point of an entire paper Ex: essay defining family

Cause and Effect Be wary of establishing factual causes: not every “cause” directly causes an effect (logic flaws)

Patterns of Development Assignment: pg. 26 – examine arrangement / patterns of development in “We Can Afford to Give Parents a Break”