What is Rhetoric?

Defining Rhetoric The term rhetoric refers to the study, uses, and effects of written, spoken, and visual language the study of/ability to use language effectively Aristotle: “the faculty of observing in any case all of the available means of persuasion”

Ethos, Pathos, Logos The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories--Ethos, Pathos, Logos. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9C5Gc2Rka0YFd4aSZyWdKEFXtjVLMfEz The goal of argumentative writing is to persuade your audience that your ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else's.

Ethos, Pathos, Logos Ethos, Pathos and Logos are developed by using a combination of specific rhetorical strategies. A BALANCE of the three, ethos, pathos, logos, is often important. Each appeal potentially affects the others. Activity: With a partner, think about a modern situation or event that involves rhetoric and identify the ethos, pathos and logos of the event/situation. Explain your example to the class. If one says a writer had well-developed logos in a piece it may seem reasonable, but if that same person gets more specific and says that the logos was strong because of the author’s use of cause and effect analysis, process analysis and chronological organization—their point of view seems more believable! Too much of one may produce an argument that readers will either find unconvincing or that will cause them to stop reading.

Rhetoric Is “Everywhere” & an “Everyday” Thing A politician tries to get you to vote for her. A lawyer tries to convince a jury. An advertisement tries to get you to buy something. An employee writes an office memo. A newspaper offers their depiction of what happened. A scientist presents theories or results. A teenager makes a case for a later curfew. Thought itself is rhetorical - when you think, you engage in “inner argument,” or “inner persuasion” in order to reach a decision/act.

Rhetorical Situation Writer: Who is the writer? What type of writer is he or she? What stance is he or she taking? What are his or her beliefs, values, and assumptions? Audience: To whom is the writer writing? Why? What prior knowledge does the specific audience have? What expectations does the audience have? Issue: What is the text’s message? How is it constructed? How does the text create meaning? What is the purpose for writing? What contexts influence the text’s meaning? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-eRycqjzbg

Strategies in Sculpture: Maya Lin’s Vietnam War Memorial The monument generated considerable controversy because it refuses to celebrate the causes of war, and instead provides a place of grief, contemplation, and self-reflection. Some might call the Vietnam Veterans Memorial an anti-monument. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n1JEcFCTrw Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial generated considerable controversy because it refuses to celebrate the causes of war, and instead provides a place of grief, contemplation, and self-reflection. "Like an anti-monument, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial creates an alternative to the didactic monologue articulated by traditional built symbols of national identity.

Why these choices for a memorial Why these choices for a memorial? Talk with your neighbor about what strategies these choices might represent? The wall is V-shaped. One side points to the Lincoln Memorial and the other to the Washington Monument. It is made of reflective black granite. Water is featured heavily in the memorial. There is a Civil Rights component to the memorial. The monument is built along a pathway that requires people to move along the small corridor of space on a downward trajectory, almost “into” the earth. Unlike many monuments, it lists all the names of U.S. soldiers who died, and it does so in chronological rather than alphabetic order. Rank, unit, and decorations are not given.

Rhetorical Analysis Rhetorical analysis looks not only at what a text says, but at what it does. It includes consideration of the claims, devices and strategic “moves” an author makes in hopes of persuading an audience.

Using PACES PACES is an acronym used to remember the elements of rhetorical analysis. P= Project A= Argument C= Claims E=Evidence S=Strategies

PACES: Project An author’s purpose and the method used to carry it out. To articulate a project—and to write an account— you need a verb, such as “researches,” “investigates,” “studies,” “presents,” “connects A with B,” etc. Dr. Goodall presents her findings about primate social structure in an academic essay. Notice there is no arguable idea presented with the project/purpose.

PACES: Argument In the broadest sense, an argument is any piece of written, spoken, or visual language designed to persuade an audience or bring about a change in ideas/attitudes. In academic writing, the argument often refers to the main point, assertion or conclusion advanced by an author. Arguments are concerned with contested issues where some degree of uncertainty exists (we don’t argue about what is self-evident or agreed upon).

PACES: Claims To make a claim is to assert that something is the case, and to provide evidence for this. Arguments consist of numerous claims that, once proven, help convince others that the argument is valid. A short video on argumentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Ff0qo8E3I

PACES: Evidence The component of the argument used as support for the claims made. The support, reasons, data/information used to help persuade/prove an argument. Some types of evidence: facts, historical examples/comparisons, examples, analogies, illustrations, interviews, statistics (source & date are important), expert testimony, authorities, anecdotes, witnesses, personal experiences, reasoning, etc. To find evidence in a text, ask what the author has to go on. What is there to support this claim? Is the evidence credible?

PACES: Strategies Specific strategies are the building blocks of ethos, pathos, and logos. They work to strengthen one or more of the larger appeals. Strategies are means of persuasion, a way to get the reader’s/audience’s attention or ensure their understanding. Strategies do not always exist, nor are they employed, in a vacuum. Many strategies are used in conjunction with and enhance one another. For example, if the author uses narration, perhaps a story from a witness of a specific event, and that story involves vivid description and sensory detail, then the author is utilizing the strategies of narration and description simultaneously.

Context Rhetorical analysis requires an exploration of context to develop a deeper understanding of the text: Context of Author: What is known about the author that helps us better understand the text? What is her background, her other works, her political views, her culture? Context of Audience: Who is the intended audience? Does the intended audience have prior well-developed knowledge on the topic? In what ways does the author write to her audience? Context of History: What references to history does the author make? Are there historical events or movements related to the topic? Can historical connections help us understand the text? Context of the Larger Conversation: What are others in the contemporary setting saying about the issue? Are there conflicting ideas? Was information or other viewpoints not addressed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckr3y0PLiEc

Analyzing an Email http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=400w4XnjElI Discuss video: deconstruct the audience, purpose, persuasion, construction of ethos, strategies, etc.