Using Rhetoric for Persuasion: Logos and Ethos In the following clip, how does The Onion (a fake news source) attempt to establish credibility by using rhetoric? How does the clip build ethos (that they are “credible” as a news source)? How does the clip use logos (to convince that the “drug” is real)? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RF70gWlNyw
Constructing an effective argument Rhetorical Appeals Constructing an effective argument
Discussion Question Discuss briefly at your group products or items that are often advertised using FEAR tactics—the producers nearly want to “scare” you into buying the product for fear of what your life will be WITHOUT the product. You might also consider what is advertised using fear to prevent people from buying a product.
Common Products that Advertisers Use to Inspire Fear: Cigarettes Vaccines Cleaning Products Home Security Systems Politicians Dietary Foods/Health Foods Insurance Companies Police/Fire Stations
What is Rhetoric? LANGUAGE = POWER The art of using language as a means to persuade The study of the effective use of language. Anticipating an audience’s concerns, beliefs, interests, and fears
Based on Aristotle’s idea- speaker’s ability to persuade is based on how well the speaker appeals to his or her audience in three areas:
Logos Logos (Logical) means persuading by the use of reasoning Argument based on evidence such as facts, statistics or expert testimony Audience feels as though it is commonsense or reasonable to buy the product or trust the company based on the ad presented.
Ethos Ethos (Credibility; ethical appeal) means convincing by the reputation and authority of the author Based on the audience’s perception of the trustworthiness and moral character of the speaker or writer We tend to believe people whom we respect. Audience knows the company to be moral (i.e. fair, “good”) or knowledgeable on the topic and trusts their opinion.
Ethos
Pathos Pathos is appeal based on emotion. Advertisements tend to be pathos-driven. Use vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details
Pathos
Activity: Fear in Advertisements
THE CRUCIBLE Thinking back to the events in The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, what type of rhetoric would you say the Puritans depended on the most when making accusations and deciding on the punishments of those accused? Explain your thinking. How important was ETHOS (appeal to someone’s “character”—job, morals, etc) in the Puritan’s world?