INTRODUCTION TO RHETORIC

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."

The Rhetorical Situation Is a triangular relation among 3 elements: SUBJECT SPEAKER AUDIENCE

This relationship takes place in a particular social, and physical context. In other words, it happens in a particular point in our relationships with other people (social context), and a particular place and time (physical context)

The same words carry different messages Depending on what context they occur in. For instance, if I spoke to you about the subject of grading at the beginning of the semester, and then again at the end of the semester, the rhetorical situations would be very different.

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.

These three modes Also correspond to the points of the rhetorical triangle: Logos -- SUBJECT Ethos -- Pathos -- SPEAKER AUDIENCE

LOGOS Appeals to logic (The Mind) Uses definitions, analogies, factual data, statistics, and quotations Causes a cognitive, rational response In ads, logos focuses on FEATURES of the product FAVORED IN ACADEMIC SETTINGS, BUSINESS DOCUMENTS, LAW

ETHOS Appeals to character, group values (social relations) Presents author or speaker as being reliable, interesting, intelligent: somebody worth emulating; or someone that cares about us Appeals to our herd instinct: desire to be accepted in a group OFTEN USED IN POLITICS, ADS

PATHOS Appeals to emotions Emotionally loaded language Emotional, personal examples Evokes an emotional response In ads, focuses on BENEFITS of the product. The most powerful appeal, but also the most likely to backfire.

The most effective messages Use all three of these “artistic appeals” (as Aristotle calls them). IMPORTANT: These three appeals are, in many ways, artificially separated. Ethos and pathos are especially hard to separate sometimes. Brain/heart problem

This is Peitho, the goddess of rhetoric “Pietho” in Greek means “persuasion.” She is often depicted as a close companion of Aphrodite, as seen here.

From Wikipedia Peitho […] was intimately connected to the goddess of love and beauty. The connection is even deeper in the context of Ancient Greek marriage because a suitor had to negotiate with the father of a young woman for her hand in marriage and offer a bridal price in return for her. The most desirable women drew many prospective suitors, and persuasive skill often determined their success.

David Simpson, DePaul University A fundamental psychological and rhetorical insight can be deduced from this scene, and it is a perception as old as the story of Troy and yet as contemporary as today's most advanced marketing techniques and advertising designs: Persuasion is strongest when in the company of desire.  All persuasion, that is to say, is ultimately a form of seduction. (Or as advertising people like to say, Sex sells.)    Effective persuasion, in other words, involves either the direct satisfaction of a need or the artful manipulation (through "trigger" words, alluring images, and other verbal or graphic stimuli) of latent desires. A corollary insight to this principle is that you can't sell anything--a candidate, a product, a proposal, an idea – until you make your audience want it.