When and where was this photograph taken? What is happening in this photo? What is the tone of this photograph? ½ page

The Art of Persuasion: Intro to Rhetorical Analysis

What is Rhetoric?

What is rhetoric? And why bother studying it? “the art of effective expression (speaking & writing) and the persuasive use of language” We study rhetoric because: it helps us to better appreciate appeals to our ethos, pathos, & logos (more on this to come) it helps us to become more effective persuasive speakers and writers

Examples? What are some of the techniques by which people use language persuasively? Jot these down in your notes

Maybe you named some of these examples: Formal diction leads readers/listeners to believe something is ethically or legally important Emotional diction (sometimes called “sensationalism”) leads readers/listeners to recognize that ideas expressed are important to the writer/speaker Allusion can associate a new idea to a traditionally respected source

Here is a real-life example of rhetoric in action… If you were trying to persuade a student to get to class on time, you might say, “it is CHS policy that students serve detention after three tardies”. What makes this statement effective?

The Definition You MUST Know Rhetoric: The act of choosing the most effective means of convincing or persuading an audience. Also, the choices made by the author in order to influence the audience and convey particular effects. What is said and how it is said are of equal importance. Rhetoric is, most importantly, about choice. The key question to ask is this; “Why did the author choose to use this strategy over any other? What is the intended effect on us as readers? How does this strategy help the author achieve his or her purpose?”

Ethos,logos, pathos

Ethos, Pathos, Logos Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that there are three basic ways to persuade an audience that you are right.

Ethos Persuasive appeal of one’s character. Tells us that the author is reliable and competent Example: “I am a father, a taxpayer, and have served you as senator for 20 years. I deserve your vote to continue my service.

Pathos Appeal to emotion (of course, meant to evoke emotional response) Example: “Imagine for a moment a tragic collision on the Parks Highway. A family is killed and many others are injured. The cause is determined to be frost heaves. We must use more state funds to pay for road improvements.”

Logos Appeal to reason (evokes a rational response) Example: “Alaska’s roads are in a state of disrepair. Without quality roads, our transportation system will falter and hinder our economy. Hence, we must use more state funds to pay for road repairs.”

Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle Writer/ Ethos Audience/ Pathos Context/ Logos

SOAPSTONE

Speaker/Author: Remember that the speaker cannot simply be the author/writer. A SPEAKER aims to create a particular persona. A persona (from “mask”) is the personality that the speaker projects and that the audience interprets from the work. A speaker also has a real-life background, a personal history. Analyze both persona and personal history to arrive at a complete understanding of a speaker.

Occasion: Remember that naming the occasion is not simply identifying the time/place. “…rhetorical transactions always take place in a context—a convergence of time, place, people, events, and motivating forces— that influences how the rhetor understands, analyzes, and generates the persona, the appeals, and the subject matter material. Second, every rhetorical transaction is designed to achieve an aim, a purpose, or an intention. Third, when rhetors consider what aim they hope to accomplish in a particular context, they select an appropriate type of text, or genre, to achieve that purpose” (Roskelly and Jolliffe 15).

QUESTIONS FOR ANALYZING OCCASION Ask:What is the genre of the piece? Is the text a memory? Speech? Letter? Critique? Argument? About what event? Where and when does the text take place? Also Ask: When was the piece written? What events occurred in the world at that time that may have influenced the speaker to create this piece? What were the prevailing beliefs at the time? What were the major philosophical outlooks? Scientific outlooks? Political outlooks? Social problems and trends?

Audience: The speaker or writer appeals to the audience through the three Aristotelian appeals; logos, ethos, and pathos. Ask: Who is the intended audience? Whose attention does the speaker seek to gain? To whom is the writer speaking? For example, in MLK’s “I Have a Dream,” he is not speaking to African Americans, but to readers who may harbor racial prejudices—perhaps to policy makers. Is the intended audience general or specific? Also treat this as the “flip-side” of the speaker: what does the audience believe? What are their biases—what do they like, dislike, want? What are the philosophies and belief systems among audience members?   Look for evidence in the text (and via inference) to support your interpretation of the intended audience.

Purpose “A rhetor’s intention is what he or she wants to happen as a result of the text, what he or she wants the audience to believe or do after hearing or reading the text. In some rhetorical situations, the rhetor knows his or her intention right from the start; in other situations, the intention becomes clear as the text evolves” (Roskelly and Jolliffe 17).

Purposes: explicit and implicit, and theses Purposes may be explicit or implicit (stated in a thesis, for example, or merely implied.) In either case, base your analysis of the purpose on all of the information you have so far gathered on the speaker, audience, and occasion—these offer clues as to the purpose of the piece. If the piece contains a thesis, state the thesis (either explicit or implicit). Do the same for any claims you find.

Subject The subjects of texts are often abstract—the right to die, racism, poverty, conformity, etc. They are concrete just as often— immigration reform laws, the Iraq War, application of the death penalty to a particular case, etc. When looking at concrete subject matter, it often helps to “look behind” the actual issue and try to peer into the speaker’s worldview, philosophies, assumptions, etc.—the abstracts behind the concrete.

TONE Tone: Tone is the attitude of the speaker towards his subject and audience. What is the speaker’s attitude towards his subject? Towards his audience? Use the tone words in Fast Track to a 5 for reference. DO NOT confuse tone with mood—mood is the audience side of this coin, while tone is analyzed from the perspective of the author.

Tone You must understand Logos, Ethos, and Pathos to understand the Tone Logos, Ethos, and Pathos all contribute to determining the Tone If you don’t recognize the Tone of the piece, you miss everything that follows