A Review of Rhetoric

Key Elements of Rhetoric Rhetor: The speaker who uses elements of rhetoric effectively in oral or written text. Rhetoric: The art of analyzing all the choices involving language that a writer, speaker, reader, or listener might make a situation so that the text becomes meaningful, purposeful and effective; the specific features of texts, written or spoken, that cause them to be meaningful, purposeful, and effective for readers or listeners in a situation.

Key Elements of Rhetoric Rhetorical Choices: The particular choices a writer or speaker makes to achieve meaning, purpose, or effect. Rhetorical situation: the convergence in a situation of exigency (the need to write), audience and purpose. Rhetorical Triangle: more on this later.

When we read any text, we ask about the context in which it was written. This helps us identify the primary and secondary audiences. Then we consider the purpose. Is the speaker trying to win agreement? persuade us to action? evoke sympathy? make us laugh? inform, provoke, celebrate, repudiate? In other words—different audiences may perceive the same strategy differently! Context and Purpose

Context Sometimes context arises from current events or cultural bias. What is bias? Ex. Someone writes about freedom of speech in a community that has experienced hate graffiti must take that context into account and adjust the purpose of the piece so as not to offend the audience. Think of some examples where you would consider the context of what you have to say. Context

The Rhetorical Triangle Here it is, the Aristotelian rhetorical triangle The Rhetorical Triangle Speaker Audience Subject

Before you speak, or write rhetorically, you must consider your audience. What do they know about your topic? What do they feel about your topic? How will you communicate with them to listen to you? Note most speakers must communicate to more than one audience at the same time. When writing rhetorical analysis it is very important to not how different language choices appeal to difference groups of the audience. Audience

Ethos, Logos, and Pathos and Mythos Learn the terms then forget them…. Ethos- the credibility of the speaker Logos-the reasoning or logic in the speaker’s argument. Pathos- Emotion of the speech (not necessarily the speaker’s, but more explanation in a minute.) Mythos- Appeal to cultural values such as patriotism Ethos, Logos, and Pathos and Mythos

Another approach Acknowledge a counterargument. to anticipate objections or opposing views. You agree (concede) that an opposing argument may be true, but then you deny (refute) the validity of all or part of the argument. THIS STRENGTHENS YOUR ARGUMENT!!! It shows you really thought about it. Another approach

Key Rhetorical Terms to Know Tone: the author’s attitude towards his or her subject revealed through diction. Tone matters! Is is harder to communicate tone through the written word, which is essentially why emoji’s were invented. Diction: the author’s word choice. Syntax: sentence structure and parallelism (polysyndeton, asyndeton, antithesis, anaphora) Figurative Language (such as personification, imagery, metaphor, simile, euphemism,) Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and Mythos The Rhetorical Triangle Key Rhetorical Terms to Know