A Short Introduction to Rhetoric Rhetoric is the Art of Persuasive Language Writers and speakers use Rhetoric to convince readers and listeners to do something or to think something. Think of every time you want to get your way. You are using rhetoric without knowing it!

Various Meanings of "rhetoric": The meaning of the word "rhetoric" seems to differ depending on how the word is used and who's using it. You've probably heard politicians some time or another dismiss the positions of their opponents as "mere rhetoric." You're probably also familiar with the idea of a rhetorical question—a question that is meant to make a point and not meant to be answered directly.

For our purposes -- "Rhetoric" is simply the ways in which we try to persuade a given audience, for a given purpose. Here are some classic (and some would say less- than-reputable) examples of rhetoric: When a politician tries to get you to vote for him or her, he or she is using rhetoric. When a lawyer tries to move a jury, he or she is using rhetoric. When a government produces propaganda, it is using rhetoric. When an advertisement tries to get you to buy something, it is using rhetoric. When the president gives a speech, he is using rhetoric. When a news organization reports on an event, they are using rhetoric.

Rhetoric throughout most of history referred to the arts of speechmaking and oratory. In this class, we will use it to refer to persuasion that occurs through any medium, not just text or speech. Eventually, I hope you start to see all communication as rhetorical—that is, as a set of deliberate, strategic decisions that someone made to achieve a certain purpose with a certain audience.

The Rhetorical Triangle A way of thinking about what's involved in any communication/persuasion scenario. The 3 elements of The Rhetorical Triangle are: a speaker or writer (who performs the rhetoric), an audience (the people addressed), and a purpose (the message communicated with the audience)

The Rhetorical Triangle Writer/Speaker Audience Purpose/Message

The Rhetorical Appeals: Aristotle (an ancient Greek philosopher) identified three major tactics that we use when we go about persuading people. We call these tactics rhetorical appeals Aristotle taught that a speaker’s ability to persuade an audience is based on how well the speaker appeals to that audience in three different areas: Ethos (connected to the speaker) Logos (connected to the message) Pathos (connected to the audience)

Ethos An appeal to credibility It refers to the character or authority of the speaker/writer. As an audience, our perception of the speaker/writer's ethos is what leads us to trust them and believe what they say. It involves the trustworthiness and credibility of the speaker/writer Is the speaker/writer dependable? Is he/she knowledgeable? Can we trust him/her?

Pathos An appeal to emotion (think of empathy and sympathy) Appeal to human emotions (such as desire, fear, faith, or patriotism) within the audience/reader Uses the audience’s values and beliefs to affect them and move them to action.

Logos An appeal to logic frequently includes the use of research/evidence, data, statistics, and "objectivity." The argument is the focus of the text (like your thesis is the focus of your essay), and the evidence/reasoning is the logos being used to “prove” the argument is correct.

A More Complete Rhetorical Triangle Writer/Speaker Ethos (Appeal to Credibility of Writer) Audience Pathos (Appeal to Emotions, Beliefs, and Values) Purpose/Message Logos (Appeal to logic: Facts, Research, Data)

The best arguments contain more than one type of appeal! It's important to recognize that ethos, pathos, and logos appeals are rarely found independently of each other, and that complex and effective persuasion usually involves all of them in some combination.

“Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy calls attention to ethical qualities of the speaker (US president) and listener (proud Americans) (ethos) proposes a solution to the country’s problems by enlisting the citizens’ help (logos) calls forth emotional patriotism (pathos)

Imagine this: a small dog sits in a dark, cold garage Imagine this: a small dog sits in a dark, cold garage. His hair is matted and dirty; he is skinny and weak from going days without food. There is no water for him to drink, no person to give him love and no blanket to keep him warm at night. While this might be a hard scenario to imagine, it is not an uncommon one in America today. According to the Humane Society of the United States, nearly 1,000,000 animals are abused or die from abuse every year. As a veterinarian with 30 years of experience, I have seen how even one incidence of abuse can affect an animal for the rest of its life. As a society, we need to be more aware of this terrible problem and address this issue before it gets worse.

The full Rhetorical Triangle Message Logos Tone Style Occasion Ethos Pathos Speaker Audience Purpose

In order to break down a text and understand HOW and WHY the speaker is using rhetoric, we must look at each piece of the full rhetorical triangle using SOAPSTone. The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest landmarks of human history. By putting the two opposite ideas together, he makes the audience think about the subtle shades of difference between the concepts: “looking forward” and “looking backward”

SOAPSTone SOAPSTone is a strategy used to better analyze rhetorical non-fiction passages. It is an acronym that stands for Speaker Occasion Audience Purpose Subject Tone

SOAPSTone In short, these are the questions we must answer about the text for each step of SOAPSTone. Speaker- Who? What do we know about them? Occasion- When? What inspired the author to write this? Audience- For whom? Who is this written for? Purpose- Why? What is the reader meant to learn? How are they meant to be affected? Subject- What? What are the topics/ideas? Tone- How? What is the author’s attitude about the subject? AND What style (diction, syntax, etc.) do they use to persuade the audience?

SOAPSTone Practice Thank you for everything. My last ask is the same as my first. I'm asking you to believe—not in my ability to create change, but in yours. — President Obama (@POTUS44) January 11, 2017 Speaker Occasion Audience Purpose Subject Tone

Once you’ve broken down the text with SOAPSTone You can understand WHAT this author’s really trying to accomplish with their words/ideas and WHY they are presenting their message and themselves to that audience in that way. Then you can pick up on the patterns they use to do this, like their rhetorical devices. The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest landmarks of human history. By putting the two opposite ideas together, he makes the audience think about the subtle shades of difference between the concepts: “looking forward” and “looking backward”

Rhetorical Devices Aphorism A concise statement designed to make a point. Examples: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” “Order and simplification are the first steps towards the mastery of a subject. ” The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest landmarks of human history. By putting the two opposite ideas together, he makes the audience think about the subtle shades of difference between the concepts: “looking forward” and “looking backward”

Rhetorical Devices Exclamation A forceful emotional statement. Examples: "Oh, the times! Oh, the morals!“ “There was no Collusion!” The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest landmarks of human history. By putting the two opposite ideas together, he makes the audience think about the subtle shades of difference between the concepts: “looking forward” and “looking backward”

Rhetorical Devices Parallelism The use of parts in a sentence that are grammatically the same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning, or meter. Examples: “Flying is fast, comfortable, and safe.” “My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.” The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest landmarks of human history. By putting the two opposite ideas together, he makes the audience think about the subtle shades of difference between the concepts: “looking forward” and “looking backward”

Rhetorical Devices Antithesis An opposition or contrast of ideas that is expressed through parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other. Examples: “They promised freedom and provided slavery“ “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins” The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest landmarks of human history. By putting the two opposite ideas together, he makes the audience think about the subtle shades of difference between the concepts: “looking forward” and “looking backward”

Rhetorical Devices Repetition Repeating the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer and more memorable. Examples: If you think you can do it, you can do it. “The wrong person was selected for the wrong job, at the wrong time, for the wrong purpose.” The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest landmarks of human history. By putting the two opposite ideas together, he makes the audience think about the subtle shades of difference between the concepts: “looking forward” and “looking backward”

Rhetorical Devices Anaphora A type of repetition - deliberately repeating the first part of the sentence/paragraph for effect Examples: “My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration.” “Don’t come late, don’t leave early, and don’t delay your work.” The use of contrasting ideas, “a small step” and “a giant step”, in the sentence above emphasizes the significance of one of the biggest landmarks of human history. By putting the two opposite ideas together, he makes the audience think about the subtle shades of difference between the concepts: “looking forward” and “looking backward”