Warm up: Tell a story of a time when you were able to persuade (convince) someone to do something they didn’t want to do, or when you were able to get someone to believe something that wasn’t necessarily true: Let’s hear some awesome examples!

Rhetorical Analysis

California Content Standard: Writing Applications 2.4-B: Use specific rhetorical devices to support assertions (e.g., appeal to logic through reasoning; appeal to emotion or ethical belief; relate a personal anecdote, case study, or analogy).

CA-ELD Standard: Identify Media Messages: Cluster Two: Advanced Level: Identify strategies used by the media to present information for various purposes (to explain, persuade, entertain, etc.)

Objective: Through participating in a lecture, analyzing contemporary media examples, and creating a rhetorical ad campaign, students will demonstrate an ability to use specific rhetorical devices to support assertions (e.g., appeal to logic through reasoning; appeal to emotion or ethical belief; relate a personal anecdote, case study, or analogy).

HUH?: Students will understand the art of persuasion.

the art of rhetoric

Rhetoric: Speech, writing, or advertisements designed to persuade (convince), the audience towards a viewpoint or idea.

Background: Over 2,000 years ago the Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that there are three basic ways to persuade an audience to believe what you want them to believe: ETHOS, PATHOS and LOGOS.

Ethos Ethos appeals to the audience’s sense of ethics. The purpose of an ethos appeal is to convince the audience that you or your product is intelligent, honest, trustworthy, and has the best interest of the audience at heart.

Ethos Speakers and advertisers can use ethos appeals by dressing for the part, using appropriate language, and seeming relatable.

Pathos Pathos appeals to the emotions of the audience. Most people think they make their decisions based on rational thought; however, emotions such as anger, pity and fear powerfully influence our rational judgments.

Positive and Negative Pathos. Many advertisements use negative pathos by making people feel insecure about their attractiveness or social acceptability, and then offer a remedy for this feeling in the form of a product. Advertisers use positive pathos when they use celebrities or models that make the consumer feel like they will be like those people if they buy the product.

Logos Logos appeals to the audience’s sense of logic. Speakers and advertisers use logos to make their personal ideas/goals sound like they are common sense and the logical thing to think/do.

Logos When using logos the speaker/advertiser will often site unverified research and statistics, and ignore opposing view points and opinions.

Practice: Analyze the advertisement that you brought. Who is the intended audience? (where did you find the ad?) What claim is it trying to make? Does the wording or picture appeal to your emotions (pathos)? How? Is there evidence (logos) that proves their product is superior? Does the ad appeal to your ethics? (ethos) How do they seem reliable, or credible? Ex: The inclusion of a toll-free number or a Web site inviting consumers to gain more information has elements of both logos (implying the consumer is smart enough to want to know more) and ethos (suggesting the company is open and honest, offering a kind of partnership with the consumer). The ad uses pathos when…

OMG! I love being assessed! Final Assessment! OMG! I love being assessed!

Objective: Think of something real or fake that you would like to own, or you think you could easily sell, and create an advertisement that uses each of the rhetorical appeals to sell the item.

Directions: 1. Create a magazine advertisement that sells something you would like to own, or could easily sell. BE CREATIVE! Use color. Sell us a unicorn, or a piece of pocket lint. The sky is the limit! 2. You must use each rhetorical appeal at least once. (Logos, pathos and ethos) 3. You will turn in one piece of paper that articulates how you have used each of the rhetorical appeals and one piece of paper with the ad on it. (8.5x11 only)