The Art of Rhetoric Aristotle’s Appeals

Who is Aristotle? Aristotle (384 – 322 BCE) wrote an amazing range of subjects – from logic, philosophy, and ethics, to physics, biology, psychology, and rhetoric.

Rhetoric (n): the art of persuasion The goal of persuasion is to change others’ point of view or to move others to take action Ethos – ethics, image Pathos – emotions (passion) Logos – logic

Ethos Ethical or moral argument Speaker must establish credibility and prove that he or she has expertise in the subject matter Trustworthiness Celebrity endorsement

Ethos

Ethos

Ethos Specific persuasive techniques that fall under ethos include – Testimonial Bandwagon ‘Plain folks’

Testimonial An important person or famous figure endorses a product

Bandwagon This technique tries to persuade everyone to join in and do the same thing

‘Plain Folk’ Appeal The speaker presents him or herself as an “Average Joe,” a common person who can understand and empathize with a listener’s concerns The speaker must portray himself or herself as someone who has had a similar experience to the listener, and knows why they may be skeptical or cautious about accepting the speaker’s point of view

Pathos Emotional argument Accept a claim based on how it makes you feel May persuade you with fear, love, patriotism, guilt, hate, or joy Can be manipulative Tugs at your heart strings EX:

An advertisement using pathos will attempt to evoke an emotional response in the consumer Sometimes it is a positive emotion such as happiness – an image of people enjoying themselves while drinking Pepsi Other times, advertisers will use negative emotions such as pain – a person having back problems after buying the “wrong” mattress

Types of Pathos Appeals Appeal to pity Appeal to vanity Appeal to fear Appeal to values/ethics Loaded language Transfer Emotionally loaded language examples: freedom, cruel, abused, neglected, damaging, shameful, starving, suffering – words used specifically to evoke an emotional response or reaction

Pathos – Loaded Language Wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes

Pathos – Transfer A technique of projecting positive or negative qualities (praise or blame) of a person, entity, object, or value (an individual, group, organization, nation, patriotism, etc.)

Logos Logical argument  “Oh, that makes sense” Appeal to intellect and reason Reasoning, facts and logic Numbers, polls, and statistics EX: Ad – fiber, digestion, immunity – health benefits of feeding your dog Pedigree

Examples of Logos in commercials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYBLA5cDHu8

Logos

Logos

EAT SPINACH

EAT SPINACH “I eat spinach, and look at me” “Eating spinach will help you grow big and strong and healthy” -Dr. Oz Ethos

EAT SPINACH “There are starving kids in other countries Who would love to be given spinach to eat” Pathos

EAT SPINACH Rich in Vitamin A & C Helps control cancer Helps protect against heart disease Logos

Ethos

Logos

Pathos

Logos

Pathos – patriotism

Ethos – dentist endorses Crest

"I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.” - Democratic Presidential Candidate Acceptance Speech by Barack Obama. August 28th, 2008. Ethos

- I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr. August 28th, 1963. "I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.” - I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr. August 28th, 1963. Pathos – What makes this a “pathos” appeal?

"However, although private final demand, output, and employment have indeed been growing for more than a year, the pace of that growth recently appears somewhat less vigorous than we expected. Notably, since stabilizing in mid-2009, real household spending in the United States has grown in the range of 1 to 2 percent at annual rates, a relatively modest pace. Households' caution is understandable. Importantly, the painfully slow recovery in the labor market has restrained growth in labor income, raised uncertainty about job security and prospects, and damped confidence. Also, although consumer credit shows some signs of thawing, responses to our Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices suggest that lending standards to households generally remain tight.” - The Economic Outlook and Monetary Policy by Ben Bernanke. August 27th, 2010. Logos

Many successful ads and speeches have ALL THREE appeals working together to create an effective argument.. SUCH AS [LOU GEHRIG EXAMPLE]

Rhetorical Devices Parallelism Repetition Analogy

Parallelism Uses similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance Often creates a rhythm “To err is human; to forgive divine.” We cannot, we must not, refuse to protect the right of every American to vote in every election … And we ought not, and we cannot, and we must not wait another eight months before we get a bill. -From “We shall Overcome” by Lyndon Baines Johnson

Repetition Uses the same word or words more than once for emphasis Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water, and salt for all. - From “Glory and Hope” by Nelson Mandela

Analogy Makes a comparison between two subjects that are alike in some ways Having kids is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain. Have you heard the canned, frozen and processed product being dished up to the world as American popular music today? - From a commencement address by Billy Joel