Rhetorical Triangle

Warm-Up Today is 12/4 persuasion day 4 Think about TV commercials. What makes a commercial effective? How do companies try to sell you stuff, and what works and doesn’t work? What are your favorite commercials?

Rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of ___communication___________________. The rhetorical _triangle____________ we are discussing today was developed by _Aristotle_______. Persuasive writers use both ___facts______ and ___opinions___ to make their points. The _main____ __idea___, however, must always be an ___opinion___.

The Rhetorical Triangle LOGOS (idea, message) ETHOS (form, manner) PATHOS (force, emotion)

The Rhetorical Triangle Every communication is essentially a trilateral relationship.  Each point of the triangle influences the others, and all are influenced by the context of the communication.  Each point of the triangle bears some responsibility for the success of the communication, and each point of the triangle corresponds with one of Aristotle's three appeals (i.e., general means of persuasion). 

Main idea: Smoking is a bad thing. Rhetoric Greek Word What it Means Example Main idea: Smoking is a bad thing. Ethos Showing that the __author____ is someone worth trusting. I’ve been a smoker for four years, and I ended up very sick.

Ethical Appeal - Ethos sense you (author) give as being competent/fair/authority trustworthiness credibility reliability expert testimony reliable sources fairness

Main idea: Smoking is a bad thing. Rhetoric Greek Word What it Means Example Main idea: Smoking is a bad thing. Pathos Trying to make the __audience_____ feel strong ____emotions______. Just imagine your poor old grandmother sitting alone in her room coughing and hacking after a cigarette.

Emotional Appeals - Pathos appeal to beliefs and feelings higher emotions   belief in fairness love pity etc. lower emotions greed lust revenge

Main idea: Smoking is a bad thing. Rhetoric Greek Word What it Means Example Main idea: Smoking is a bad thing. Logos The __facts_____ or ___evidence___ that __supports___ an author’s point. Smokers are 65% more likely to have lung cancer than people who do not smoke.

Rational Appeal - Logos appeal to logical reasoning ability of readers facts case studies statistics experiments logical reasoning analogies anecdotes authority voices

Individual Work Complete the “Finding Ethos, Pathos, Logos” Worksheet at the back of your packet

Groupwork Each group will be assigned an exemplar speech. You will read and analyze the rhetoric in the speech, noting the pathos, logos, and, ethos. After reading your speech, synthesize your notes into a “Rhetorical Triangle” product. Your product may be a poster, a brochure,. In any case, it should contain at least 12 quotes, synopses, or symbols.

Menu Lyndon Johnson – “We Shall Overcome” Eisenhower – “Military-Industrial Complex” Frederick Douglass – “Hypocrisy of American Slavery” Eli Weisel – “The Peril of Indifference” Tony Blair “Address to Irish Parliament”

Projector Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 8 Group 7 DOOR TEACHER’S DESK

Individual Writing Individual writing: Write one of the following letters on a separate sheet of loose-leaf paper. In your letter, make sure to use at least one example of ethos, pathos, and logos. Your letter should be a full page in length. • A letter to a Berry teacher or administrator, suggesting a change in how the school could be run. • A letter to Batman, asking him to calm down and stop taking everything so seriously. • A letter to the weather, telling it to stop raining (or to start raining more often!). • Make sure to use ethos, pathos, and logos.