Rhetoric and Persuasive Rhetoric

 Rhetoric: the art of communicating ideas.  Persuasive Rhetoric: reasoned arguments in favor or against particular beliefs or courses of action

 Will engage both the mind and the emotions of its readers or audience  Writer needs to show that his or her position has a firm moral basis.  Examples:  Two wrongs do not make a right. Why then would people advocate for the death penalty? If a society is trying to show that murdering others is wrong, then murdering one that commits a crime sets a lousy example.  What is the moral basis in the above argument?

 Clearly states the issue and a position  Gives an opinion and supports it with facts and reasons  Takes opposing views into account  Uses sound logic and effective language  Concludes by summing up reasons or calling for action

 Logical Appeals  Emotional Appeals  Ethical Appeals

 Provide rational arguments to support writers’ claims  Example: “Declaration of Independence”  Claim: All men are created equal  Argument: King George has committed “injuries and usurpations” that deny those in the colonies their basic rights. Writers then list these injuries. (The list of injuries is the logical appeal).

 This appeal can be made in two different ways:  Deductively: Writer begins with a generalization and then proceeds to give examples and facts that support this claim. ▪ General to specific  Inductively: Writer begins with examples and facts and the reader draws conclusions from them. ▪ Specific to general  Is the Declaration of Independence inductively or deductively reasoned?

 Appeals to emotion are based on specific examples of suffering or potential threats.  Often include “loaded language”, which is language that is rich with connotations and vivid images.  Example: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”  Someone advocating against capital punishment might detail a specific example of when someone was exonerated from a crime after they were already put to death.

 Based on shared moral values.  Call forth the audience’s sense of right, justice, and virtue.  Two wrongs do not make a right. Why then would people advocate for the death penalty? If a society is trying to show that murdering others is wrong, then murdering one that commits a crime sets a lousy example.

 Elevated Language  Rhetorical Questions  Repetition

 Formal words and phrases can lend a serious tone to a discussion.  Example:  “The powerful empire of nature is no longer surrounded by prejudice, fanaticism, superstition, and lies. The flame of truth has dispersed all the clouds of folly and usurpation.” – Olympe de Gouges from “Declaration of the Rights of Woman”

 These are questions that do not require answers.  Writers pose rhetorical questions to show that their arguments make the answers obvious.  Example:  “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?” – Patrick Henry

 Repeating a point or word that tells the audience that it is especially important.  Parallelism is another form of repetition. Rhythm of writing.  Example of parallelism:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident: --That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” – Thomas Jefferson from “Declaration of Independence

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 Identify the problem that is addressed and the solution that is proposed. Restate them in your own words.  Analyze the writer’s presentation of his argument. What rhetorical tools does he use?  Analyze the evidence used to support the argument. What facts support the writer’s opinion?  Consider how the writer appeals to logic, emotions, and ethics of his audience.  Evaluate the credibility of Atticus. What motivations might lie behind it?