Persuasive Techniques and Rhetorical Devices

Persuasive Technique: Appeals Designed to sway the audience: Logical appeal builds a well-reasoned argument based on evidence such as facts, statistics, or expert testimony Emotional appeal attempts to arouse the audience’s feelings, often by using loaded words that convey strong emotions Ethical appeal is directed at the audience’s sense of morality or values. This type of appeal is linked to the audience’s perception of the trustworthiness and moral character of the speaker or writer.

Appeals Directions: Identify the following passages as logical, ethical, or emotional appeal and explain WHY it is the type you say. 1.“I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” 2.“Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned with contempt from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation.” 3.“Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.”

Rhetorical Devices Patterns of words and ideas that create emphasis and stir the audience’s emotions: – Charged Words – Rhetorical Questions – Repetition – Restatement – Parallelism – Antithesis – Allusions – Imagery

Imagery Imagery is words that appeal to the senses. – Sight – Hearing – Touch – Taste – Smell

Charged Words Charged words are words with strong connotations beyond their literal meaning that are likely to produce an emotional response. – Tyranny (evokes a feeling of fear, suggests living in a state of terror) – Liberty (suggests an ideal life characterized by freedom) – Justice (can be associated with freedom and equality) – Honor (evokes a sense of morality and dignity)

Charged Words He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

Charged Words He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. Contrast (technique?)

The Effect of Charged Words “Grandmother Arrested in Pot Sting” The fact that the person is a grandmother has no relevance to the fact that she was arrested on a drug charge. It may not even reflect the fact that she is old, since I’ve know grandmothers as young as 32. But the use of the term conjures up an image of a sweet, gentle person, and juxtaposed against the crime, elicits far more outrage than if the headline was “Local Woman Arrested in Pot Sting”

People are informed by facts, but moved by emotion. Which is stronger? Fast food is bad for you. - OR - Parents are murdering their children by feeding them fast food. Ultimately, they say the SAME thing and preface the SAME article!

Notice anything? it becomes necessary for one person to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another it is their duty, to throw off such government states need to strike out on their own What’s going on here? They ALL say the same thing! This is RESTATEMENT

How about this? Parents are actively engaged in their children’s academic conquests. Parents teachers on a daily basis about every dot and tittle. Parents won’t leave their children alone and let them work out assignments for themselves. Yep! Same thing – three different ways! RESTATEMENT!

Now YOU try it! Write a sentence that expresses an idea you feel strongly about. Then, write the same idea again, but in different words. Finally, one more time, write the SAME IDEA in DIFFERENT WORDS. That’s RESTATEMENT!!

What’s Going On Here? Mom came into my room when I was gone. I need to leave! Dad charges me for the gas I use in his car. I need to leave! My parents tell me where I can go. I need to leave! What part of this will you remember most? Why? Repetition pounds an idea into your head. How is it different from restatement?

What’s happening here? He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. What is this an example of? Parallelism (or Parallel Structure) EVERY item in this series is Verb+Direct Object – Plundered our seas – Ravaged our coasts – Burned our town

Understanding Parallelism Faulty Parallelism “For my own part, what ever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth: to know the worst and I will provide for it.” Effective Parallelism “For my own part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

Identifying Parallel Structure Directions: Identify the parallel elements in each of the following sentences. 1.Are we disposed to be of the number of those who having eyes see not, and having ears hear not? 2.Ask yourself how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. 3.They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. 4.Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded.

Structure of items? With malice toward none; with charity for all… Parts of Speech? Preposition+Noun+Preposition+Pronoun Parts of the Sentence? Prep+OP+Prep+OP

What is wrong here? He has invaded our homes in the middle of the night, and taking our stored provisions. This is NOT in parallel structure. The tense and corresponding verb construction is different. It should be “He has invaded our homes in the middle of the night and taken our ….” Both verbs must conjugate with has.

Fix these problems with parallelism: 1. An actor knows how to memorize his lines and getting into character. 2. Tell me where you were, what you were doing, and your reasons for doing it. 3. Clark's daily exercises include running, swimming, and to lift weights. 4. To donate money to the homeless shelter is helping people stay warm in the winter. 5. Jim not only likes working outside but also getting dirty.

Check Your Answers! 1. An actor knows how to memorize his lines and (how to) get into character. 2. Tell me where you were, what you were doing, and why you were doing it. 3. Clark's daily exercises include running, swimming, and lifting weights. 4. To donate money to the homeless shelter is to help people stay warm in the winter. 5. Jim likes not only working outside but also getting dirty.

How are these similar? Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Barry Goldwater Brutus: Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Shakespeare, Julius Caesar Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. Thomas Jefferson John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”

Antithesis opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction The idea is that they enhance one another, kind of like two halves of the perfect whole: yin and yang, sweet and sour, Good cop/Bad cop

Antithesis Poem I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Goodbye.” - – - “I Wish You Enough” written by Bob Perks, P.O. Box 1702, Shavertown, PA , USA

Antithesis-Needy Character Which character in The Great Gatsby is a model for the need for antithesis? Which character couldn’t appreciate birthdays, or Christmas, or presents? Why not? Because she had not experience want, Daisy was unable to appreciate all that she had.

In Oratory, Please… Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Barry Goldwater Brutus: Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Shakespeare, Julius Caesar Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. Thomas Jefferson Ask NOT what your country can do for you; ask what YOU can do for your country. -JFK

Let’s Hear From YOU! Step one: Name two things that, by their contrast, enhance each other. (a gentle brook/a raging river) Step two: Identify a noun or adjective associated with each of the things you named in Step one. (happiness (hello)/anger (goodbye)) Step three: Create two sentences, in parallel structure, linking the associated items you have identified. The gentle brook sings our first hello; the raging river roars our last goodbye.