Transcript Rhetorical Devices slideshow

Rhetorical Devices
Part 2
These devices are more obscure than the
typical allusion, personification or metaphor.
Rhetorical Questions
These questions aren’t asked with the intention of
eliciting a response, rather, they’re there to cause the
audience to question the other side – and, in turn,
accept yours. They attract the audience’s attention and
gain interest because the audience supplies the answer
“How many times do I have to tell you to do your
homework?” does not invite a response.
One can see the effectiveness of a rhetorical question in
this famous examples from Sojourner Truth’s speech “Ain’t I
a woman?”
“That man over there says that women need to be helped
into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best
place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or
over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a
woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and
planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head
me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as
much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as
well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children,
and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out
with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I
a woman?”
Quotes
Writers who smoothly incorporate the words of others
into their works will seem more credible
If an author is arguing over an issue that confuses you,
and he or she offers quotes from individuals who seem
qualified to understand the matter, you’ll be more
likely to believe them
One note: If the author cites people that seem
unqualified to comment on the issue at hand, the
quotes can undermine their credibility.
Deductive Reasoning and Syllogism
Deduction is the process of moving from a formally
stated premise (or premises) to a logically valid
conclusion.
This means that writers must move from general
descriptions to specific or particular conclusions. The
process allows writers to lead their audiences down a
specific rhetorical path – until they “logically” reach
the same conclusion as the author!
Syllogism
Syllogism starts an argument with a reference to something
general and from this it draws conclusion about something
more specific.
Example: We start with a general argument “All men are
mortal,” we know that “John is a man” so “John is mortal.”
It is a deductive approach to reason and is based on
deducing specific conclusions from general facts.
We notice in the above example that Syllogism is a threepart set of statements; a major statement or premise, a
minor statement or premise and a conclusion that is
deduced. Therefore, “All men are mortal” is a major
statement or premise which stands as a general fact. “John
is a man” is minor statement or premise that is specific and
“John is mortal” is the logical conclusion deduced from the
two prior statements.
Fallacies
These are fundamentally flawed arguments that cannot
be defended logically.
Instead of the “if p, then q” or “if not-p, then not-q”
style of argument, fallacies fall into a “if p, then q…if
not-q, then not-p” form – they’re backward!
In order to use a fallacy for maximum effect, a writer
must convince the audience that his argument is not
flawed, and that his illogic is actually logical.
Ex: “If we guillotine the king, then he will die.
Therefore, if we don't guillotine the king, then he won't
die.”
Equivocation
This refers to instances when writers shift the meaning
of an important word in the middle of an argument.
The reason that the distinction between “creative” and
“creativity” is important – one refers to something that
the artists can do, while the other dares them to do
something that they aren’t qualified to perform!
It’s a fairly sneaky way of making an argument or
charge – which is why it’s usually effective
Either/Or Fallacy
Simply put, this is when people ignore the nuances
of life – when they assume that extremes are our
only choices instead of recognizing multiple
possibilities.
Ex: “People are either inherently good or evil.” Do
good people behave well at all times? Is an evil
person incapable of positive action?
Overgeneralization
Presenting situations as “all” or “none” usually
results in an invalid argument; there are usually
exceptions that need to be considered.
Overgeneralization saps an argument of its
effectiveness.
Begging the Question
The fallacy of begging the question occurs when an argument's
premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting
it. In other words, you assume without proof the stand/position,
or a significant part of the stand, that is in question. Begging the
question is also called arguing in a circle.
Examples:
o
Erica: "How do you know that the bible is divinely inspired?"
Pedro: "Because is says right in the third chapter of II Timothy
that 'all scripture is given by divine inspiration of God.'"
o
Thoughts are not part of the physical world, since thoughts are
in their nature non-physical.
o
Happiness is the highest good for a human being, since all other
values are inferior to it.
o
Of course smoking causes cancer. The smoke from cigarettes is
a carcinogen.
Argument Ad Hominem
Ad hominem refers to “attacks against the person.”
It’s an attempt by the writer to distract you from the
issue at hand by focusing instead on the credibility of
his or her opponent.
This technique is usually used by authors who cannot
win a debate based on the soundness or logic of their
position; it’s a last-gasp effort to convince the reader
to join their side, rather than convince them that their
side is the correct one.
Subordination and Coordination
Subordination indicates that one clause (Clause A) is
more important than another (Clause B)
Coordination, on the other hand, indicates that
both clauses are equally important or independent
of one another
You can usually detect whether a clause is
subordinate or coordinate by the presence of the
coordinating conjunctions for, and, nor, but, or,
yet, or so.
Parallelism
This refers to the repetition of words or phrases
that have similar grammatical structures.
The overall effect is one of emphasis, and often
makes a writer’s argument seem more structured.
Parallelism is popular in proverbs and idioms, as the
parallel structure makes the sayings easy to
remember and more rhetorically powerful.
There are many famous quotes that show parallelism:

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If
you want to be happy, practice compassion.” —Dalai Lama

“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting
what you get.” —Dale Carnegie

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by
what we give.” —Winston Churchill

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you
can do for your country.” —John F. Kennedy

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those
who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t
mind.” ― Bernard M. Baruch
Some Other Terms

Logos: Appealing to one’s reason or logic

Pathos: Appealing to one’s emotion or pity

Ethos (Credibility), or ethical appeal, means
convincing by the character of the author. We
tend to believe people whom we respect. One of
the central problems of argumentation is to
project an impression to the reader that you are
someone worth listening to.