Transcript What the heck is rhetoric?

Rhetoric, Rhetorical Devices
Review & Application
Rhetoric is...
• ...the art or study of using language effectively
• ...the art of communication and conversation
• ...the language of a particular group or subject
• ...the skill of using language effectively
• ...the skill of processing all the messages we send and receive
• ...the ability to process and understand ideas, emotions, and opinions
• ...persuasion
Rhetorical Analysis
• What are we doing when we complete a “rhetorical analysis”?
• We are analyzing all the language choices that a writer or speaker might
make in order to make the text meaningful, purposeful, and effective.
• This is the RHETORICAL PURPOSE.
• We are analyzing the specific features of the text that make it meaningful,
purposeful, and effective.
• These are the RHETORICAL TECHNIQUES.
• We are analyzing the potential effect of the text on the reader or listener.
• This is the RHETORICAL EFFECT.
The Rhetorical
Triangle
or
“The Aristotelian Triad”
a symbiotic relationship exists among
the writer, the reader, and the text
The Three Appeals
• LOGOS
• logic; rational argument
• a clear, reasonable central idea
• use of appropriate reasoning, examples, and/or details
• ETHOS
• ethics; the knowledge and values specific to a particular person, group, or culture that the writer
possesses (MLKJr – Civil Rights; George Brett – perfecting your swing)
• a central idea aligned with those values
• use of evidence that reflects those values
• PATHOS
• emotion; qualities that create an emotional reactions
• a central idea with an emotional pull
• use of evidence with a similar emotional pull
And then there’s …
Propaganda
• Propaganda – something written or spoken with the intention of making people
believe what you want them to believe
• Selection – the speaker selects only those facts that are suitable for his
purpose
• Repetition – the speaker repeats statements often enough that the audience
begins to believe them
• Lying – the speaker says whatever he has to say in order to influence the
audience
• Rhetorical questions – the speaker asks questions that do not require an
answer
• Pinpointing the enemy – the speaker identifies a person or group for the
audience to blame for all problems
• Assertion – the speaker makes bold statements instead of making reasonable
arguments
Rhetorical Purposes
•Answers the question, “Why is the
author writing this piece?” “What is his
overall goal?”
•Common rhetorical purposes include:
•To persuade, to inform, to explain, to
convey emotion, to entertain
Writing to Persuade
• Writer attempts to persuade the reader to agree with a
position, and/or to take to action on an issue
• Editorials you read
Writing to Inform
• Writer has important information he needs to
communicate to the reader
• Most news stories you read
Writing to Explain
• Writer has a complex process that needs to be explained
to understand its use or significance
• Most recipes, instruction manuals, how-to-guides
Writing to Convey Emotion
• Writer has insight or experience with a particular emotion
that he relates
• Most poems you read
Writing to Entertain
• Writer relates interesting or funny story
• Can be a secondary purpose of many documentaries
and short stories