Wednesday, March 21 review of rhetorical divices

Persuasive Language

    ARISTOTLE was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE. He was an influential thinker and wrote on many subjects –from logic and ethics, to biology and metaphysics. One area, in which Aristotle was particularly interested, was rhetoric. That is, the art of persuasive speaking or writing. He even wrote a whole book entitled ‘On Rhetoric’ in which he explains his theories of persuasive language and speech. Most significantly, in this work he expounds on the concepts of ethos, logos and pathos, as tools for persuasive language. A lot can be learned about the art of persuasion from these three concepts, and once understood, they can be easily applied to our own persuasive speaking and writing.  

                                            ETHOS
 Ethos is a Greek word meaning ‘character’. In terms of persuasive language, it is an appeal to authority and credibility. Ethos is a means of convincing an audience of the reliable character or credibility of the speaker/writer, or the credibility of the argument. It is an important tool of persuasion because if you can get your audience to see you (or your argument) as credible and trustworthy, it will be much easier to persuade them. 

                                            PATHOS
Pathos is a Greek word meaning ‘suffering’ or ‘experience’, and it is used in persuasive speech as an appeal to the emotions of the audience. Pathos is the way of creating a persuasive argument by evoking an emotional response in the audience/reader. You can use pathos when trying to persuade, by appealing to an audience’s hopes and dreams, playing on their fears or worries, or appealing to their particular beliefs or ideals. 

                                            LOGOS

Logos is a Greek word meaning ‘a word’ or ‘reason’. In rhetoric, it is an appeal to logic and reason. It is used to persuade an audience by logical thought, fact and rationality. Logos can be a useful tool of persuasion because if you can ‘prove’ an argument through logical and sound reasoning, your audience is more likely to be persuaded. 

SOME PRACTICE: copy the following three charts onto a word document and complete. Send along as "rhetorical practice"  Due by midnight, although you should easily be able to finish by the end of class.  Thank you. identify as "rhetorical practice".
For each of the following, identify whether or not ETHOS is used, and explain your reasoning.

	Ethos	explain
“You should definitely get help with your debt, & I say that as somebody with over 30 years experience of debt counseling.”	yes	The speaker is has referred to their extensive experience in this area, in order to give credit to their opinion. Somebody with over 30 years experience would surely know what he or she is talking about.
“As your father, I love you and only want 1         the best for you. Therefore when I ask you not to go, please listen to me.”
2. “We really should try that recipe. Someone told me that it was good.”
3. “The research – conducted by professors at Harvard University – suggests that you should learn a second language.
4. “Dentists all over the world are telling their patients the same things. You must floss regularly.”
5. “I read somewhere that bicarbonate of soda is really useful for cleaning. You should try it.”

For each of the following, identify whether or not Pathos is used, and explain your reasoning.

	Explain
“Don’t be the last person to get one. You don’t want to be the laughing stock of your school!”	Here the speaker is appealing to the audience’s sense of pride by pointing out that they will be laughed at if they don’t get the product. This would make the listener/reader feel compelled to get it, in order to maintain their dignity and not hurt their pride.
1. “If you don’t purchase this life insurance, and something happens to you, how will your family survive?”
2. “We have been mistreated, abused and oppressed. They have benefited from our suffering and we must act now!”
3. “We live in a great democracy. So donate now and support the troops who are protecting our freedom.”
4. “Just eat and don’t complain. Children in Africa are starving and would give anything to have that plate of food.”
5. “Caring for the environment may not change your life, but it will change the lives of your children.”

  For each of the following, explain whether or not you think that logos is being used effectively.

	Effective? Yes     No
“I need new jeans. Everyone in my class has new jeans.”			This isn’t an effective use of logos as the reasoning is not logical and convincing. Firstly, it’s highly unlikely that everyone has new jeans (hyperbole). Secondly, just because other people have new jeans, it doesn’t logically follow that the speaker needs them.
1.       “All men and women will die. You are a man. Therefore, you will die one day.”
2.       “Everyone has children. Therefore, everyone needs to think about the schooling of his or her children.”
3.       “You don’t need to jump in front of a train to know it’s a bad idea; so why do you need to try drugs to know if they’re damaging?”
4.       “Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. So why start smoking?”
5 “Every morning the rooster crows, then the sun rises. Therefore the rooster causes the sun to rise.”