In our world today, everyone has a different way of interpretation. Interpretation ranges from person to person and varies with every artifact that we interpret. A red octagon to some may mean to stop while to others it may have no meaning. A poem or song may have one meaning to one person and a completely different meaning to another person. To help uncover the reasoning behind an artifact a rhetorical analysis can be utilized. When one utilizes a rhetorical analysis, it will result in their interpretation of the artifact.
There are many types of artifacts that can be analyzed which result in a better understanding of the artifact itself. A common type of artifact that is analyzed are speeches because they can be about various topics and given in different situations. With a rhetorical analysis, one can gain a better understating of why the speech was written and if there is an underlying meaning behind the message. During the annual Relay For Life Leadership Summit, Ann Marie Morse gave a keynote speech about how cancer has touched her life. A rhetorical analysis of Ann Marie’s speech would be beneficial to those who were in attendance at the summit because they would understand why she was chosen to give a speech and what her underlying message that she is trying to present. During this rhetorical analysis, I plan to first describe in depth the speech that Ann Marie Morse gave during the annual 2012 Relay For Life Leadership Summit. Secondly, I will describe Kenneth Burke’s pentad. Finally, I plan to apply Burke’s pentad to Ann Marie Morse’s speech to better clarify the meaning of her speech and why it was presented.
Artifact Description
For my artifact, I utilized a speech given by Ann Marie Morse at the 2012 R...
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...ne point I was told, ‘If you don’t like it, then change the law.’ And that’s what I did.”
Conclusion
Interpretation of an artifact from one person to another differs greatly. To help uncover the reasoning behind an artifact a rhetorical analysis can be utilized. A rhetorical analysis of Ann Marie’s speech during the 2012 Relay For Life Leadership Summit shows to the audience why she gave this speech. This interpretation can discover underlying motives and messages and in the case of Ann Marie Morse determine exactly why she was chosen to share her particular speech to the audience. With the five key terms of Burke’s Pentad defined in relation to Morse’s speech and a pentad ratio developed, the message of anything can be accomplished when you set your mind to it such as changing a law or raising more money for a non-profit cause is presented by Ann Marie Morse.
Heinrichs had previously worked as a journalist before becoming a full time writer and advocate for rhetoric. He utilizes illustrative examples to convey rhetorical concepts. Furthermore, chapter four reveals the most valuable logos and pathos tactic. Lastly, this book’s use should be continued in this course.
In the “180” movie Ray Comfort outstandingly used rhetorical appeal throughout his argument in a thorough way to further grasp his audience’s attention. He used pathos, ethos, and logos during the course of his dispute of abortion and the Holocaust. Comfort uses pathos more frequently than the other two appeals, to plea to the audience’s heart strings. An example of when pathos was used was when
Have you ever wondered how influential people write great speeches that grab people's attention? They use a literary device called, rhetorical appeals. As supported in Hillary Clinton’s November 03, 2016 speech, uniting the American Public, will lead to an advantageous country. In her speech for the Democratic National Convention it states that, as elected for president, she will get everyone saying “We” instead of “I”. To reach out to the American Citizens and grab their attention, Clinton uses many rhetorical devices as she speaks. Using Logos, Pathos, and Ethos, the people of America jump on board with Clinton's ideas.
In The Rhetorical Situation, Lloyd F. Bitzer argues that what makes a situation rhetorical is similar to that which constitutes a moral action as he writes that, “an act is moral because it is an act performed in a situation of a certain kind; similarly, a work is rhetorical because it is a response to a situation of a certain kind”.(3) By defining the rhetorical situation in this way, Bitzer further contends that rhetoric is a means to altering reality. (4) It is through the use of discourse that one is capable of changing reality through thought and action. (4) Bitzer then elaborates upon the nature of a rhetorical situation by explaining that rhetorical discourse enters a situation when: providing a response to its state of affairs; rhetorical discourse is given significant presence by the situation; the situation exists as a necessary condition for rhetorical discourse to have effect; a rhetorical situation or event may mature or decay over time; the rhetorical situation invites the use of discourse to alter its reality; the rhetorical response given to the situation is appropriate; and the situation controls the response of the discourse. While Bitzer notes that these are parameters for a situation to qualify as being rhetorical, he further discusses three constituents that are present in any rhetorical situation prior to the presence and manipulation of discourse. (6) Exigence, audience, and constraints are seen to be necessary elements in a rhetorical situation for Bitzer. Exegince, “is an imperfection marked by urgency; it is a defect, an obstacle, something waiting to be undone, a thing which is other than it should be”. (6) An audience whose members may function as mediators of change is required, as rhetoric alw...
By appealing so much to pathos, his letter focuses more on emotionally convincing and persuading the reader to accept his claim, rather than providing facts and logic to his argument. His combined use of logos and ethos also adds an aspect of logic and reason to his argument, as well as further showing his credibility and connection to the subject as the author. His use of the three rhetorical devices helps to bolster and support his claim, while also personalizing and connecting with the
Helen Keller, against all odds, became a mouthpiece for many causes in the early to mid-twentieth century. She advocated for causes such as building institutions for the blind, schools for the deaf, women’s suffrage and pacifism. When America was in the most desperate of times, her voice stood out. Helen Keller spoke at Carnegie Hall in New York raising her voice in protest of America’s decision to join the World War. The purpose of this paper will analyze the devices and methods Keller used in her speech to create a good ethos, pathos, and logos.
There are a couple of psychological tools of influence that the composer of the message portrays to gain support of the walkathon in the Better Horizons message. Reciprocation is the first psychological tool that is noted. The composer of the message tries to play on the emotions of the receiver by mentioning information that could affect themselves or other women in their lives. Later in the message, the sender offers free items if the recipient were to participate in the walkathon. Social proof and liking is the second and third psychological tools used. The composer mentions Betty Williams, the women who established the cancer center would appreciate the recipient’s participation. Betty Williams is a prominent member of society which plays as the liking psychological tool. Scarcity is the last psychological tool the composer uses in the message. The walkathon only comes around once a year and there is a registration due date. These tools together are used to influence the reader.
As the primary audience, the vet techs are Richard’s greatest flight risk. The current job market places vet techs in high demand making it easier for them to find other employment. With the loss of benefits, vet techs must use more of their disposable income to cover healthcare costs which may cause an adverse reaction to Richard’s decision. Richard needs to persuade this group to continue working at the hospital by strategically explaining the benefits of the cuts to the staff collectively. According to the rhetorical triangle, a person’s emotional state determines how well he/she receives a message (Rhetorical Triangle, Para 3, n.d.). The vet tech’s anticipated negative response to Richard’s decision may hinder their willingness to accept the change.
The goal of Hillary’s speech is to persuade her audience that her ideas are valid, by using ethos, pathos, and logos. Hillary is the First Lady and Senator, she shows credibility as an influential activist for woman rights. “Over the past 25 years, I have worked persistently on issues relating to women, children, and families. Over the past two and a half years, I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about the challenges facing women in my country and around the world” (Clinton 2).
Jim Valvano was the head coach for the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In 1992, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and as a result he created the V Foundation, whose raises money for cancer research. In 1993, Valvano won the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPY’s. In his acceptance speech, Valvano effectively incorporates the three appeals of speech writing, but uses a strong ethos appeal to capture the audience. Through such a strong ethos appeal, Valvano makes himself worthy for the award he is receiving, which is the goal for any acceptance speech. Valvano’s speech is also effective because he uses four of the six parts of a speech, found in the Ad Herenium. In Valvano’s speech, exordium, narration, proof, and peroration are present. Since the purpose of this speech is not to get the hearers to donate, division (showing the difference between you and your opponent) and refutation (lowering your opponent’s arguments) are not needed. So let us go through Valvano’s speech to see the different parts where he makes his ethos appeal.
Out of this massive loss a rhetorical situation (a situation where individuals’ understanding can be altered through messages) had arose ( Zarefsky 12). The American public was in shambles, school children left with more questions than answers, and grieving families were carrying the bulk of it all (Eidenmuller 29). What this ...
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, along with many other women, packed into a convention on a hot July day to all fight for a common cause; their rights. At the first Women’s Rights convention, Stanton gave a heroic speech that motivated the fight for the cause to be even stronger. Through Stanton’s appliances of rhetorical devices such as emotional, logical, and ethical appeals, she was able to her win her point, change the opinions of many, and persuade people to follow her.
reader creates “supplementary meaning” to the text by unconsciously setting up tension, also called binary opposition. Culler describes this process in his statement “The process of thematic interpretation requires us to move from facts towards values, so we can develop each thematic complex, retaining the opposition between them” (294). Though supplementary meaning created within the text can take many forms, within V...
On April 8, 2013, President Barack Obama spoke at the University of Hartford on behalf of those who died in the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut. President Obama addressed the people of the state of Connecticut and on a federal level. The broadcasting networks provided live coverage of President Obama’s speech, and a national audience listened as the president’s addressing the issues and the next steps forward for the country. The impact of this tragedy and previous massive shootings and Obama’s explanation have been a subject of a controversial debate. I plan on using the pentadic method to analyze President Obama’s speech regarding Sandy Hook and gun control. What we can learn about the method by using it to examine this particular artifact is that the five elements of the pentad can demonstrate the motives of the rhetor. As we examine the ratios, we can reveal the worldview and the purpose of his policies on behalf of the shooting. Moreover, it is also an emotional and dramatic situation that tells a story. This paper will examine some the rhetorical choices Obama has made utilizing an emotional appeal to his audience in his address on April 8, 2013 to identify the dramas it creates to both facilitate and its motivation while appealing to two audiences: voters and parents. I will use this example to consider how a rhetor might construct and concurrently present multiple dramas that function to influence multiple audiences that otherwise might reject its message. It will then speculate on the impact that those choices may have on audience response to the speech. The tool used for this investigation will be the Pentadic Method from Kenneth Burke. The examination of President Obama’s speech...
In 1960, John F. Kennedy won the presidential election. This was a very big win for the democratic party. He won the election against former vice president Nixon. All of this happened during the cold war. This speech was very important and this paper will tell you how I feel he used ethos, pathos, and logos. Although he showed more ethos than the others, he still had some great examples of pathos and logos. Kennedy changed this county, and the fact he isn’t here to see what impact he has made on the United States is upsetting.