Rhetoric is, in my understanding, the art of persuading an audience by adapting your argument and the way you present it to an audience, time, place, and any given situation. There a few components in a presentation which, when understood and taken advantage of, can increase the impact of the argument, or so I think. In this post, I'll attempt to discuss what those components are, and how they work in giving a powerful speech using the art of rhetoric.
According to Aristotle, there are three ways of persuading your audience, and he referred to these three ways as "Ethos", "Logos", and "Pathos". While the origin of this Greek philosophy is quite ancient, it is important to learn about them because it is
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Pathos is often referred to as "Emotions" because it refers to the emotions of the audience. Being able to connect to the audience on an emotional level, and being able to move them emotionally is a key part of persuading the audience. In order to invoke an emotional response from the audience to help with persuasion, there a few things the author could take advantage of. If the author is presenting to an audience that shares common beliefs or values, it could be a powerful tool to move the audience emotionally. Aside from the audience and their values and emotions, the author must consider what kind of emotional response they want to get from the audience and build their argument and presentation in a manner that fits their goals. Being able to connect with the audience by the means of Pathos will give the author a lot of support from their audience, which makes Pathos a really strong tool in the hands of someone …show more content…
Being able to consider and use all three of these components to their advantage would greatly improve the chances of the author being able to persuade their audience with their argument. When Kairos, the situational awareness factor is being considered, and the Rhetorical Triangle's components, Ethos, Logos, and Pathos is applied to it in order to build an argument, it is very likely that the author will have a strong, impactful argument and will win over their audience. This can be observed a lot in political speeches. All politicians use rhetoric tools in order to persuade their audience and win over their votes and support. When discussing rhetoric and giving speeches, it would be a shame not to mention Martin Luther King Jr., so I'll go ahead and do that. His speech, "I have a dream" is a perfect example of rhetoric tools in use, because, in his speech, he keeps his words simple and shows enough emotion to be seen as sincere by his audience, and when politics are involved, sincerity is almost nonexistent so it helps winning over the audience. On top of that, he uses more abstract concepts like having dreams to describe his visions for the future of the society, which adds an emotional layer to his speech, demonstrating a great use of
According to the Webster Dictionary, rhetoric is defined as the art of speaking or writing effectively. Rhetoric is made up of three separate appeals that can be used individually or collectively in an attempt to persuade a reader. Ethos is the credibility and qualifications of the speaker or author. Pathos is the author's use of emotions and sympathy to urge the audience to agree with his or her standpoint. And lastly, logos is applying sound reasoning (logic) to attract the typical ideas of the audience and to prove the author's point of view. "Lockdown" by Evans D. Hopkins is a fine example of an author using these appeals to persuade his audience. Hopkins uses of the three appeals are easy to locate and relate with throughout the entire passage. He undoubtedly uses rhetoric to try and keep his audiences focus and to persuade them to feel the way he does about the treatment of prisoners. We can identify and trust that he is making reasonable assertions because he was a prisoner and went through actual lockdowns. The fact that Hopkins was an actual prisoner proves his credibility to provide evidence for his thoughts.
Churchill effectively used rhetoric in his speech. Rhetoric is the art of effective persuasive writing and speaking. Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, created rhetoric. There are three types of rhetoric, logos, pathos, and ethos. Each type differs from the other types. Logos is a logical argument built from relevant and sufficient evidence. Logos is based on facts, statistics, and claims based off of logic. Pathos is arguments which evoke emotions in an audience. Some forms of pathos are celebrity testimonials, bandwagon, and fear mongering. All of these evoke emotions in an
Through the accompaniment of rhetorical devices and pathos, one can strengthen his or her argument to the point where others see no other option. When spoken at the right occasions and with enough of supporting evidence, an argument will enrapture the audience and make people find your argument logical and appealing. Patrick Henry made his speech less than a month before the American Revolution took place. Thomas Paine began a series of articles when the call for men to fight against the British was urgent. When someone makes and argument, even the smallest detail counts.
Effectively communicating an idea or opinion requires several language techniques. In his study of rhetoric, Aristotle found that persuasion was established through three fundamental tools. One is logos, which is used to support an argument through hard data and statistics. Another is ethos, which is the credibility of an author or speaker that allows an audience to conclude from background information and language selection a sense of knowledge and expertise of the person presenting the argument. The impact of pathos, however, is the most effective tool in persuasion due to the link between emotions and decisions. Although each of these tools can be effective individually, a combination of rhetorical devices when used appropriately has the ability to sway an audience toward the writer’s point of view.
Propaganda is usually associated with brainwashing and manipulation, however it is justifiable when it is used to promote safety and health. For example, in public service announcements to warn the citizens of hazards and to promote safety to protect the people from the dreadful habits of the modern world. The main purpose of PSA’s are to make people aware and to make them act to reach a goal.
The question of what is rhetoric and what does it do has been a question since stories were even being recorded. However, now there are multiply different scholars who believe that they understand what rhetoric is and how to use it. For someone to use rhetoric correctly they must first have a definition of rhetoric that either they have made to fit themselves or they find a previous definition that suits them. In order for me to become an improved rhetor and be able to rhetorical discuss and evaluate pieces of literature or speeches like General Douglas MacArthur’s Farewell address, I must first define rhetoric in how I understand it. Rhetoric is the art of persuasive speaking aimed to sway your audience in a direction that has been chosen by the rhetor. The way in which a citizen uses rhetoric can change over time. The need to argue the same problem is invalid so the need to use the same rhetorical situations is invalid. You can use rhetoric in a multitude of different areas within our life however; we must choose to use it for good or for evil. In order for rhetoric to still be used in speech today one of two things must be true. There must either be a Truth in life and rhetoric or the more likely choice, that rhetoric changes throughout time and situations. You are not trying to change someone’s mind about something however; you are trying to convince them that you are also correct. I will be using multiple pieces of works that are defining rhetoric to support my definition and finish by evaluating General Douglas MacArthur’s Farewell Address using my definition of rhetoric.
Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis”, she discusses the nature of rhetorical analysis, how it affects our everyday lives and explains the role context plays. Aristotle’s mode of persuasion: Logos, Pathos and Ethos are all components often used to persuade an audience. Logos appeal to logic or stating the facts, Pathos taps into your emotions and Ethos demonstrates the presenter’s credibility. Determining which appeal was used will assist you in having a clear understanding if you should buy into the idea, product etc. Every day we perform some type of analysis, whether we are aware of this or not.
For some, an argument may be a discussion that leads people to become mad and feel hate towards someone. This also might bring tension, between friends and family, but there’re times when people just want to discuss a topic that they feel would make the conflict better or resolved. When an argument happens, it’s recommended to use Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle. It is here that Aristotle set’s up three ways to appeal to the audience, which are ethos, pathos, and logos. These three appeals help the writer to persuade, inform, or convince the audience that what he/she is doing the right thing. Without Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle and Aims of Arguments, the writer would unsuccessfully perform an argument correctly. If creditability of the
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, in which there are three forms. Ethos the credibility of the author, Pathos the emotion you create, and logos the logical side of an argument. Many articles and papers use these terms of persuasion to see their side one such document is The Declaration of Independence. The purpose for said document was for the 13 original colonies to declare freedom from the oppressive rule of England.
Rhetoric is the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, and its uses the figures of speech and other compositional techniques. It’s designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience.
It is obvious that literacy contributes to success (logos), that the more fortunate should help people in necessity because it’s the right thing to do (ethos), and that emotion needs to be brought before the eyes in some occasions (pathos) so the audience can be persuaded. Furthermore, the reviewers needed to identify with the writers and everyone else that was a member of the rhetorical ecology. The author wrote this to help readers and writers understand some basic rhetorical principles as they continue to study rhetoric. This argument matters because most people tend to be confused on what rhetoric is and how it should be applied to writing. The author seems to agree with readers and writers on rhetoric being considered confusing but also disagrees with them by stating that rhetoric can be quite simple if elements are used appropriately. A term I came across was pisteis, which is pathos, ethos and logos, elements that can be used in persuasion. Another term I came across was pervasive: widespread of a thing throughout people or an
Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle links three elements of arguing together: the speaker, the story, and the audience. The relationship between the elements determines the speaker’s argument and whether it will be successful in oratory or literature. Ethos, Logos and Pathos are each different aspects of the argument that must be balanced in order to succeed in persuading or convincing an audience. Ethos, or character, relates to the speaker’s credibility that the audience appeals to: it is useful when persuading a group of people to trust what you are saying or doing. Logos, or logic, is a way of convincing and appealing by reason, truth, and facts. Pathos relates to the audience’s emotions and their response to what the speaker is saying.
Numerous individuals in the world of writing see text differently. While some agree with a point 100%, there are others that disagree with the solution or point an author is trying to get across. With disagreement comes debate. With debate comes counterpoints, and facts to back up an individual’s stands on a topic. To an audience, credibility is a main source of understanding; if an author isn’t confident and is creditable in their argument, then it is invalid. Usually an author uses the rhetorical system when countering a reason or stands. Logos are Rational or Logical appeals. The logical appeal uses reason to make a case. Theoretical dissertation is mostly logos driven because educational spectators respect scholarship and evidence. Advocates using logos rely on evidence and proof, whether the proof is hard data or careful reasoning. Pathos is an Emotional Appeal. In a pathetic appeal, speakers focus on a reader’s sympathy and kind-heartedness, anger and displeasure, desire for love, or sorrow to get their point across. Effective rhetoricians can trigger these feelings in an audience even if the feeling wasn’t there beforehand. Ethos use the writer’s own credibility. Rhetoricians use themselves and their position as a “professional” or as a “morally right” to give their argument existence and standing. Using the rhetorical triangle as a tool to appeal or persuade the reader can be very effective if used all together. In the article “Assisted Suicide, Should doctors be allowed to help terminally ill patients die?” Reed Karaim uses Ethos and Logos to prove his point.
Rhetoric is the art of effective speaking or writing, and persuasion. Most people use rhetoric numerous of times in their everyday life without their concern or knowing.
Rhetorical Analysis and Persuasion Every day we are victims to persuasion whether anyone can notice it or not. Logos, pathos and ethos are the types of persuasion. Logos persuades by reason, pathos by appealing to emotion and ethos by the credibility of the author. The characters in The Iliad employ the use of these techniques to sway another character into doing or feeling something else.