An Introduction To the Rhetorical Triangle and Rhetorical

An Introduction To the Rhetorical Triangle and Rhetorical Appeals

Part 1 - Introduction

Rhetorical Principles • Introduce you to the skills of critical thinking, reading, and writing. • Help you define and assess the rhetorical situation in which a certain argument is made. • Teach you to understand critically evaluate the arguments presented in various sources to which you refer. • Provide guidance as to how to create an effective argument in your own writing.

Definitions: Rhetoric “Rhetoric is the art of dressing up some unimportant matter so as to fool the audience for the time being. ” Ezra Pound How do you understand this definition of rhetoric? Do you agree with it? Why (not)?

Definitions: rhetoric/text • What is rhetoric? • Are these examples of rhetoric? Why (not)?

What other examples of a rhetoric can you think of? • • Web pages Posters Bumper stickers Television/movies Architecture Vehicles/industrial design Art/Sculpture

Rhetorical Triangle • Chose any text and answer the following questions: - Who created this piece of writing? - Who did they create this text for? - Why did they create this text? Speaker Audience Purpose/Message

Rhetorical Triangle: Author/Speaker • What do we know about the writer, speaker, artist, designer, or creator? – educational background – political affiliations – investment in message – biases • Where do we look for information about the author?

Rhetorical Triangle: Audience • Audience – who is the message intended for? – Age, gender, social/cultural group, political affiliation, etc… • Where do we look for information about the audience?

Rhetorical Triangle: Purpose (message) • What is the purpose of your text? – To inform? – To entertain? – To call to action? • How can you infer the purpose of the text? • What elements of the text do you refer to in order to find information about its purpose? • Message?

SOAPS + G

Part 2 – Rhetorical Appeals How does the writer APPEAL to the audience? How does the writer PERSUADE the audience?

ETHOS PATHOS LOGOS

The Rhetorical Appeals: Ethos • Ethos- Credibility - Ethics - Trustworthiness of the speaker/writer • Credibility based on audience’s view of author and subject • For Academic Argument, an author must: - Exhibit good sense - Demonstrate high moral character - Express good will

The Rhetorical Appeals: Logos • Logos - Logic – Attempt to appeal to the intellect – Everyday arguments vs. academic arguments – Common ways to appeal to logos? • Most valued appeal in academic argument • Accomplished through inductive or deductive reasoning – Definition – Evidence from other sources – Expert testimony

The Rhetorical Appeals: Pathos • Pathos – Pathetic, sympathy, empathy – – Appeal to emotions Arguments in popular press Manipulative Effect • Appeals to emotion are accomplished through – Sensory description – Value-laden diction – Anecdotes – Objects of emotions • People • Abstract concepts • Etc.

Part 3 – Triangle AND Appeals

Putting It All Together • How do the rhetorical triangle and rhetorical appeals work together to create a message? • These tools are not exclusive; all six should be considered when evaluating a text Speaker Ethos Pathos Audience Purpose Logos

Tips For Your Writing… • How can you apply rhetorical principles to your own writing? Think about… – Yourself as the author/speaker – Your audience – The purpose of your message and how you will achieve it

Author: How you want to appear to your audience • What impression do you want to make on your readers? • How will you show that you are worth trusting? • How will you demonstrate that you are an authority on your subject? • What do you have in common with your audience in order to create a bond with them?

Audience: What you should know about your readers • How much do they already know about your subject? • What do they expect to see in the document (style, format, organization)? • What preconceptions might they have about your subject? • What do they need to know? • What are their interests?

Purpose: What are you trying to achieve by writing? • Purpose – to persuade, sell, inform, entertain, express yourself, etc… • How are you going to achieve this goal? – What argument structure will you use (e. g. , spatial, chronological, comparison/contrast, etc. )? – What types of support will you include in your writing (e. g. , anecdotes, graphs, numbers, personal stories, quotes, facts, expert opinions, etc. )? – What types of language will you use (e. g. , denotative language, connotative language)

How do we reconcile the terminology of the rhetorical triangle and appeals with the terminology of our textbook?