Aristotle’s Rhetoric& the art of persuasive

speaking

Why is rhetoric important? In today’s world, we are bombarded

with media – in the news, on the web, and in advertisements.

How do you know who to trust? How does what you hear influence your opinion?

Is your perception of the truth twisted by how you hear the words presented?

Rhetoric Exercise Go to the site listed below and click

on the link “Rodman and da ref” http://www.americanrhetoric.com/ne

wtop100speeches.htm

Follow the directions and read all phases, then write your own rhetoric in the proper spaces.

We’ll share our responses when you are finished.

What is Rhetoric? According to Aristotle, Rhetoric is

the art of using language effectively and persuasively in writing or speech.

The purpose of Persuasion is to convince your audience to believe your position or stance.

What is persuasion? Persuasion is an appeal to an

audience.  Ethos, logos, and pathos were identified by Aristotle as appeals necessary to effectively persuade an audience.

1. ETHICAL APPEAL(ETHOS)

Ethos is the establishment of the credibility of the author or speaker.  An author develops ethos by using objective and fair language, by considering counterarguments, and by presenting appropriate and credible sources

(EX: giving credentials, quoting reliable and morally respectable sources)

ETHOS This kind of persuasion, like the

others, should be achieved by what the speaker says, not by what people think of his character before he begins to speak.

2.(LOGICAL APPEAL)LOGOS Logos is an appeal to logic.  An

author develops logos by offering credible facts and statistics related to the topic at hand, by using allusion, by using deductive and inductive reasoning, and by citing credible sources outside the work itself.

LOGOS Persuasion is effected through

the speech itself when we have proved a truth or an apparent truth.

(EX: questions that prompt certain answers, statistics and figures)

A=Bill is a man. B=Bill loves golf. C= Men love golf.

3.(EMOTIONALAPPEAL)PATHOS

Pathos is an appeal to the emotion of the audience.  An author develops pathos by including figurative language such as metaphor, simile, and vivid imagery, by including emotional anecdotes, and by offering vivid, connotative language employed to evoke sympathy and emotional interest in the topic.

PATHOS Persuasion comes through the

hearers, when the speech stirs their emotions. Our judgments when we are pleased and friendly are not the same as when we are pained and hostile.

Let’s listen to one of the masterpieces of rhetoric, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

While listening, jot down some notes about what sticks out at you in the speech . . . What makes it powerful, persuasive and memorable?

Why does this matter? It is important to understand the three

rhetorical appeals in order to become a more critical and analytical person

As a society, we are constantly bombarded by rhetoric in the media (tv, internet, advertisements)

We must ask ourselves whether we are being persuaded by a speakers appeals or by the truth (is there truth, or is the truth created through skilled rhetoric?)

Rhetoric in “I Have a Dream”

Go to SharePoint and download the “Martin Luther King Questions” Worksheet and answer them on lined paper.

Be prepared to discuss your responses and hand them in.