Persuasive Rhetoric

1. Persuasive Rhetoric Techniques of and definitions associated with persuasive speaking and writing.

2. Rhetoric • Rhetoric: the art of communicating ideas • Persuasive rhetoric: reasoned arguments in favor of or against particular beliefs or courses of action. • Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is an example of persuasive rhetoric—Edwards was attempting to persuade his congregation to be “born again” to be saved

3. Effective persuasion • Should engage both the mind and emotions of the audience • Make your audience think the problem is important enough for them to care about • Shows that the writer’s position has a firm moral basis

4. There are three basic types of appeals in persuasive arguments: • Logical appeals • Emotional appeals • Ethical appeals

5. Logical appeals • Provide rational arguments to support writers’ claims • Deductive approach: start with generalization or premise then provide examples • Inductive approach: start with examples then draw a conclusion

6. Emotional appeals • Often based on examples of suffering or potential threats. • Often include loaded language—language rich in connotations and vivid images (brilliant –vs- smart or hideous –vs- ugly)

7. Ethical appeals • Based on shared moral values • Call upon the audience’s sense of justice, right, and virtue

8. Techniques used in persuasion • Identify your theme/purpose -- Lets your audience know what your main idea is—what action or belief you would like them to take • Identify your audience -- ALWAYS use language and arguments appropriate to your audience!

9. Techniques cont’d • Tone: the author’s attitude or feelings toward his or her subject matter • Conveyed through diction (remember loaded language?), details, and direct statements

10. Techniques cont’d • Elevated language: people tend to give more credence to someone who sounds intelligent • Rhetorical questions: Questions that don’t require answers—the answers are considered obvious

11. Techniques cont’d • Repetition: repeating a point to emphasize its importance • Expressing ideas in the same way also shows the audience that those points are connected

12. Other definitions • Allusion: a reference to a person, place, event or literary work with which the author believes the reader will be familiar • Patrick Henry warns colonists not to be “betrayed with a kiss” (a Biblical allusion to the Apostle Judas, who, with a kiss, identified Jesus to Roman soldiers)

13. Other definitions cont’d • Simile: comparison using like or as • Abigail Adams writes that power and liberty are like heat and moisture • Metaphor: comparing one thing to another NOT using like or as • Adams writes “our country is…the first and greatest parent.”