Classical Argument English III – Fall 2013

1. Classical ArgumentEnglish III – Fall 2013

2. Ethos, Pathos, Logos: • Ethos: establishing creditability • Pathos: appeals to emotion • Logos: appealing to logic

3. What is the Classical Model? • Since rhetors began teaching Greek farmers strategies for appealing their cases to Greek courts in the fifth century B.C., the classical argumenthas stood as a model for writers who believe their case can be argued logically and plausibly to an open-minded audience. In its simplest form, the classical argument has five main parts.

4. For what is it used? • This model is assigned to students, not because it is absolutely ideal, but because using the scheme encourages writers to take account of some of the most important elements of composing: • beginning in an interesting way • providing background or context that was relevant to their specific audience • stating their claims and evidence clearly and emphatically • taking account of opposing viewpoints and anticipating objections • and concluding in a satisfying and effective way.

5. How can it benefit YOU? • Using this model helps you to take into account many or all of the most important aspects of argument. • It helps you to visualize your argument from many perspectives, and enables you to defend your point rationally and logically. • Work, school, social networking; all areas of communication will benefit from your grasp of argument.

6. THE CLASSICAL MODEL • Parts: • Introduction • Narration • Confirmation • Refutation • Conclusion

7. Introduction: • Introduces the reader to the subject under discussion. It is also called exordiumwhich means beginning a web. Whether it is a single paragraph or several, the introduction draws the readers into the text by piquing the interests, challenging them, or otherwise getting their attention. Often it is where the writer establishes ethos.

8. Narration • Provides factual information and background material on the subject at hand, thus beginning the developmental paragraphs, or establishes why the subject is a problem that needs addressing. The level of detail a writer uses in this section depends largely on the audience’s knowledge of the subject. Although classical rhetoric describes narration as appealing to logos, in actually it often appeals to pathos because the writer attempts to evoke an emotional response about the importance of an issue being discussed.

9. Confirmation • Usually the major part of the text, includes the development or the proof needed to make the writer’s case – the nuts and bolts of the essay, containing the most specific and concrete detail in the text. The confirmation usually makes the strongest appeal to logos.

10. Refutation • Addresses the counterargument, is in many ways a bridge between the writer’s proof and conclusion. Although classical rhetoricians recommended placing this section at the end of the text as a way to anticipate objections to the proof given in the confirmation section, this is not a hard-and-fast rule. If opposing rules are well known or valued by the audience, a writer will address them before presenting his or her own argument. The counterargument’s appeal is largely to logos.

11. Conclusion • Whether it is a paragraph or several – brings the essay to a satisfying close. Here the writer usually appeals topathosand reminds the reader of the ethos established earlier. Rather than simply repeating what has gone before, the conclusion brings all the writer’s ideas together and answers the question, so what? Writers should remember the classical rhetorician’s advice that last words and ideas of a text are those the audience is most likely to remember.

12. Let’s Take a Look at Argument in Action… • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQmz6Rbpnu0&feature=related • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwt3UtDl5HY • Take notes on how you see argument in action in these two very different examples.