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Traditional Models of Rhetoric . How people have argued. 1. Oral tradition . Probably the oldest format of argumentation Seemingly a basic and simple form of discourse “Publication” happened at public functions (Take, for example, Mark Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar.)
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Traditional Models of Rhetoric How people have argued
1. Oral tradition • Probably the oldest format of argumentation • Seemingly a basic and simple form of discourse • “Publication” happened at public functions (Take, for example, Mark Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar.) • Kairos becomes important. (Warning: Video clip contains a real-life hostage situation) • We can see the Rhetorical Situation (Audience, Stance, Purpose, etc.)
Logos, ethos, and pathos • Aristotle, the philosopher and master arguer, said logos, ethos, and pathos are the three basic ways to persuade the audience. • To this day, many rhetoricians still use these three points to make up the “rhetorical triangle.”
Logos • Appeal to logic. • Not always sound logic.
Ethos • The credibility and reputation of the speaker in relation to the audience.
Pathos • The emotional appeal
Other spoken rhetorical devices • Language: Are these provocative words? • Tone: Well, you just have to see it really. • Stories: A way to humanize and contextualize... • Metaphor: Is this really about Santa Claus?
2.Written tradition • Audience is still an issue. Who is the readership? • Not everyone can write (or is literate) • Publication comes through publishing houses and printing presses • Circulation still relies on oral tradition (dubbed as “word of mouth”)
Why write instead of speak • Time to revise • Create a more unshakable personaIsObama really a good speaker or does he have good writers? • Can be harder to take out of context • Has permanence • Not everyone can write
3. It’s about power • Few people can command the traditional rhetorical stages. Elections still rely heavily on traditional modes of discourse. • It’s an easy way to create a dichotomy—an “either-or” situation or an “us vs. them” mentality. • Audience’s love it because it is simple. • Problem is that dichotomies suck and real issues are never fully discussed.
Moving beyond the dichotomy • Use a heuristic approach. • A line of questioning that invites us to see our rhetorical topic from new perspectives.
Why a heuristic? • Well, I’m not filling out every slide for you. Tell me! Why? • Hint: This is where those filters come in handy.