David A. Jolliffe 479.575.2289 djollif@uark uark/literacy

1. Understanding the Essential Appeals: Strategies for Teaching Logos in Rhetorical Analysis David A. Jolliffe 479.575.2289 djollif@uark.edu www.uark.edu/literacy

2. What is status quo thinking about the three appeals? • Logos is seen as “the logical appeal,” the appeal to “reasons, statistics, facts,” and so on. • Ethos is seen as “the ethical appeal,” the appeal to the credibility and character of the writer or speaker. • Pathos is seen as “the emotional appeal,” the appeal to the emotions of the audience.

3. What are the problems inherent in the status quo thinking? • Many students assert that a text “has” one or more of these appeals, in various degrees. Not so. A text appeals to logos, ethos, and/pathos. • Many students think that the three appeals are equal and that one can simply isolate the appeal to ethos, then logos, then pathos in an analysis. Not so . . .

4. The wise alternative to status quo thinking: • Logos is the central appeal. • Any text that has a discernible point can be analyzed for its appeal to logos. • The appeal to logos is not necessarily an appeal to logic; it is an appeal to the logical structure of the argument. • What a speaker or writer does to appeal to his or her ethos and/or to the audience’s emotions emerges from the establishment of logos.

5. Syllogisms, enthymemes, and the interactivity of logos, ethos, and pathos • Syllogism: Incontrovertible truth as major premise, specific instance as minor premise, and conclusion that follows. • Enthymeme: Assumption that you presume your audience accepts as generally unspoken major premise, specific instances of “data,” and sometimes stated but often inferred point or conclusion. • Note: Audience participates in meaning-making.

6. For example . . . • Syllogism: All people who make more than $10,000 a year must pay federal income taxes; Joe Schmoe makes more than $10,000 a year; so Joe Schmoe must pay federal income taxes. • Enthymeme: Leading-edge industries are creating thousands of new jobs that most U.S. high school graduates are incapable of qualifying for; therefore, the education establishment should refocus its efforts and promote vocational education more fully.

7. What’s the “take-home” for teaching rhetorical analysis? • Think about teaching students to analyze logos first by analyzing the central and supporting enthymemes. • Help students see that a speaker or writer’s credibility emerges from and thrives on his or her establishment of the argument’s structure. • Help students see that the audience’s emotions emerge in interaction with the establishment of the argument’s logos.

8. David A. Jolliffe 479.575.2289 djollif@uark.edu www.uark.edu/literacy