What is Rhetoric?

1. What is Rhetoric? SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

2. According to Aristotle… • Rhetoric is “the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion.” • Huh? Rhetoric is a thoughtful, reflective activity leading to effective communication, including the rational exchange of opposing viewpoints. SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

3. Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle Speaker ContextAim/Purpose AudienceSubject SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

4. assertion/thesis/claim • a clear and focused statement • Ex: Lou Gehrig speech (Appreciation Day, July 4, 1939) SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

5. context • Rhetoric is always SITUATIONAL—context is the occasion or the time and place it was written or spoken • What was the context for Gehrig’s speech? SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

6. Delivered the speech between games of a doubleheader • Poignant contrast between the celebration of his athletic career and the life-threatening diagnosis he had received SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

7. A note about context… • Be aware that sometimes context may arise from current events or cultural bias(bias: prejudice toward one side of an issue) • Ex: Someone writing about freedom of speech in a community that has experienced hate graffiti must take THAT context into account and adjust the purpose of the piece so as not to offend the audience (graffiti on a synagogue, swastika spray-painted on a garage door, etc.) SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

8. purpose/aim • The goal the speaker or writer wants to achieve • Trying to win an argument? • Persuade us to take action? • Evoke sympathy? • Make someone laugh? • Inform? Provoke? Celebrate? Put forth a proposal? Secure support? Bring about a favorable decision? • What was Gehrig’s purpose when he wrote and then delivered this speech? SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

9. He shows his purpose is… • To remain positive by looking on the bright side and downplaying the bleak outlook HOW DO WE KNOW THIS IS HIS PURPOSE? • One reference to the diagnosis • Straightforward language of strength: he got a “bad break” (no blame, no self-pity, no plea for sympathy) • Maintains his focus: to celebrate the occasion and get back to work—playing baseball SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

10. subject • The main idea • What is Gehrig’s subject? • Baseball…specifically, the New York Yankees (doh!) • His disease (briefly); the things for which he is thankful SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

11. writer/speaker • the author, speaker, or the person whose perspective (REAL or IMAGINED) is being advanced in a speech or piece of writing • persona: speaker, voice, or character assumed/adopted by the author of a piece of writing • Are you speaking as a poet, comedian, or scholar? • Are you speaking as an expert on swimming or popular music? • Are you speaking as a concerned citizen in your local community? SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

12. What do we know about Gehrig as the speaker? Does he use a persona? What does knowing this tell us about his approach, the language choices he makes? • Understands his audience: He presents himself as a common man, modest, glad for the life he’s lived • He’s a baseball player; doesn’t “put on airs” SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

13. audience • One’s listener or readership; those to whom a speech or piece of writing is addressed • Who will read/hear your writing/speech and what will they be expecting? • College application  admissions officers at a university • Resume  prospective employer • Letter to the editor in local newspaper  entire community • What does the audience know about the subject? • What is the audience’s attitude towards it? • Is there common ground between the writer’s and reader’s views on the subject? SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

14. Choosing rhetorical strategies What is a strategy? SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

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16. Types of Appeals The “three musketeers”: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

17. Ethos • A writer’s/speaker’s appeal to character to demonstrate that s/he is credible and trustworthy • The speaker’s expertise, knowledge, experience, training, sincerity • Often emphasizes shared values between the speaker and the audience SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

18. Rhetorical Situation Speech discouraging children from using alcohol As a parent speaking to other parents in the community Appeal to Ethos Stressing you are a concerned parent, psychologist specializing in alcoholism, recovering alcoholic Showing that you share a concern for their children’s education or well-being Examples of Appeals to Ethos SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

19. Other ways to establish ethos… • Reputation • Being a scholar • Being known as an expert in your field • The discourse (writing or speaking) itself • Making a good impression (setting a tone of goodwill) from the type and thoroughness of the information presented SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

20. How does Lou Gehrig establish ethos in his speech-- what makes him credible, sincere, trustworthy? • How do teachers establish ethos with students? SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

21. Logos • An appeal to reason by offering clear, rational, logical ideas • Gehrig’s speech may seem largely emotional, but considering his thesis “I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth,” what two points (facts) also support this thesis? SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

22. Gehrig’s logos… (1) his seventeen years of playing baseball (FACT) (2) his belief that he “never received anything but kindness and encouragement from [his] fans” (FACT/EVIDENCE) • The fact that he has gotten a “bad break” does not negate (cancel) these two FACTS SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

23. Another way to use logos… • counterargument: to anticipate objections or opposing views (remember…ignoring opposing views makes you VULNERABLE) • concede you agree that an opposing argument may be true, but then you refute deny the validity of all or part of the argument SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

24. How does Gehrig address a counterargument in his speech? • He concedes what some of his listeners may think—that his bad break is cause for discouragement or giving up—but he disagrees because he “has a lot to live for” (a contrasting way of viewing his situation) SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

25. Pathos • An appeal to emotion • Usually includes: • Vivid, concrete description • Figurative language • Visual elements (think about ads) • Note: Writing should not rely exclusively on pathos • propagandistic: designed to sway opinion rather than present information • polemical: an argument against an idea (philosophy, politics, religion) SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

26. Einstein’s Letter • Read Einstein’s letter to sixth-grader Phyllis and respond to the prompt SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

27. Review… • Can you explain the following to your neighbor? • Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle (5 parts) • The difference between speaker and persona • How one develops ethos • The difference between logos and pathos • Bias • Counterargument (define  concede, refute) • Define  polemical and propagandistic SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

28. Arrangement: Classical Model • Introduction: introduces the reader to the subject under discussion • draws readers into the text by piquing their interest, challenging them, or getting their interest • often where the writer establishes ethos • Narration: provides factual information and background on the subject • establishes why the subject is a problem that needs addressing • length and development of this section depends on audience’s knowledge of the subject • often appeals to pathos because the writer attempts to evoke an emotional response about the importance of the subject SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

29. Confirmation: includes the development or the proof needed to make the writer’s case • usually the major part of the text • “nuts and bolts” of the essay • contains most specific and concrete details in the text • generally makes the strongest appeal to logos SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

30. Refutation: addresses the counterargument • Usually appeals to logos • Provides a bridge between writer’s proof and conclusion • Conclusion: brings the essay to a satisfying close • May remind the reader of the ethos established earlier • Usually appeals to pathos • Does not repeat earlier ideas; brings it all together and answers the question “so what?” • These are the words the audience is most likely to remember SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

31. description: emphasizes the senses by painting a picture of how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels • Often used to establish mood • Essays are not usually entirely descriptive; can be used to make writing more persuasive (makes it easier for them to empathize with you) • Description is often used in conjunction with other rhetorical modes SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

32. Recitation/Review Explain the following to your neighbor: • Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle • Another word for thesis • Difference between speaker and persona • What is ethos, logos, and pathos? • Define  refute, concede, polemical, propagandistic, implicit • What are the 4 (main) rhetorical modes? • What is unique about mode of description? • What is a trait that is unique to narrative writing? • What mode would process analysis fall under? Why? • What are the five sections of the classical model (in order!)? • What is an implied thesis? • What is the “key” to a good process analysis? SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

33. exemplification: providing a series of examples—facts, specific cases, or instances—to turn a general idea into a concrete one SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

34. comparison and contrast: juxtaposing two things to highlight their similarities and differences • used to analyze information carefully, revealing insight into the nature of the information being presented • required OFTEN on exams • can be organized in two ways: • subject by subject (discusses all elements of one subject, then turns to another) • point-by-point (organized around specific points of the discussion) SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

35. classification and division: sorting of material and ideas into major categories • “What goes together and why?” • Most of the time, writers develop their own categories to find a way to break down a larger idea or concept into parts SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

36. classification • can be: • (1) binary breaks down into two parts (those with a certain feature and those without it) • smokers/non-smokers, runner/non-runners, believers/ non-believers • (2) complex  may have to sort into multiple categories and subcategories • thesis statement lets readers know WHY you are classifying • make sure that categories you choose don’t overlap • make sure you include all essential categories • might want to outline first with headings and subheadings SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

37. division (also: analysis) • slicing into parts (not categories) • separate the subject into its elements  infer their meanings  explore the relations among them  and draw a conclusion about the subject SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA

38. definition:to ensure that writers and their audiences are speaking the same language, definition may lay the foundation to establish common ground or identify areas of conflict • oftentimes the first step in a debate or disagreement SNRPDP: Common Core State Standards ELA