Persuasion and Rhetoric

1. Persuasion and Rhetoric Rhetoric is “the faculty of discovering any particular case all of the available means of persuasion.” -Aristotle

2. Background • In the fourth century B.C., Aristotle identified the three key elements of a persuasive argument. • They are as follows: • Logos • Pathos • Ethos

3. Aristotle’s Model of CommunicationA writer should…

4. 1) Logos • The logic of an argument • The argument has to make sense • The argument has to be logical, well supported, and within the realm of the audiences experience

5. 2) Pathos • The emotion of an argument • Should appeal to the emotions of the audience • Arguments should be supported with concrete examples to show the audience that the speech can directly relate to them or people like them.

6. 3) Ethos • The credibility of the speaker • The speaker needs to be believable, credible, charismatic and trusted by the audience.

7. From Aristotle’s model, we get the three basic appeals: • Logical appeal • Emotional appeal • Ethical appeal

8. Logical Appeal • Logical appeals focus on facts in order to persuade the audience's brain that the writer’s opinion is correct • Students who are choosing a new school should come to PCHS because we were 1 of 30 high schools who had over 90% of its students pass the Georgia High School Graduation Test in all four content areas.

9. Emotional Appeal • Emotional appeals attempt to persuade the audience’s heart of the writer’s opinion. • If a student attends PCHS, he or she will achieve new levels of success which will result in a confident, happier individual with an improved self-esteem.

10. Ethical Appeal • Ethical appeals target the audience’s sense of duty or of right and wrong. • It is our responsibility to make sure every student is provided with a positive learning environment, which can be found at PCHS.