Monday, May 12 rhetorical devices

In class: review of The Rhetorical Triangle

Practice with commercials CLASS HANDOUT / COPY BELOW
NOTE THAT IF YOU ARE ABSENT, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ASSIGNMENT.

Due Friday: vocabulary test on literary and rhetorical terms 2 on Monday, May19 class handout /copy below

The Rhetorical Triangle

Aristotle taught that a speaker's ability to persuade is based on how well the speaker appeals to his or her audience in three different areas:

ethos (ethical appeals), pathos (emotional appeals), and logos(logical appeals). These areas form something that later rhetoricians have called the Rhetorical Triangle.

Logos

••"Logos" corresponds with the argument's "logical appeals," that is, how well the reader uses the "text" of his own argument and evidence. Effective arguments will probably include facts and other supporting details to back up the author's claims. They may contain testimony from authorities and will demonstrate the writer's carefulness in choosing and considering evidence. They are likely to be well organized, skillfully written, and well edited/proofread. Questions to consider: What is being argued here, or what is the author's thesis? What points does he offer to support this idea? Has he presented arguments that seem logical, or does he seem to be jumping to conclusions? Can you think of kinds of writing that rely exclusively on logical appeals? Do they bore you?

                          

          Ethos

   Does she seem knowledgeable and reasonable? Does she seem trustworthy? Does she treat her opponents, people who might disagree, with fairness and respect, or does she take cheap shots at them? Does she try to establish common ground with the reader? Why do you think essays that lack this kind of appeal are likely to be unconvincing? What effect do you think it would have if a writer included nothing but ethical appeals?   

                          

                             Pathos

"Pathos" refers to the argument's "emotional appeals," that is, how well the writer taps into the reader's emotions   Many times, this appeal is how a writer will make an argument "matter" to readers. Advertisements do it all the time. Perhaps a writer will offer an anecdote to illustrate suffering or appeal to readers as parents concerned for their children. Does the writer appeal to your emotions—feelings of sadness, pride, fear, being young, anger, patriotism, love, justice? On the other hand, is the essay loaded with facts, figures, and nothing else? Is the emotional appeal effective or overwhelming?

commercial 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

commercial 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXliYl9qM8k

commercial 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtWRCIkFl00

Literary and rhetorical terms 2    test on Monday, May 16

1.    hypothetical-  (adjective)-an assumption granted for the sake of argument

2.    idiom (noun)-a way of speaking that is peculiar to a region, group or class

3.    imagery- (noun)- language that brings to mind sense impressions

4.    irony (noun)- a technique that draws awareness to the discrepancy between what is and what seems to be

5.    eulogy (noun)- a formal statement of praise

6.    colloquialism (noun)- an informal expression or slang terms

7.    denotation (noun)- the explicit meaning of a word

8.    connotation (noun)- the implied meaning of a word

9.    epitaph- (noun)- a brief statement to memorialize a deceased person

10.           free verse- (noun)- an open form of poetry that does not use consistent meter or rhyme

Class handout on commercials

Name__________________________________

Note: if you are absent, you are responsible for the following.

logos- (noun)- a mode of persuasion that uses logic and reason as a means to convince an audience of the presenter’s

ethos-(noun)-a mode of persuasion that uses ethical appeal as a means to convince an audience of the author’s credibility or character. Example:

pathos-(noun)- a mode of persuasion that uses emotion to convince an audience of the presenter’s argument.

You are watching three commercials today. For each, write a short statement (complete sentence, please) that explains what rhetorical device is being used. Support with specifics from the clip.

Commercial 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

commercial 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXliYl9qM8k

commercial 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtWRCIkFl00