What are Rhetorical Strategies?

1. What are Rhetorical Strategies?

2. What is rhetoric? And why bother studying it? • “The art of effective expression (speaking & writing) and the persuasive use of language” • We study rhetoric because: • it helps us to better appreciate appeals to our ethos, pathos, & logos (more on this to come) • it helps us to become more effective persuasive speakers and writers

3. Ethos, Pathos, Logos • Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that there are three basic ways to persuade an audience that you are right.

4. Ethos • Persuasive appeal of one’s character. Tells us that the author is reliable and competent – speaks to the speaker’s expertise and credibility • Example: “I am a father, a taxpayer, and have served you as senator for 20 years. I deserve your vote to continue my service. AK Senator Hollis French

5. Pathos • Appeal to emotion (of course, meant to evoke emotional response) • Example: “Imagine for a moment a tragic collision on the Parks Highway. A family is killed and many others are injured. The cause is determined to be frost heaves. We must use more state funds to pay for road improvements.”

6. Logos • Appeal to reason and logic (evokes a rational response) • Example: “Pennsylvania’s roads are in a state of disrepair. Without quality roads, our transportation system will falter and hinder our economy. Hence, we must use more state funds to pay for road repairs.”

7. Ted Talk • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3klMM9BkW5o • Listen to TedTalk to review ideas of ethos, logos, pathos

12. Rhetorical Strategies • The strategies that follow are just some of the ways to make your writing/speaking more persuasive…

13. Parallel Structure • Parallel Structure - repetition of grammatically similar words, phrases, clauses, or sentences to emphasize a point or stir the emotions of a reader/listener. Used to create a sense of rhythm, balance, and order in writing or speech. • Chiasmus=“inverted parallelism” (i.e. eat to live, not live to eat) • Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.

14. Parallel Structure The coach told the players: “You will get some sleep tonight, you will not eat too much right before the game, and you will do some warm-up exercises before the game.”

15. Rhetorical Question • Rhetorical Question-question not answered by writer b/c the answer is obvious or obviously desired. Used in persuasion to encourage the reader/listener to reflect on what the answer must be. • “How much longer must our people endure this injustice?”

16. Allusion • Short, informal reference to famous person, event, story. Relies on reader/listener to be familiar with the reference and hidden meaning. Used to stimulate ideas, associations, add extra information. • If I want to persuade you to wash your hands, I may say “thou shalt wash thy hands”. I am trusting that you respect the commandments and, hence, my statement.

17. Analogy • Comparison between two things that are alike in certain respects. Used in persuasion to demonstrate the logic of one idea by showing how it is similar to an accepted idea. • (“Pupils are more like oysters than sausages. The job of teaching is not to stuff them and then seal them up, but to help them reveal the riches within.”-Sydney Harris)

18. Alliteration • Repetition of initial consonant sounds. Used to call attention to a phrase and fixes it in the reader’s/listener’s mind. • (i.e. “Let us go forth to lead the land we love.”- John F. Kennedy Inaugural speech)

19. Humor • Humor can be used to make you like the writer/speaker and “win you over” • Hyperbole-exaggeration for emphasis/effect (“at night she needs a paint scraper to take off her makeup”) • Sarcasm –Verbal irony (“Obama doesn’t have the experience of being Miss Wasilla!”) • Irony (situational, dramatic) (“it is ironic that the window store had all of its windows broken by vandals”)

20. Audience • When attempting to persuade,consider your audience. • For example, you would not use caustic satire to persuade a potential employer to hire you. • “The food served here is great if you are a teenager with two dollars in your pocket.”

21. Active Voice v. Passive Voice • Active Voice- The boyhit the ball. The subject of this sentence actively hits the ball. • Passive Voice- The ballwas hit by the boy. The subject sits passively, doing nothing while some outside agent performs the action.

22. Here’s why it is better rhetoric to use active voice… • Active voice sentences are shorter. • The fighter punched Ali and dodged the uppercut. (Active= 8 words) • Ali was punched by the fighter, and then an uppercut was dodged by him. (Passive= 14 words)

23. Active sentences are clear and to the point • When you use passive voice, you have to use boring phrases like “by so-and-so” or leave this out and let your sentence become unclear. • The airplane was flown to Bermuda (by the pilot). • My car has been driven to Dallas. (By whom? A car thief? SpongeBob?)

24. Structure of a Classical Argument • Introduction • Thesis Statement • Background Information • Reasons and Evidence • The Opposing View and the Refutation- Counter Argument • Conclusions