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What is Rhetoric?. The power of effective communication. rhetoric. the ability to discern the available means of persuasion in any given situation. - Aristotle, ancient Greek philosopher. Writer. The Rhetorical Situation/ Triangle.
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What is Rhetoric? The power of effective communication
rhetoric the ability to discern the available means of persuasion in any given situation - Aristotle, ancient Greek philosopher
Writer The Rhetorical Situation/ Triangle -understanding and assessing the relationship between the writer, the audience, and the text Audience Text
Understanding Rhetorical Appeals Kairos These are the formal terms that have been in use since 500 BCE. Logos Pathos Ethos
Definitions • Logos • Entails rational argument: appeals to reason and an attempt to persuade the audience through clear reasoning and philosophy • Statistics, facts, definitions, and formal proofs • Ethos • An appeal to authority or character; does not strictly mean the use of ethics or ethical reasoning • Aristotle meant the character or goodwill of the speaker • Today, we consider the text’s reliance on authority, credibility, or benevolence • Pathos • Generally refers to an appeal to emotions • The text attempts to put the audience in a particular emotional state • Use of jokes, inflammatory language, sad stories, etc. • Kairos • The attention to the “right time and place” for an argument • The “umbrella” or over-all feeling
Other Necessary Rhetorical Terms • Claim- A primary point being made to support an argument (basically, the thesis statement) • Warrant (aka bridge)- The explanation of why or how the data supports the claim • Fallacy- An incorrect argument leading to misinformation or misunderstanding
Other Important Rhetorical Devices Literature terms we all know…
Rhetorical Devices • Tone • Diction • Figurative Language • Repetition • Hyperbole • Understatement
Guided Practice Queen Elizabeth I’s Speech to the Troops at Tilbury, 1588
My loving people, We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear, I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you in the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.
Questions Portrait of Elizabeth made to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588), depicted in the background. Elizabeth's international power is symbolized by the hand resting on the globe. • Queen Elizabeth I is sending her men to fight the Spanish Armada. What do you know about the audience based on the information in the speech? How does she take the audience into account? • How does Queen Elizabeth I use the audience’s faith and belief in God as a way to convince them to believe and agree with her? Why is it a good idea for her to remind them of her divine right as a ruler before sending them into battle? • Identify the tone(s) of the passage. How does she set the tone(s)?
Questions, cont. • At one point she says that she is going to fight beside them, and then she says she will not. Explain what she means and what she is doing here. How is she manipulating her audience? • Identify an appeal to pathos. How is it effective? • One appeal to logos she makes is when she reminds them that she will be paying them money to fight. To which audience is she specifically speaking when she mentions this? • One effective rhetorical device in this speech is her manipulation of diction. Provide one example of effective word choice and discuss its contribution to the quality of the argument.
Mark Antony and Marcus Brutus Speeches after Julius Caesar’s assassination
Antony (p. 833) versus Brutus (p. 830) • What was the speaker up against? • What was the occasion for the speech? • What did the author have to keep in mind while speaking? • What were his goals in his speech? • What was his ultimate purpose in making the speech?