Rhetorical TriangleRhetorical TrianglePersuasive Writing and Persuasive Writing and Speaking – everything is an Speaking – everything is an argument!argument!

The Rhetorical The Rhetorical TriangleTriangle

Speaker

Audience Text

by Aristotle

What is rhetoric?What is rhetoric? The art or study of The art or study of using using

languagelanguage effectivelyeffectively and and persuasivelypersuasively. . [[American Heritage American Heritage College DictionaryCollege Dictionary]]

““Rhetoric may be defined as the Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of faculty of discerningdiscerning in any given in any given case the case the available meansavailable means of of persuasionpersuasion..” [” [AristotleAristotle]]

Aristotle said that when a Aristotle said that when a rhetorrhetor (speaker) begins to consider how to (speaker) begins to consider how to compose a speech, he/she must compose a speech, he/she must take into account 3 elements: the take into account 3 elements: the texttext, the , the audienceaudience, and the , and the speakerspeaker..

Audience

Speaker

Text

AudienceAudience

The writer/speaker: The writer/speaker: speculates about audience speculates about audience

expectations and knowledge of expectations and knowledge of subject, andsubject, and

uses own experience and uses own experience and observation to help decide on observation to help decide on howhow to communicate with audience.to communicate with audience.

TextTextThe writer/speaker: The writer/speaker: evaluates what the audience knows evaluates what the audience knows

already and needs to know,already and needs to know, investigates perspectives investigates perspectives

(researches), and(researches), and determines kinds of evidence, determines kinds of evidence,

format, style that seem most usefulformat, style that seem most useful

SpeakerSpeaker

The writer/speaker uses: The writer/speaker uses:

1.1. who they are, who they are,

2.2. what they know and feel, and what they know and feel, and

3.3. what they’ve seen and done what they’ve seen and done

to find their attitudes toward a to find their attitudes toward a texttext and their understanding of and their understanding of audienceaudience..

Use of AppealsUse of Appeals

Logos, pathos, and ethosLogos, pathos, and ethos Let’s look at each.Let’s look at each.

LogosLogos

Appeals to logicAppeals to logic– FactsFacts– ResearchResearch– StatsStats– ExperimentsExperiments– Case studiesCase studies

PathosPathos

Appeals to Appeals to feelings, feelings, emotions, and emotions, and beliefsbeliefs

Higher emotions Higher emotions belief in fairness belief in fairness love love pity pity etc. etc.

Lower emotions Lower emotions greed greed lust lust revenge revenge etc. etc.

EthosEthos

Appeals to a person’s ethicsAppeals to a person’s ethics– TrustworthinessTrustworthiness– CredibilityCredibility– Reliable sourcesReliable sources

Rhetorical Devices!Rhetorical Devices!Don’t forget about them!Don’t forget about them!

The art of persuasion demands the The art of persuasion demands the use of rhetorical devices.use of rhetorical devices.

They help to persuade or convey They help to persuade or convey meaning.meaning.

Common devices include: metaphor, Common devices include: metaphor, simile, alliteration, allusion, analogy, simile, alliteration, allusion, analogy, hyperbole, epithet, oxymoronhyperbole, epithet, oxymoron

Please keep these in the back of Please keep these in the back of your mind as we continue on! your mind as we continue on!