Introduction to
RHETORIC
From Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing, by
Hephzibah Roskelly and David A. Jolliffe, Second Edition
Rhetoric refers to two things:

The art of analyzing all the language choices that
writer, speaker, reader, or listener might make in
a given situation so that the text becomes
meaningful, purposeful, and effective.

The specific features of texts, written or spoken,
that cause them to be meaningful, purposeful,
and effective for readers or listeners in a given
situation.
ACTIVITY
 Read
the scenario carefully. Then, in small
groups, discuss the choices involving language
that Randall Leigh makes in order to be
persuasive. Evaluate the specific features of his
requests to his classmates.
What does “Being Skilled at Rhetoric”
Mean?
 Becoming
skilled at rhetoric is a
valuable part of your education, one
that you will work on throughout your
school years and beyond. Consider the
following:
What does “Being Skilled at Rhetoric”
Mean?

Being skilled at rhetoric means reading not only to
understand the main and supporting points of what
someone writes but also to analyze the decisions the
rhetor (speaker) makes as he or she works to
accomplish a purpose for a specific audience.
What does “Being Skilled at Rhetoric”
Mean?

Being skilled at rhetoric means being able to examine a
situation – in school, in Katy, in society as a whole – and
determine what has already been said and written,
what remains unresolved, and what you might say or
write to continue the conversation or persuade readers
to take action.
The Rhetorical Triangle

Anyone creating or analyzing a text must consider three
elements:
 The
subject and the kinds of evidence used to develop
it
 The
audience – their knowledge, ideas, attitudes, and
beliefs
 The
character of the rhetor – in particular, how the
rhetor might use his or her personal character
effectively in the text
ACTIVITY

Reread the scenario about Randall Leigh and the bus fare. Then, in your
small groups, discuss the following questions:
1.
What kind of persona, or “mask,” did Randall try to present to each of his
three audiences – Brandon, Kim, and Nate? (This speaks to the CHARACTER
of the rhetor)
2.
What assumptions do you think Randall made about each of the three
audiences – Brandon, Kim, and Nate – that led him to make decisions about
how to present his case? (This speaks to the AUDIENCE of the message)
3.
What kinds of plea, evidence, or proof did Randall employ with each of the
audiences to try to persuade Brandon, Kim, and Nate to lend him the bus
fare? (This speaks to the SUBJECT of the message)
4.
What do you think Brandon, Kim, and Nate knew about Randall – his
personality, his job, and so on – that led them to react the way they did to
his entreaties? (This speaks to the audience’s opinion of the SPEAKER)
Understanding Persona

Writers usually want the persona they develop and
the voice they use to be genuine, to reflect who they
really are. Occasionally, however, writers use the
masks of another voice for comic effect or to
underscore the seriousness of a position they believe
in.

Ellen Degeneres’ 2009 Tulane University Commencement (Graduation) Speech (9:30)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JccudODwwY&list=RD0JccudODwwY#t=3
As you watch and listen, respond to
the following:

1. What kind of person does Ellen seem to be?

2. Who is the audience for this text?

3. What seems to be the relationship between the speaker and
the audience?

4. What is the central idea that this text develops?

5. How is the text developed – through examples? Descriptions?
Stories?

6. How is the text organized? How are its parts connected? How
does this arrangement of parts help the development of the
text?

7. What is the context for the text?

8. How does the context influence Ellen and her relationship
with the audience?
Possible Responses

1. Authentic, sincere, funny,

2. Tulane graduates, faculty, family and friends of those graduates

3. Warm, respectful. Ellen is a New Orleans native, so that lends her
credibility to speak at Tulane University, located in the Crescent City

4. Be true to yourself; finding your way may take time, but it’s worth it in the
end; adversity will teach you; your definition of success will change
throughout life

5. Through stories of her life’s lowest points and highest successes

6. Starts with humor emphasizing that she did not attend college, much less
Tulane University. Makes fun of herself with “Common Cement” play on
words. Tells stories of her rise to fame, fall, then resurgence. Reveals what
she learned from her life. Ends with humor.

7. Addressing graduates who lived in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina –
she acknowledges their hardships and their enjoyment of life in a party city.
Ellen addresses that the graduates are moving from an academic life to a
working life.

8. These graduates have already experienced living through a strong
hurricane, an unusual and stressful event. If they can survive Katrina, then
certainly, they can meet future obstacles. Ellen’s stories relate how she
persevered through her own challenges. Mutual respect.
Understanding Audience
A successful speaker or writer generates effective
material by capitalizing on what audience members
already know, making them curious to know more about
the topic, and then satisfying their curiosity by providing
facts, ideas, and interpretations that build on what they
already know.
Understanding Appeals

A rhetor employs LOGOS by offering a clear, reasoned,
central idea (or ideas) and developing it (or them) with
appropriate evidence to appeal to an audience’s sense of
logic.

A rhetor appeals to ETHOS by offering evidence that he or
she is credible – knows important and relevant
information about the topic at hand and is a good,
believable person who has the readers’ (or listeners’)
best interests in mind.

A rhetor appeals to PATHOS by drawing on the emotions
and interests of the audience so that they will be
sympathetically inclined to accept and buy into central
ideas and arguments.
The Appeals and Context

Every piece of writing always exists in context, or
situation, that prompts the writer to write about a
certain subject, audience members to read (or listen to)
the piece, and a purpose to determine how the writer
approaches both the situation and the audience.

A piece of writing works in three closely related ways – to
convey its information and points to readers (or
listeners), to influence their thinking, and perhaps even
to change their actions. These ways are the appeals:
ethos, logos, pathos.
ACTIVITY

Read “Corporate Sponsorship of Our Schools” by Joel Caris. It was
posted on “The Scrivener,” a website that welcomes submissions from
high school writers. After reading the editorial, respond to the
following questions in your small groups.

1. What is the context (situation) of this piece of writing?

In other words, what happened to cause Caris to pen this editorial?

What specifics did Caris include? (did he give when and where it
happened?, relate why this happened?, tell why it was done?) If so,
write each of these down on your paper.

2. How does Caris establish credibility (ethos)?

3. How does he employ logic (logos)?

4. How does he appeal to emotion and interests of the audience
(pathos)?
ACTIVITY

What I noticed:

This did not sound like a high school student’s voice. Why?

Diction – “somewhat disturbing event” (line 1), “substantial prize”
(line 10), “monetary assistance” (line 11), “blatantly pandering”
(line 27), “partaking in corporate sponsorship” (line 31),
compromising their objectivity and true purpose (line 35-36)

Logical explanation of context (situation)

Parallel structure in second sentence – “The shirt did not have a
marijuana leaf on it, did not promote alcohol or tobacco, and
implied nothing sexual.”

Mature analysis and expression of his opinion

Sophisticated punctuation use – dashes for emphasis