ACT III: SCENE 2
POWERS OF
PERSUASION
An analysis of Antony’s
and Brutus’s speech
Persuasive Techniques
• Rhetorical Questioning – a statement that is
formulated as a question for effect, but is not
expecting to be answered
“Who could not possibly love Mr. Goldstein?”
“Would you like to save a lot of money on car insurance?”
• Antithesis – the juxtaposition of opposites to
emphasize an idea
"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish
together as fools." – Martin Luther King Jr.
Persuasive Techniques
• Repetition – the repeating of a word, phrase, or
sound for emphasis.
“We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and
oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and
growing strength in the air” – Winston Churchill
• Restatement – expressing the same idea in different
words for emphasis.
“Not knowing what lay ahead, not knowing what they
would find, not knowing that they were so close to the
outpost” – Sir Joshua Reynolds
Persuasive Techniques
• Parallelism – Repeating a grammatical structure or
an arrangement of words to create a sense of rhythm
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what
you can do for your country” – JFK
• Hyperbole – An extreme exaggeration created to
emphasize a point.
“Obamacare would lead to a time when we tell our
children and our children’s children, what it was like in
America when men were free.” – Sarah Palin
MORE PERSUASION: Aristotle’s Articles
• Ethos - Credibility or ethical appeal - convincing by the
character of the author. We tend to believe people whom
we respect.
• Pathos - persuading by appealing to the reader's
emotions. Tone affects the reader's emotional response,
in regards to guilt, fear, jealousy, pride, hope, etc.
• Logos (Logical) - persuading by the use of reasoning.
Give reasons that support and substantiate your thesis.