Tools for Analyzing Rhetoric:
The Rhetorical Triangle and SOAPSTone
What is Rhetoric?
Corbet and Connors
describe rhetoric as
“the art or the
discipline that deals
with the use of
written, spoken, or
visual discourse to
inform, persuade, or
motivate an
audience.”
Aristotle and Rhetoric
The art of rhetoric has its roots in
ancient Greece. The sophists,
a group of wise men who
advised the government for a
fee, emphasized the
importance of logical and
clear speech when discussing
issues of politics.
The philosopher Aristotle split
from the sophists and
believed rhetoric should be a
free endeavor. He wrote a
text called The Art of Rhetoric
which outlined rules how one
engaging in rhetoric should
behave. Aristotle argued one
must use rhetoric “by any
means possible” to reach
their message to their
audience.
The Speaking Triangle
Speaker
Text
Audience
Subject
Aristotle described two
ways one can
examine rhetoric. The
first is called the
Speaking Triangle.
Aristotle believed that a
the structure and
language of an
argument are
determined by the
interaction between
the speaker,
audience, and subject
of a text.
Speaking Triangle Example
Let us take a look at Lou Gehrig’s farewell
address page 1 – 2 in your text:
Speaker: Speakers create a persona, or
character in which he/she presents
oneself. Gehrig cast himself as the
humble hero who courageously fought a
deadly disease
Audience: An audience has an expectation of
a speaker that is either confirmed,
denied, or altered. Gehrig’s audience
expected him to have self-pity for himself
after being diagnosed with a fatal illness,
but instead he declared he was “the
luckiest man on earth.”
Subject: Subjects are the topic addressed by
the speaker and the context in which the
speech is given. Gehrig gave his farewell
address at a sold-out Yankee Stadium to
announce his sudden retirement. The
audience assumed Gehrig would discuss
his “bad break,” but instead he gave a
motivational speech focusing on how he
was “the luckiest man on earth.”
Speaking Triangle Application
Watch the following
scene from the
movie Braveheart
and identify the
speaker, audience,
and subject of this
speech.
http://video.google.com/videoplay
?docid=8449422937652187164&safe=act
ive#
Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle
A more specific way
Aristotle suggested
we analyze rhetoric
is looking at Ethos,
Pathos, Logos, also
known as the
Rhetorical Triangle.
Ethos
Text
Pathos
Logos
Ethos – An Appeal to Character


Aristotle defined Ethos
as an appeal
character that
demonstrates a
speaker is trustworthy
(ie: street cred).
A speaker evoking
ethos can be a writer,
orator, painter, graphic
novelists, songwriter,
blogger, etc.
Pathos – An Appeal to Emotion


Aristotle defined
Pathos as a way a
speaker engages the
audience to illicit an
emotional response,
be it nostalgia, anger,
compassion, etc.
Evoking Pathos is
important for a
speaker to establish a
bond between himself
and his audience.
Logos – An Appeal to Logic
Aristotle defined Logos as
an argument based on
evidence such as facts,
statistics, testimonies,
and those based on
logical reasoning and
common sense.
Appealing to Logos is
important because it
demonstrates a
speakers expertise on a
subject by providing
evidence to support her
claim.
As you watch the following clip, identify
elements of ethos/pathos/logos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhbDrUDvwH0&p=7BF40A17D30835C9&
playnext=1&index=31
As you watch the following clip, identify
elements of ethos/pathos/logos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38qLFOQFTB4
As you watch the following clip, identify
elements of ethos/pathos/logos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_DQUAuNUvw
SOAPSTone
Speaker – Ethos
Occasion – Why and When
speech is given.
Audience – The people
who observe or listen to
the speech and their
expectation and
reaction.
Purpose – What is the
speech trying to do to
the audience?
Subject – What the speech
is about?
Tone – The attitude of the
speaker.
Another tool one can use to
analyze rhetoric is
SOAPSTone.
Rhetorical Triangle and SOAPSTone Analysis
Example: “The Gettysburg Address”
President Abraham Lincoln delivered
“The Gettysburg Address” on
November 19, 1863 as a dedication
of the memorial for the 50,000+
soldiers who died 4½ months earlier
during the Battle of Gettysburg.
The Battle of Gettysburg was a major
turning point in the Civil War in which
the Union demonstrated it could
defend against an all out attack from
the Confederacy who intended to
invade Washington, D.C.
Lincoln was expected to give a victory
speech, but instead his brief 272
words evoked the Declaration of
Independence, personal freedoms,
and a roadmap on how to repair the
shredded ties that divided the nation.
“The Gettysburg Address” is
considered one of the greatest
speeches in the English language.
Speaker/Audience/Subject



Speaker: the POTUS,
leader of the Union, but
also a leader who tries to
appeal to his enemy.
Audience: the 15,000
dignitaries who attended
the speech expected
Lincoln to give an inspiring
victory speech, yet he
defied expectation and
looked both to the past
and the future.
Subject: “that the
government of the people,
by the people…shall not
perish from the earth.”
Ethos/Pathos/Logos
Ethos: Lincoln evoked ethos just being
President of the United States. But, he also
used his ethos to appeal to the
Confederacy. He makes an allusion to the
Declaration of Independence declaring “all
men are created equal.”
Pathos: Lincoln appeals to pathos by reflecting
on how the living should never “forget what
they [the soldiers] did here.” This is
significant because he doesn’t distinguish
sides, but notes all the fallen soldiers made
the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
Logos: Lincoln appeals to logos by looking to
repairing the country after a long Civil War.
He discusses “the task before us” and adds
“the nation shall have a new birth of
freedom” – meaning we shall be a stronger
America after we have settled the issues we
have struggled during the previous years of
war.
SOAPSTone
Speaker: The President of the
US, but also a uniter,
rather than a divider.
Occasion: The dedication of a
war memorial .
Audience: All Americans,
especially members of the
Confederacy
Purpose: To motivate, to
reflect, to evoke “the
angels of our better
nature.”
Subject: “the great task
remaining before us.”
Tone: somber, reconciliatory,
optimistic.
Summary
Speaking Triangle:
-Speaker –Audience –Subject
Rhetorical Triangle:
-Ethos –Pathos –Logos
SOAPSTone:
-Speaker –Occasion –Audience –Purpose
–Subject -Tone